Dirty Passions An Interracial Russian Mafia Romance (The Lion and The Mouse #5) - Kenya Wright Page 0,26

stomped more and puffed out their chest. Zahkar showed up to ask when will business return. Nikolay visited his wife for a small chat and a box of chocolates. Abram called and talked to Kaz for a short time.

My men came by too. Max showed up a few times each day to walk Harlem. Boris guarded the door and ducked his head into the room a few times to Kaz’s annoyance. Blue always swung by. I realized she had a serious sweet tooth. Each time she appeared, she bore gifts of brownies and cakes, cookies and pies that her grandmother had made. Always she ate the treats with us as if unable to help herself.

Lemon stopped over.

The only full-blooded white girl on the crew, she showed major guts in Paris and had gained my loyalty. Lemon was my nickname for her. Her real name was Lemonotsky.

Although the name was ripe and sweet, Lemon was not. She had cold, pale skin and a bald head. Plus, she towered over most of my men at 6’7.

I didn’t know her age, but her whole head of hair was a silvery gray. I wondered if it was real or if she’d dyed it. Something had happened to her right eye. A yellow leather eye patch covered it.

She’d worked as a dishwasher in the back of a kitchen in some dusty restaurant in downtown Moscow. Boris had brought me to her. From time to time, she helped his crew do odd jobs.

On the first day she appeared in our bedroom, Kaz questioned Lemon. “Where did you say you were from?”

She sat in the chair by the bed and looked at the floor. “Siberia.”

He shook his head. “Where are you actually from?”

“Saint Petersburg.”

I sat up in the bed.

Kaz pushed further. “What’s your real last name?”

She placed her hands in her lap and stared at them. “Turgenev.”

“There are three wealthy families in Saint Petersburg—Kuznetsov, Oblonskey, and Turgenev. Any relation?”

“Yes.” She nodded, but never looked our way.

I widened my eyes. “Are you hiding from your family?”

“No. I was cast out.”

“Why?” I asked.

She looked at me. “Because. . .I wasn’t born a woman.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say. “Well. . .I don’t have a problem with that. It is what it is.”

A smile appeared on her face. For the first time that day, she gazed my way. “I still like the nickname.”

“Lemon?” I smiled.

“Yes.”

Kaz frowned. “You’re a man?”

I elbowed him. “Lemon is a woman now. Just leave it alone.”

She rose. “I’ll. . .let you finish up.”

“Okay.”

She headed away and then stopped. “If. . .it’s okay. I don’t want anyone else in the brotherhood to know.”

I nodded. “It’s not of their concern. And if something comes up, then let me know.”

“Thank you, Emily.”

Lemon left.

When the door shut, Kaz cringed. “He’s a woman?”

“Oh my God. It’s a new time.”

“What is going on with the world?”

“A lot so you might as well get used to it.”

Throughout the day, my lion’s phone rang a lot.

He ignored it.

Besides bathroom breaks and a shower here and there, we remained in bed, hiding from the world. A peace came with these days. Comfort and healing too.

No sex happened. My body was too sore. And Kaz never asked or pushed it. Perhaps, he wasn’t in the mood either.

By the third morning, I rose from bed and headed to the bathroom.

Rolling over, Kaz yawned. “Where are you going?”

“I need to shower. I have my follow-up medical appointment today.”

Stretching, he sat up. “I’m coming.”

“You don’t have to. It’s just a checkup.”

“Still, I want to be there.”

“You have a lot to do.”

“Not as important as this. The brotherhood can wait until tomorrow.”

“Can it?”

“The brotherhood will actually have to wait a week. Misha texted me last night. My uncle’s funeral is in two days.”

“When will we leave for Prague?”

“Tomorrow morning, if you’re up to it.”

“That’s fine.” I headed to the shower and tried not to think too much about anything. If I thought of the past, I would get depressed. If I considered our future, I would become anxious. All I could do was focus on the present moment, the shower, the medical appointment, and then getting back in bed.

Everything will be okay. Soon, I’ll feel like me again.

My body seemed different. In no way was it the same from weeks ago. I had no idea when the feeling of me would return.

Everything has changed.

Hours later, we sat in the doctor’s office. Twenty people deep. Luckily, our armed men all sat or stood in the lobby, freaking out the