Chapter Eighty-Seven

Chapter Eighty-Seven

Sephie

"Are we taking the long route again, my adorable Russian guardian?" I asked Misha as we got ready for our morning run.

"I'm down if you're down. It's colder this morning than I thought it was going to be, so I don't know how long you want to stay outside. I don't want to be the reason you stay cold the rest of the day," he said.

"As it happens, running warms me up," I said, grinning at him. "But I love you for thinking about that. I don't know if you've noticed, but I hate being cold."

"I might've noticed. I'm very observant," he said sarcastically.

As we set off on our run, my mind was still replaying the conversation with Adrik from the night before. I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd missed something about Armando and now we were in trouble. Even though I felt like I'd missed something, I still couldn't see what it was I'd missed. I was still having trouble believing that Armando could be playing both sides. He'd seemed so upfront and honest about everything from the beginning.

The great thing about running with Misha is that he enjoyed the silence. I'd tried running with Max a few times and he always tried to talk to me while we ran. I hated it. I liked to be left alone to my thoughts. It was a great way to work through problems in my head. Or not. Sometimes I didn't think about anything and just enjoyed the break. Either way, Misha was there, silently ensuring I was safe.

It took us almost two hours to go the long route. Misha used to struggle to make it all the way, but he looked like he could keep going this morning. Once we slowed to a walk, we usually talked about anything and everything on our way back to the house. I enjoyed my alone time with each of them and I think they enjoyed it with me as well.

"I needed that," he said.

"I did too. I think we've all been extra stressed lately. Have you been having trouble sleeping?" I asked. It was a random thought that just popped into my head, which I had learned was usually an indication that the other person was thinking it, but didn't necessarily want to say it.

He laughed. "Yeah. I haven't said anything to anybody yet, but it's been happening for a bit. Since Giana accused you, I think."

"You're still mad at her, aren't you?" I asked. While it was adorable and heartwarming that he had gotten so angry at her accusation, I was starting to get concerned at his inability to let it go.

"Yeah. I don't think I've ever been so angry at a chick for something she didn't even do to me," he said.

I stopped walking. We were both still catching our breath. "Misha, you have to let it go. Not for her, but for you. It's one of the hardest things to do, but trusting that she'll get her own karma will make you feel much better." He looked at me, then looked at the ground, like he knew I was right, but he still didn't want to let go. "I don't know if you've noticed this one, my adorable Russian guardian, but karma tends to come down harshly on those that want to harm me," I added quietly. "You just have to be patient." He raised his gaze, a sly smile stretching across his face. He put his arm around my shoulders as we continued our walk back to the house.

"I should listen to my own advice. I'm having the same problem, just with Armando," I said.

"I can't figure out what the deal is with him either," Misha said. "I want to like him, but he said a few things when we first got to his house in Italy that I didn't like."

"Like what?" I asked. He'd never talked about this, so I was clueless as to what he was referring to.

"That first night, when it took you and Boss a little longer to come to dinner. We all knew it was because you could barely walk and told him as much. He made a rude comment about your sex life with Boss being the reason you couldn't walk."

I stopped walking again. "What did he say exactly? Do you remember?"

"Not exactly. It was something like if you were his girlfriend, you wouldn't be able to walk much anytime. He said it quietly and I think only me and Ivan heard it. The other guys were standing far enough away that they missed it."

"Shit. Sometimes I hate being right," I said. Misha looked at me, confused, but also a little concerned. "Have you heard him say anything else that was weird like that?"

"That was the worst one, but then there was that really awkward toast he made to you. I didn't think he knew you well enough to talk about you like that," Misha said.

I smiled at him. "I just said the same thing to Adrik last night. That didn't sit well with me, but it was covered up by the things that you guys said about me. Armando doesn't know me well enough. He might wish he did, but he doesn't." When I had stopped walking, Misha removed his arm from my shoulders, so he could look down at me while we talked. I grabbed his wrist and put his arm back around my shoulders to continue walking once again to the house. "Armando used to stay after the other bosses had left and he would help me clean up. I always thought he was trying to set me up with his son. He would ask me questions about my personal life, trying to find out if I was single, blah blah blah. I never told him anything of importance and I never really thought anything of it. I was just happy to have some help. When Adrik and I were talking about this last night, he pointed it out that he wasn't asking for his son. He was asking for him," I said. I looked up to see Misha's reaction. His face scrunched up much like mine had the night before. I couldn't help but laugh. "I had the same reaction. But if you take that into consideration and you also take into account that the other bosses had put Armando into somewhat of a leadership role while you guys were gone trying to get Viktor back, it gives Armando a motive to be playing both sides right now. Adrik came back and basically in one night took back the city and took me away from Armando. Not that there was EVER a chance of that happening. For the record. I felt like that needed to be said out loud. Because gross."

