13. Kat

13

"You have completely lost your mind," the familiar voice says with unconcealed astonishment.

I stifle a sigh, making sure to employ my sanest, most reasonable tone. "If you'd just listen to me for a second instead of yelling at me over the phone?—"

"Oh, you think this is yelling, Kat? Uh-uh, honey. Keep this idiotic, suicidal idea in your head, and I'll show you yelling."

I exhale loudly, fighting the urge to groan with frustration. "Come on, A.J. Just give me a chance to explain my plan to you."

"Why? What difference would that make?" A.J. shouts over the line at the top of her lungs. "I just can't imagine what you could say that would matter to me. And that's because no ridiculous plan can change the fact that you want to steal from the head of the freaking Italian mafia, Kat."

"Will you please hear me out?" I ask, exasperatedly. But my pleas don't move her. I'm not sure she even hears them. I lost her the moment I asked her to help me find out where the stronzo has stashed the Flame of Mir.

"Snooping around this man's business got us into this mess in the first place," A.J. says.

I feel compelled to correct her. "No. Getting caught snooping around his business got us into trouble. All we have to do is not get caught this time."

"That simple, huh? Now, why the fuck didn't I think of that in the first place?"

"It might not even matter in the end, anyway. You said it yourself—you're so close to finishing him, A.J. By the time I have all my ducks in a row and feel ready to make my move, he might have no option but to let us do whatever we want—and that includes taking back the diamond."

"If you are willing to bet your life on something so uncertain, then you might be too stupid to live, Kat."

"Hey, you know what they say—faint heart never won fair lady. Luck favors the bold. And the prepared. Which is why I've come to you, my best and most resourceful friend. You know, because that's what friends do. They help each other out. Just like I helped you when the stronzo caught you in the first place. Remember that, A.J.?"

My indignant tone doesn't concern her in the slightest. After a decade of friendship, I suppose her reaction—or lack of one—is to be expected. "I am trying to help you by talking some sense into you. You've made some questionable decisions in your time, Kat—but this? This one takes the cake."

"You don't approve of it. I get it. Loud and clear. But I'm doing this anyway, A.J., whether or not you help me. So what's it going to be? Do I have to figure this one out by myself?"

"As if you'd have any idea where to even start," she says scornfully. "It's probably pointless, anyway. I strongly doubt the son of a bitch has been sitting on that diamond this entire time. It was just too hot, and you know it. There's no way that thing isn't long gone by now."

"Maybe," I say, conceding that she has a point. "But maybe not. Before calling you, I reached out to every fence on the East Coast that could've possibly pulled off a job of this size. No one's heard a beep. Nada. I don't see how the stronzo could've gotten rid of it without someone I know hearing about it."

"He's a freaking mob boss, Kat. One of the old school ones, too. Do you think that maybe he just might have more contacts than you do?"

"When it comes to most of his extracurricular activities, sure. Absolutely. But there's no feasible way for someone to fence the largest red diamond in the world in my corner of the planet without someone I know hearing about it."

A.J. sighs wearily. "You don't know that for sure. You can't know what you don't know."

"Perhaps you're right, and I'm just wasting my time. But there's a chance I'm onto something here. I'm not asking you to get yourself into more trouble, of course. I just called to check if you think you can learn the Flame of Mir's location without getting caught. If you don't think you can, that's completely fine. I don't want you to do anything even remotely risky. Especially not when this nightmare is so close to an end. But you're a freaking genius, so I thought I should ask—just in case it's something you could easily pull off."

"You're talking about it as if it's a simple errand. You're asking me to spy on one of the heads of the Seven Families. One who's had his eye on me for a while now. It's a little more complex than picking up your dry-cleaning for you."

"I know. And there'll be no hard feelings if you tell me you can't do it. I mean it, A.J. Cross my heart and hope to die."

A.J. remains silent on the other side of the line for so long that I start to worry the call has dropped. But then, she sighs. "I'm not making you any promises, understand me? Let's make that very clear," she finally says under her breath.

"Got it. No promises."

"I'll see what I can find out. Again, I can't guarantee anything. But I don't want to have to save your ass if you decide to do this by yourself, so I'll try to get you some intel. But no promises, Kat."

"Of course not. And thank you so much. I owe you big time."

"Yes, but I owe you, too. So don't get killed over a freaking rock, and we'll be even, okay?"

I laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "After all these years, who's keeping track, A.J.? Not me."

She chuckles halfheartedly. "Fair enough. I'll call you once I have an update. Stay out of trouble until then."

A.J. and I say our goodbyes, and, too soon, I'm left alone with my conflicting emotions.

On one hand, I'm a little closer to making amends to Nik for taking the Flame of Mir. I'm closer to leveling the playing field between us and putting this problem behind us. On the other hand, A.J. has a point. My plan could backfire horribly.

Still, I can't very well sit down and expect all my problems to be miraculously fixed. I can't just accept things as they are, either.

Dmitri is right. This magical thing Nik and I were lucky enough to stumble upon is too precious and rare to be thrown away. Unfortunately, there are some issues the two of us have to overcome. I have no intention of letting any easily fixable problems from our tumultuous past stand in the way of our future.

Just thinking about everything we have already faced together and all we must still overcome makes me crave Nik's presence even more than usual. I need his strong arms around me, his raspy voice against my ear… My Russian is just what I need right now to chase the blues away.

