us?”
“No leave the Devil here.”
Max gave his chained leash to David and hurried to my side.
I headed off, still in aching and sore, but ready to get out there.
Boris got in front of me. “Where are we going?”
“I don’t fucking know.” More tears left my eyes. “New York maybe. I don’t want to be here anymore.”
I felt like a fucking baby. I needed Xavier. I missed Kennedy. Both were people I could run to. X would have especially helped me make sense of this.
Max cleared his throat. “Wait what? New York?”
Kaz’s voice rose in the hallway. “Mysh?!”
I didn’t look back, I knew if I did that it would be hard to walk away. “Fuck you! You want a war then have it! Enjoy it! But do it without me!”
“Yo,” Max muttered. “This shit is intense. Maybe, we should just. . .get you both a counselor or something.”
A counselor wouldn’t stop the bombing. I hoped my leaving would. Although fear told me that this could be the last time I saw Kaz again. But what else could I do? He wasn’t being open to any words or logic. I couldn’t beat him up or his men, not with my injuries and pain. Maybe he would change his mind if I walked away. . . if I could even do that.
I hadn’t thought any of this through. Earlier, I had left the bedroom to enjoy his comfort, not fight and walk away. Not see him bomb a whole city.
“So, Em,” Maxwell spoke when we hit the bottom of the stairs. “You think the lion is going to let us walk out the house?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmmm.”
“You don’t think so?”
“The odds are fifty-fifty, but there’s no way we’re getting to New York.”
Boris spoke up, “I can get all of our people to make sure we get out of here.”
“All of her people won’t help, if Kaz and his men come against us.” Maxwell stretched his neck. “I watched him in Paris. Let’s just hope for the best.”
“Boris.” I rubbed my eyes. “Call Blue. Tell her that it’s been a change of plans. Have everybody get ready to leave.”
“Okay.” Boris took out his phone.
We hit the kitchen.
“This mouse is back.” Baba remained at the table sipping from her cup. “You should take your tea. It’s good for the baby.”
Shaking my head, I hurried out of there.
“I see you met Baba,” Maxwell said.
“She’s crazy.”
“I like her. She smokes.”
I rolled my eyes. “Smoking weed isn’t a sign of whether a person is cool or not.”
“It is for me. Certain type of people smoke ganja, and they always tend to be a gentle bunch.”
“Whatever.”
We made it to the other set of stairs.
I’m really leaving?
My nerves flared on edge.
“You’re slow as fuck right now,” Maxwell said. “Let me pick you up.”
“Don’t even think about it.” Step by step, I ignored him and took my time going up.
“Uh.” Boris glanced over his shoulder. “Kazimir is behind us.”
Dread filled me.
“Of course he is.” Maxwell shook his head. “From Saint Petersburg to Paris and now in Moscow, this has got to be the craziest month of my life. All I want to do is smoke a joint and get my dick sucked. I’m not trying to get shot today.”
“Max, just go and meet me at my building.” I eased up another set of steps. “I’ll deal with Kaz. Make sure everyone knows that we’re going. I’m taking all my guns.”
Max sucked his teeth. “Man, I’m not leaving you alone with him. Boris, you go to the building. Get her people and weapons. We’ll figure out what to do after that.”
Boris went the other way.
Max and I continued up the stairs and headed to the bedroom. I didn’t look behind me, but I could feel Kaz in the area, sucking up all the space with his rage and power.
When I got to the bedroom, I opened the door.
Kazimir growled behind me. “Maxwell, wait out here. I want to talk to her alone.”
Of course you do.
Groaning, I limped over to my drawer. Exhausted, I decided to grab a few change of clothes. Jeans shirts, underwear bra, and socks. No need for a dress or suit. I had no idea where I would go, but it wouldn’t be the sort of places Kaz had been taking me. Truthfully all I wanted to do was stay here, lay in bed, and put a pillow over my head.
But the lion wants to bomb shit.
The door slammed close.
Kaz must’ve entered.
I jumped a little but kept on grabbing things. When I