Misha laughed. "I don't think anyone is worried about you leaving Boss anytime soon, gazelle. It's obvious to anyone who sees you two with each other that you belong together."

As we walked up the steps toward the back door, Ivan was walking by toward the kitchen. He stopped and opened the door for us. "Once you guys get cleaned up, Boss wants everyone in his office," he said.

"This sounds serious," I said.

"We had a conversation about Armando while we were in the gym," Ivan said.

"We had a conversation about Armando while we were walking back to the house," Misha said.

"Which reminds me, why didn't you tell me about the gross comment he made about me when we first got to Italy?" I asked Ivan as I smacked his shoulder.

He laughed, but tried to look apologetic. "I didn't tell Boss what he said yet. I don't know if I should tell Boss what he said. He might want to kill him immediately." Ivan pulled me toward him, hugging me to him. "And I didn't tell you, princess, because you were already handling all you could handle at the time. You didn't need to worry about pervy old men on top of everything else."

I sighed, resting my head against his sizeable chest. "I hate that I can't argue with you sometimes." I felt his chest vibrate as he laughed at me. "Go get cleaned up, princess. Boss is going to need you to keep him from getting all murdery once he finds out what was said," Ivan said pushing me toward the back stairs.

I walked through the bedroom into Adrik's office to find him at his desk. He was engrossed in the papers in front of him, so he didn't notice me. I stopped at the doorway. We'd been able to feel each other enough lately that I wanted to experiment with it, just to see what would happen.

He had a hatred of shirts when we were at the house that I happened to love. I stood in the doorway, watching him contemplate whatever he was thinking about, my own thoughts turning to just how much I loved him. I felt the warmth start to spread through my body that was present anytime I thought about him and I pushed it to him, seeing if he would notice.

He inhaled sharply, then immediately looked up to find me. He noticed. I was still leaning against the doorway, a small smile on my lips while I experimented. As soon as he looked at me, the warmth grew to an intense desire for him, which I also pushed toward him. His sexy smirk told me he could feel it, loud and clear.

He stood up, closing the distance between us quickly. "Why do you pick right now to do this to me?" he asked. One arm went around my waist, as he pulled me with him. He closed his office door behind him as he walked us quickly to the bathroom. I couldn't help but giggle. "I don't like time constraints with you," he said, his voice husky. "But I do like any chance I have to see you naked."

"We've already established that I'm terrible at denying you," I said as I pulled my shirt over my head.

He cursed under his breath as I continued to shed my clothes. He walked to the shower, turning it on for me. "How was your run, love?" he asked as he jumped onto the bathroom counter to watch me.

"Good. We both needed it, I think," I said, stepping into the shower.

"Yeah? How so?"

"Misha's still mad at Giana and I'm mad at Armando. We needed the stress relief," I said.

"It surprises me how angry Misha got with Giana. He's normally such a happy guy, but he's clearly still angry with her. He's very protective of you, solnishko," a sly smile creeping across his face. "Are you still angry with Armando because of what we talked about last night or is there something more?"

I sighed, but didn't answer right away. Instead, I put my face under the water. When I finally turned to look at him, he said, "There's more, isn't there? Did Misha tell you about his inappropriate comments in Italy?" I nodded my head. "How bad was it?" he asked. I could tell he was trying not to get too upset.

"It doesn't make me like him any more at the moment. I'm sure there have been worse things said about me before, but it does make the theory that he was thinking he had a chance with me seem more plausible," I said. I turned the water off and was met by Adrik who had a towel for me once I stepped out of the shower. He wrapped the towel around me, saying, "New technique to keep my anger in check. All bad news must be delivered while you're naked from now on."

"That's going to make it awkward in a meeting, but okay. If you insist," I laughed.

The guys were waiting in his office when we walked in. Ivan looked at me curiously, wondering if I'd told him exactly what Armando said. I shook my head no. "Coward," he said, laughing at me. I readily agreed with him.

Adrik had a hold of my hand and pulled me toward one of the couches. He sat down and then pulled me into his lap, so I could lean back against him. It seemed to be one of his favorite ways to have me near him. I wasn't going to argue as he kept me warm.

