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Like right now.

“What’s up?” I ask.

She leans to the side and glances at me over her shoulder. “What makes you think something’s up?”

There’s a drop of syrup on her bottom lip and I can’t help myself; I lean forward and lick it off before kissing her, reveling in the velvety soft sweetness of her mouth that is partially from the syrup but mostly just her unique flavor.

Yeah. Something else I missed about her.

“Because I know you. You have so many tells you’d lose your ass in poker.”

She rolls her eyes before dropping her fork onto her mostly empty plate and leaning against me, her back to my chest.

I wrap my arms around her and set my chin on her shoulder, simply breathing her in and enjoying the sensation of my love right where she belongs, where she’s belonged all along.

I knew it. All that time, I knew it. Even when Brix and Kato demanded I accept she played us for fools, I knew my girl would never fuck around on us, she would never hurt us intentionally, would never walk away willingly.

I mean, seriously. Why the fuck would she let us carve up her skin if she was simply going to turn around and marry some Russian fuck?

“I was just thinking,” she says with a shrug.

I nuzzle her throat, pressing kisses along the curve of her neck and smiling against her skin when she practically melts into me with a sigh.

“About?”

“Well…”

When she doesn’t speak for a few seconds, Kato leans forward. “Stop fucking seducing her at the table so she can talk, dumbass.”

I can’t hide the smile when I crane my neck a little and see her eyes closed.

“Sorry.” Yeah. Nah. Not sorry at all.

“Thinking about what?” Brixton asks around a yawn.

None of us are wearing shirts except Everest, and she’s currently donning one of the skimpy ass pajama sets Kato ordered. It had all been meant as some form of a punishment, a way to humiliate her.

But fuck me am I glad for the lack of fabric. Gives my hands and eyes more access to her body.

“My dad thinks I’m dead, and I assume Viktor is still working for him.”

There’s that fucking name again. I’d asked her about it yesterday, but she skirted around the subject.

My muscles tense and I tighten my hold on her. “Who the fuck is Viktor and when do I get to kill him?”

“The man who saved my life, and you absolutely may not kill him,” she says to me, turning her head to look into my eyes.

“Her father told Viktor to take her out into the woods and kill her, but he got her help instead. He’s the only reason she’s still sitting here,” Brix says, his eyes on Everest the whole time. “I assume you want us to find a way to get him out of the estate and out of the line of fire before your presence is made known.”

“Yes. Please. Because there’s no way my dad will let him live if he finds out Viktor didn’t follow his orders.”

Kato stares at her, leaning forward on his elbows, his hands clasped together. “How do you expect us to get him out?”

I can feel her tense, feel the anger begin to boil up inside of her.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe use your super-duper mafia skills. You know, the same ones you used to track me down. Find a way to get him away from the estate and warn him. Otherwise…” She lets her sentence trail off and I really,reallywant to know what the otherwise will be.

“Otherwise,what, Everest?” Kato asks.