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Chapter

Thirty-Four

Katya

Driving three hours away to a cell tower that isn’t connected to the network I used the last time, I call Dimitri’s burner. Last call.

He picks up on the second ring. “Hello, my little otter.”

“Hello, my octopus.” I pause. “That’s a fucking horrible nickname. We need something better.”

Dimitri laughs. “We do. How are things with you?”

“Well, I am finally on a team with a leader who respects me, so that’s new.” I pick at the steering wheel on the rental car I’m using. “It’s like I’m free of all the shitty men in my life and I can focus on the things that really matter.”

“I hope I land in the second category and not the shitty men.”

I press the phone to my cheek, wishing it was his hand. “Of course. Declan is painting a one year target on finding The Spider, and we have the first few promising leads in months. I just want to catch him and maybe exact a little revenge on the Smirnovs and the Sotelo family.”

“I hate to break it to you, but that last one isn’t Russian.”

I know, but now my sense of loyalty has been amped up and I would like a little justice for my recently acquired mentor.

“Anything new happening with you?”

“Same shit, different day. Ian is a lot happier now that Drew is his friend. Alana seems to be recovering from the explosion. Izzy and Lance are officially dating. Oh, and Waverly has a secret boyfriend. Uri paid him a visit and told him to be on the lookout for the Majesty logo.” Dimitri adds to clarify, “He’s a tattoo artist. Same one who did my octopus. Glad I didn’t kill him when I had the chance. I like seeing Waverly actually happy instead of the fake smile she had when she talked about that Adam guy.”

Things seem to be moving forward with everyone else around us and we’re stuck in this limbo. “One more year,” I whisper.

“What?”

“One more year, and I’m out. I’m leaving when Declan retires.”

His voice jumps a few octaves. “What? Really?”

“I want to give this team some time, but if it doesn't work, I’m ready to move forward.”

He gets quiet. “With me?”

I can’t help but give him a hard time. “No, with the other sexy Russian man who’s a single dad to an incredible kid whose life I saved and risked everything for.”

He huffs. “See, you think you have a sense of humor, but you don’t.”

“I’m hilarious.”

“If you say so, but I’m not laughing.” He’s quiet for a minute. “This is the last call on these phones, right?”

I look out to the field ahead of me. “Yes.”

“I’ll ask Alana to deliver you a new one. There’ll be a pinned location and a date in the calendar. How many times can we meet before you leave the agency?”

I think it over. “Probably four, but I know I have a conference on our anniversary.”

“Oh, we have an anniversary? And when would that be?” he asks with a playful lilt in his voice that I love.

“I was thinking the first time we fucked.” It seems like a good day to start the clock on our relationship.

He lets out a low grumble followed by a sigh. It’s like I can hear his eyes rolling. “You mean the day after I watched my entire family die and lost the only life I had known, while my son was sitting in a panic room with his dead mother and you abandoned us shortly afterwards?”