After setting my phone down, I leave our bedroom to search for him. Unsurprisingly, I locate Nik in his office. Funny enough, he's on the phone, too. He paces behind his desk, grunting indiscernible Russian words while running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

While standing just outside the room, I sigh, inadvertently announcing my presence to Nik. His dark brown eyes land on me, and his entire countenance changes in an instant. I smile at him, and his frantic pacing comes to a stop.

Nik quietly mutters something before ending the call, never breaking eye contact with me. The next thing I know, his arms are around me, pulling me close to him as his mouth lands on mine. Nik's kiss is unabashedly needy and hungry. The frantic way his lips devour mine leaves no doubts—his usual cool, calm, and collected act isn't coming to him as naturally today. Just as abruptly as it started, it ends. Without warning, he breaks the kiss, leaning his forehead against mine as his eyes remain closed.

"Tough day, huh?" I ask, rising on my toes to brush my lips against his gorgeous face.

"You have no idea," he says, his voice barely more than a murmur.

"I warned you this morning that getting out of bed was a mistake."

Nik laughs, opening his eyes to glance at me. "You did. And you were right."

"I usually am. A lesson you'd do well to learn, miliy."

"I'd be crazy not to, even as it pains me to deprive you of the satisfaction of reminding me of it whenever you can. But enough about me. Tell me—to what do I owe the pleasure of this impromptu visit?"

I shrug. "I just missed you."

Nik groans against the top of my head, tightening his hold on me. "Kiska… I swear, you'll be the death of me."

I laugh against his chest. "Unlikely. But your line of work just might. You're always a bundle of nerves, Nik. What's stressing you out today?"

Nik raises a dark eyebrow at me, even as his eyes glint mischievously. "Believe it or not, my life usually isn't this exciting. Most days, the only real danger I face is possibly dying of boredom. But then you come along, and now I don't have a moment of peace."

"And you love every second of it. Don't bother denying it." Nik chuckles and I nip his earlobe. "But for the record, I don't believe that for a second. I can't be that exciting—or dangerous—to the pakhan of the freaking bratva. And don't avoid my question. Will you tell me what's going on, or do I have to make you?"

Nik's brown eyes burn hot, and his hands drop to my hips, pulling me closer. "I'd love to see you try. Believe that." The bulging pressure I feel against my stomach doesn't leave room for any doubts.

Still struggling to keep my poker face on, I fake an exasperated sigh, trying not to let him distract me. "Come on, Nik. Talk to me."

It's Nik's turn to sigh, amusement still twisting the corners of his tempting mouth. "There's nothing you need to worry about, Kat. I'm handling it. It's just frustrating that no one seems to know where McGuire is hiding. We've searched every single place even remotely connected to him—anywhere we could think of—and nothing." Exasperation drips from his every word, and his body tenses against mine.

"Well, I'm sure it's just a matter of time. You'll find him soon enough. He can't run from you forever."

"You'd think," he says bitterly. "I'd feel better if there was anything I could do besides wait for him to come out of wherever he's hiding."

"You are doing all you can. You've been busy. It's not like you're sitting around doing nothing."

Nik clenches his jaw. "I might as well be at this point. The man killed my best friend and tried to take you. No words can describe or emphasize how much I wish I could get my hands on him right now to put this whole nightmare behind me."

I rise on my toes, kissing his lips. "You will, Nik. You will. But you must take care of yourself in the meantime. You have to find a way to keep your stress levels down. You don't want to give yourself a heart attack."

Nik scoffs, rolling his eyes. "Your concern's appreciated. Truly. But I'm fine."

"You shouldn't dismiss me so carelessly. Constantly being on the edge of a major temper tantrum can't be good for you. And you're no spring chicken, miliy."

Nik scowls, outraged. "Temper tantrum? For your information, I've never thrown a tantrum in my entire life. Never, you hear me? And I'm only in my thirties—not my eighties!"

I smile, keeping my expression a perfect picture of placidity. "Whatever you say, Nik. But my point stands. You want to be at your best when McGuire pops up. That means taking it easy right now. I know you're trying to do right by me and Maxim—and I love that about you. But I want to see you well, and I'm sure Maxim would want the same."

I expect Nik to admit I have a point, but what he does instead surprises me. His face falls, and a frown forms between his eyebrows. With a small kiss to the top of my head, Nik untangles himself from me, walking towards the floor-to-ceiling windows behind his desk. For the first time since I can remember, the thick velvet drapes have been pulled back to let some sunshine into the usually dark room. Nik stares blankly ahead, unseeing, shoving his hands inside the pockets of his jeans.

Confused, I study him, perplexed about his reaction to my seemingly harmless words.

Before I figure out what to say, Nik breaks the silence between us. "I wish I could say I share your beliefs."

"What do you mean?" I ask, puzzled.

"You said you believe Maxim would want to see me well. I'm not so sure of that."

I approach him, my steps silent on the plush rug. "Nik—" I say, tentatively touching his shoulder. "You don't mean that. How can you say something like that?"

He sighs wearily. "I knew Maxim better than anyone, Kat. I'm not sure he'd want to see me well after everything I put him through. And I never got to make amends for any of it. Maxim never got to rebuild his life. McGuire made sure of that."

"We all make mistakes. You were just trying to do the right thing. And you loved him. I'm sure he knew that. He was your best friend. How could he not want to see you happy and well?"

Nik laughs humorlessly. "There's just so much you don't know."