Hostile Ground (The Arsenal #7) - Cara Carnes Page 0,92

Besides, he’s got a reunion with Stacia to look forward to.”

Zoey pulled her lower lip into her mouth and looked at Addy. “Are we sure that’s a good idea? I mean, Stacia seems happy where she’s at from what I’ve heard.”

“That’s not our call,” Johnny said.

“She’s my priority. I vowed to protect her,” Zoey argued. “That doesn’t go away just because of all this.”

“Putting myself in Olaf’s situation, I wouldn’t take it too well if some stranger decided to keep me from you once I finally escaped my hell,” Gage said as he looked over at her. “I’m thinking you wouldn’t appreciate that either.”

Zoey blinked. “Well, yeah, but that’s different.”

“How?” Nolan asked.

“Man’s got a point,” Beast said as he glanced down, then over at Addy. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking it’s way more complicated than that. Olaf…” She bit back the words forming. The man deserved the privacy Kristof tried to give him.

“What was that conversation in the vehicle about?” Cracker asked. “The one between Kristof and Olaf. It seemed intense.”

It was. “Olaf’s got a long road ahead of him. I’m not sure he’s ready to have Stacia back in his life.”

“Been there, done that,” Jesse said via the com. “Thinking we’d best bring Olaf here and help him mend. He needs someone like Doctor Sinclair to navigate that road he’s about to head down.”

Jesse could likely help too. Addy nodded her agreement.

“We’ll need to sit down with Lavrov and get his input on it, but I agree. Olaf should come back with us,” Marshall said.

In time, yes. But Addy didn’t think it was in Olaf’s or Kristof’s best interest for that to happen immediately. They needed to decompress a bit and get a bit of closure on what all had happened before they left Russia.

Face it, Ads. You want time alone with Kristof.

“We need more time like this, Addison. Just you and me.” Kristof’s whispered words haunted her in their simplicity. The soft utterance had boomeranged her brain with what-if scenarios ever since.

He was right. They did need time alone. But when? How?

“That’ll be a challenge, but we can make it work,” Mary said. “We’ll need to find out what Kristof’s plans are now that his father’s out of the picture. I’m sure he has a plan.”

“He does.” Maksim halted in the doorway. “Forgive my intrusion. I was looking for Addy.”

“Come in and have a seat,” Nolan said. “How’s Kristof?”

“Stubborn.” The man grunted the word as he sat in the space Shep made between him and Addy. “He’ll rest once Olaf is awake and more alert. I’m sure you all have figured it out already, but he blames himself for his cousin’s condition.”

“Why?” Cracker’s brows furrowed.

“He thinks he should’ve rescued him sooner,” Addy whispered. “At least, that’s what I’m assuming.”

“You’re right.” Maksim said, his gaze on her. “I’ll need your help getting him focused on what matters. If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

Addy tightened. What the heck did that mean?

“Does Kristof have a plan?” Mary added.

“He does.” Maksim folded his arms around his legs in the same position Addy maintained. “Part of our planning involved a reward system of sorts for a few high-level people and groups. If they either remained neutral or took our side instead of Kostya’s when the final battle began, they’d get a portion of Kostya’s operation once he was eliminated.”

“So, the strong get stronger,” Zoey said. “That sucks. But I have to admit, it’s brilliant.”

“The perfect motivation,” Marshall said. “So that’s how he’s proceeding?”

“That’s my assumption. His sole focus at the moment is watching Olaf sleep.” Maksim’s gaze swept the room. “Kristof is my closest friend. I’ll admit I’m worried. He’s been so focused on…”

“We understand,” Jesse said. “A few of us have been down the road Olaf is about to take. Kristof was just as much a prisoner as his cousin was in some respects. It’ll be a tremendous adjustment for them both to move forward. We’ll help however we can.”

“That’s appreciated.” Maksim cleared his throat. “I hope you understand why I’ve been so open about this with you. It’s not my nature to betray a friend’s privacy.”

“Sometimes that’s the only play that’ll work,” Shep said. “We’d do the same thing for Addy or anyone here if needed. You likely know or sense that we can help them both.”

Maksim nodded.

“We’ll help,” Addy said.

“On a more mission-oriented note,” the man said, “Gavriil has the rest of Kostya’s organization handled. He made contact with a few of those Kristof had intended to coordinate his