"I think it's time we stop all this nonsense for good. We have good intel on the brawn operations, so we know how to hit them. I want to do away with all the bosses as well. Armando included. I haven't decided how exactly I'm going to run the entire city by myself, but I'll figure that out later. But I'm done dealing with these children," Adrik said. As he said it out loud, I felt the goosebumps rise over my entire body once again. I glanced at Misha quickly, curious how he would react as well. I saw his upper body shudder slightly. I squeezed Adrik's arms around me, knowing this was what needed to happen.

"I love a good planning session in the morning," Ivan said.

We spent the next few hours planning and talking about every possible scenario we could think of. We talked through Armando still being loyal, Armando not being loyal, and everything in between. I spent most of the rest of the morning and into the afternoon listening to the guys talk about how they were going to hit the brawn operations. I was curious how everything was going to work, but I was also worried where I fit into those plans. I'd gotten so used to never being alone. At least one of the guys was always with me. Now, I was faced with the very real possibility of having to be alone while they took care of the brawn operations. My mind was so focused on that and the sudden fear of being alone that I didn't notice my legs start to shake until Adrik pulled me closer to him. "Solnishko, what's wrong? I can feel your fear, my love. What's going on?" he whispered in my ear. I was so lost in my thoughts that it jarred me back to reality. I heard him laugh quietly as I glanced around the room. The guys were talking amongst themselves and not paying attention to us. "Talk to me," Adrik said as he leaned down and kissed my neck gently.

I shifted in his lap, so I could more easily see him. As soon as I looked at him, I saw the concern grow on his face. He searched my eyes for a moment, then a small smile spread across his face. "You won't be alone, love. I haven't figured out the details yet, but I know for sure you won't be alone," he said as he kissed me gently.

"You're getting better at that," I said quietly. My fingers moved to the collar of his shirt, then to his neck. He closed his eyes briefly, enjoying my touch. When he opened them again, his deep blue eyes were sincere. "This one was easy. I have the same fear. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm afraid to leave you alone," he said. I felt the pull in my chest that he feels as I smiled at him. I rested my forehead against his as the relief washed over my body.

"Sestrichka, can you translate this for me?" Viktor asked, handing me his computer. The conversation had shifted from planning to gathering more information on Armando and his associate that I'd overheard him arguing with. Viktor was trying to find as much information on his associate as possible, but that meant much of the information was in Italian.

"Of course, Papa Bear," I said as I moved next to him on the couch. I scanned over yet another article, trying to find the valid information in it. We'd spent much of the afternoon looking for information on Armando. Viktor was now also looking to see if he'd made deals with any of the other bosses. "This one is about a housing project outside Naples. Um, looks like possible vacation rentals as well as residential. Mando seems to keep the same investors around him. Giana's father is on this one." I kept reading and came across a new name. "Oh, well, that's interesting," I said. I looked up from the computer to find everyone waiting for me to finish. "It seems Salvadori is branching out into Italian real estate."

There was a collective groan, along with quiet cursing as they all tried to contain their anger at finding out Armando had made at least one deal with Salvadori.

"If they've made one deal, there's a good chance there's more," Viktor said. I handed his computer back to him.

"If anyone can find more deals, it's you, Papa Bear."

Stephen's phone beeped, then beeped again, then beeped again. He looked at the incoming messages. "It's Keith. He's sent over what he was able to get today at Armando's house," he said. He got up to hand me his phone, along with a pair of earphones. "Here, these might help you hear the conversation better," he said. "You know, since your human hearing is inferior to mine."

"This is why you're my favorite senior citizen," I said as I moved to the table, so I could write more easily.

I went through all the recordings, listening to each one multiple times to make sure I was hearing everything correctly. I listed all the projects that Armando spoke about on the recordings and gave the highlights about what was said to Adrik. He knew about all the projects. None of the conversation that was recorded raised any red flags. There were two meetings that Keith wasn't able to record because Armando shut the door, but Chris was able to get a picture of the men he met with. One of them was the man we now knew as Ricardo, the man that I'd overheard Armando arguing with.

"Viktor, what if Ricardo is the missing link?" I asked. Viktor looked at me, somewhat puzzled. "What if he's the go-between? Can you find any deals he's made with the other bosses? Like what if he's the silent partner in all this? It might not look like he has a hand in the illegal side of things, but he invests so much in the legitimate side that he has a say in the illegal side." Viktor just raised his eyebrow as he thought about the question, then returned to his computer and started yet another search.

Adrik had stood up from his desk and pulled me up from my chair to go outside for a bit before the sun went down. We both needed a break, but I had the idea about Ricardo and wanted to ask before I forgot. "Come, we'll resume this later," Adrik said as he pulled me from his office. We stopped at the closet so I could grab a jacket, then continued downstairs. He held my hand in his, his fingers laced through mine.

As soon as we were outside and mostly alone, I felt the stress melt away. I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air. "I needed this break," I said.

"Me too. You're the best excuse for getting me out of the office," he said. "Especially now that I can feel what you're feeling more. I know when you're getting stressed. I can ignore my own stress, but I'm incapable of ignoring yours. I want to make it stop as soon as I feel it."

I moved closer to him, my other arm holding on to his arm as we walked hand-in-hand. "I do love that you're so protective of me. It might seem over the top to someone else, but I completely lost the feeling of safety when I lived with my uncle. Even after I got away from him, I never really got it back. That feeling of constantly being on edge, constantly looking over my shoulder, or waiting for the next attack to happen never went away until I met you." He let go of my hand, so he could put his arm around me. He stopped, pulling me closer to him. "It's kind of silly when I think about it. I know I can survive things most people wouldn't because I've done it. I'm still here. But the hypervigilance gets exhausting after a while. You've brought peace back to my life and now I never want to be without it again," I said.

He inhaled sharply. "Sephie, I never want you to worry. About anything. You're a very big reason that I made the decision to get rid of the other bosses. I don't want to have to constantly worry about one of them trying to hurt you to get to me. I want you and Misha to be able to run through the city again without worrying you're going to be attacked. I want to be able to walk to Vinny's to get you your favorite sandwich in the middle of the day without worrying someone is going to try and grab you. I want you to always know that you're completely safe with me. And if I'm not with you, I want you to know you're completely safe with whichever one of the guys is with you."

"Or three," I said, laughing.

"Or three. Safety in numbers, solnishko," he said, laughing with me.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. His arms held me tight against him, causing me to feel deliciously warm throughout my entire body. "I love you, Adrik," I sighed.

"I love you, Sephie. More than anything," he said, kissing the top of my head.

After we left the office, the guys moved everything downstairs. They were spread out on the couches when Adrik and I came back as the sun was setting. I had a feeling they did it so they could be closer to the kitchen. They'd all grown to love me cooking for them, especially now that I was trying to make more traditional Russian dishes, but it felt like they enjoyed helping just as much as they enjoyed eating. I never had to wash a dish when they were around and they were always willing to jump in and help. It gave us a chance to talk about things, just the seven of us. It was a strange dynamic, our weird little family, but it was one that I adored.

"I have more for you to translate, sestrichka," Viktor said as we walked in. "Your idea that Ricardo is the missing link between the other bosses and Armando seems to be a good one, but I need you to translate to know for sure."

I scanned the articles that he'd found while Adrik and I were gone as I walked to the kitchen. They all got up and followed me, sitting around the large kitchen island so they'd be ready to help and we could all still discuss the day's topic of choice. "It looks like Armando has deals with Niko and Vito as well. The only names I'm not seeing are Dario and Massimo, as far as the bosses go." I clicked to the next article, scanning it briefly. "And there's Lorenzo," I said, looking up at Adrik. "So, Armando has deals of varying sizes with everyone. Except maybe Dario and Massimo, but that could be because we just haven't found them yet." Adrik did not look happy.

"So, it looks like the theory that he's playing both sides is a solid one," Ivan said. "Now the question is how much has he told the other bosses about our plans."

"This makes me worry about Trino too. He has all of them down there against just him and Martin," I said.

"I need to have another conversation with Trino," Adrik said as he walked to me. He put his hands on my hips as he stood behind me. "But after dinner. I'm starving," he said as he leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"Say no more. I can fix that," I said as I pulled his arms around me tighter.

"This might be one of many reasons why I love you so much," he said, kissing my neck.

As the guys were cleaning up after dinner, Adrik called Trino. He put him on speaker so we could all hear the conversation. I had hopped on the counter, so he was standing in between my legs, but with his back toward me, so everyone could hear.

"Jefe, que pasa?" Trino picked up on the first ring. "I'm beginning to get used to these frequent calls. It makes me feel loved, if I'm being honest."

Adrik chuckled. "You might change your mind after you hear what I'm about to tell you."

"Are you going to tell me that Armando has turned against you and now he's coming down here to meet with me also?" he asked. His tone was jovial, like that was the most outlandish scenario he could think of.

"Well, you're half right," Adrik said. There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.

"For real, Jefe? He's turned against you?" While Trino had been joking, he was now very serious. His voice had an edge of anger to it.

"We don't know for sure yet, but the more we uncover, the more it looks like he's been playing both sides. He's made deals with three of the other bosses. Dario and Massimo are the only two he apparently hasn't made deals with. But because he's definitely made deals with Salvadori, Niko, Vito, and even Lorenzo, I'm not sure how much information he's given to them about our plans. I want you to be careful, Trino," Adrik said. "You're free to do whatever you feel is necessary when it comes to the bosses that are still down there."

Trino thought for a moment. "If Armando is giving information to Anthony and Lorenzo, that would make them the world's best actors. I didn't think they had that in them. I could be wrong, but they've always come across as, well, idiots."

"Well, you're right about Anthony, at least," I said. "He's definitely an idiot, but he does have a certain level of cunning to him. I think it's from Lorenzo more than anyone. He's the only one I've never seen in person. He's the one that was mentoring Anthony on his side gig into human trafficking. If there's an evil mastermind among those two, it has to be him. Anthony can barely spell his name on a good day."

"Miha, have I mentioned how much I love your inability to mince words?" Trino said, laughing.

"My father banished Lorenzo years ago. There's a reason he banished him instead of handing down another punishment. I think Sephie is right. He's the brains behind Sal and Anthony's plans. I just don't know where Armando fits into their plans and I don't know how much information he's given them about what we're planning. I know you take your security seriously, but be extra careful with all of them down there. You can send them back at any point too. We'll take care of all of them," Adrik said.

"Jefe, I'm still having too much fun fucking with them. I did get Anthony to admit they were trying to make a deal with the Mexicans. Lorenzo wasn't with him, so that theory tracks. You know how well I take betrayal. I'm looking forward to sending a message to anyone in the future that even considers betraying me like this. I'm still letting Massimo believe that I'm going to let him live. I'm really working up to crushing his soul completely right before I light him on fire." Trino was silent for a moment. We all tried not to laugh too loudly. We were still more amused than we should've been at Trino's choice of how to end Massimo. "Dario though," he said. He sighed. "I actually feel bad for that guy. It's clear that he's been mentally broken by Massimo all these years. He's losing his grip on reality some days. Other days, he's still with it. Those days, he asks if he can get out. He says he'll disappear and no one will ever see him again. He just wants to be left alone and to never see Massimo again."

"You can send him back here. Not that I doubt your assessment of him, Trino, but I trust Sephie's more. She gets the final say on whether he can disappear or not," Adrik said.

Trino laughed. "I won't argue with you on that one. Mostly, I won't argue with her. On anything."

I couldn't help but laugh. "When all this is over, I promise to come to Colombia to help you find a suitable girlfriend, Trino. You don't have to sweet-talk me." I said as I wrapped my legs loosely around Adrik's waist.

"Miha, you're welcome here whenever you like," Trino said. "I'll send Dario back to you, so you can see his mental state. It's just like Sephie said it would be, Jefe. And I'll be extra careful with Anthony and Lorenzo now. It's possible their plans with the Mexicans are much worse than we originally thought. I have spies throughout Mexico. I'll see what I can find out. In the meantime, I'll get extra security."

"Let me know what you find out. We'll help with the Mexicans once we take care of the other bosses here," Adrik said.

"We'll see if it comes to that," Trino said. "Keep me informed on Armando too. I've never had any problems with that guy, but he's always been too nice for me. I don't trust anyone who's too nice."

"I think you just implied that I'm a bitch, Trino," I said, trying to hold in my laughter. He was silent, as I'm sure he was trying to figure out a way to answer without offending me further. "That's fair. Totally fair," I said, laughing finally.

I heard the sigh of relief on the other end of the line. "Miha…" he said, laughing.

They ended the call after a few more minutes of discussion. Trino was going to send Dario back to the city within a few days. Massimo was never leaving Colombia again. Anthony and Lorenzo were free to leave, should they attempt it, but Trino had plans for taking care of both of them as well.

Adrik inhaled deeply once the call was over. He turned to face me, his hands running up my thighs. He was stressed over this entire situation and legitimately worried about Trino's safety. He caught me smiling at him. "What?" he asked, his smirk slowly appearing on his face.

"You're worried for Trino's safety. That's not very Lord King Boss of you, but I happen to like it. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone," I said.

He laughed quietly. "Trino has always been honest with me. He's a good guy. He had a rough rise to power, but things have been great since he took over. I don't want to see him lose that." He sighed. "And it seems like he might be the only one I can trust now." I just wrapped my arms around him, not really knowing the right thing to say. At least I could give him some comfort in the moment.

I hadn't mentioned it to anyone yet, but I was starting to feel a sense of impending doom. I just didn't know exactly what it was about yet. But I knew the storm was almost upon us.