Chapter One Hundred One

Chapter One Hundred One

Sephie

I did manage to make it through the entire meeting with Henry, even though it lasted well past two hours. However, it did mean that I slept for a full twenty-four hours after it was over. I was only awake long enough to take my antibiotics and then I'd pass out once more.

Because of my brilliant idea during the meeting with Henry, the guys were now working around the clock to find information linking the current mayor to any of the other bosses or Ricardo. Ivan was going through the information given to us from the journalist again to see if he could find any connection between Ricardo and the mayor.

Henry had agreed to give us a little time to see what we could find before taking the information to the mayor. He was considering a run for mayor; it depended on the information we could find. Henry was a mostly good person, but his title took priority over almost everything else. While it's a valid argument that he could do more as police commissioner than he would be able to as a regular citizen, he was still willing to sit on information that would put away a very evil person just to ensure he kept his position for four more years. At some point, remaining in the grey area will come back to haunt you. We, however, knew that even if he sat on the information we provided, Ricardo would still get everything he deserved. Just not publicly.

The guys really did work out a shift schedule for babysitting me while I slept off having to be awake for more than twenty minutes. They tried to leave me alone, but I started mumbling and shaking after a few minutes, so that option was out the window.

"It wasn't so bad, spider monkey. It was nice to have a guaranteed nap every few hours," Andrei said after I finally woke up and they were filling me in on everything I'd missed.

"How did Stephen's undead body temperature not wake me up?" I asked, completely surprised.

"It almost did the first time. I used an electric blanket the second time. It fooled you," he said, grinning at me.

"This is the kind of important knowledge that one collects from centuries on this planet," I said.

"You at least look slightly better, princess," Ivan said.

"I do feel better. I think the antibiotics are working. I don't feel like death. I still can't breathe as well as I'd like to, but it's not as bad either," I said.

"What about your appetite?" Misha asked.

I thought for a minute. I didn't hate the idea of food, but it wasn't exciting either. "Still undecided, but I don't hate the idea anymore."

"Baby steps," Misha said, grinning at me.

"Your ribs and shoulder aren't as painful, at least. We moved you several times and you never woke up," Viktor said. "That's progress."

"You did?"

Adrik smiled at me. "I moved you to the bed at night, then back out here during the day. We had to move you slightly each time the guys would switch. You slept through it all."

"Did you give me any superprofen when you gave me the antibiotics?"

They all shook their heads no. "We never actually thought about that," Viktor said.

I laughed. "I'm not complaining. I'm just surprised I didn't feel that. Apparently, I was dead to the world."

Misha walked over to me with another carton of yogurt. "It's not time yet for your antibiotics, but you haven't eaten anything in almost two days. You need to eat something, gazelle. Whether you want to or not."

"You're not the boss of me," I said as I took the spoon from him and took a bite, trying not to laugh. "What did you guys find on the mayor while I was out?"

Ivan sighed. "We've found a few connections to some of Ricardo's business associates, but nothing that tie them directly. We also can't find anything from any of the other bosses yet."

"Let's ask the journalist," I said, in between bites, still under the very watchful eye of Misha. I couldn't tell if he was watching me to make sure I ate or watching to see when I'd give him the rest.

We recruited Chen once more to have a conversation with the journalist. This time about the mayor and whether he knew anything about any ties to Ricardo or any of the other bosses. Chen was noticeably more relaxed this time when I called to ask him if he would be willing to meet with the journalist.

"Yeah, I'll totally do that. It might be concerning how much I enjoyed lying to that dude's face," he said, laughing.

"We just unlocked a new life goal for you, didn't we?" I asked, trying to hold in my laughter so it wouldn't make me cough.

We set up a meeting at the same café for the following afternoon. Adrik was once again concerned it would be too much for me. "I only just got you back from the last meeting. Now you're going to sleep for an entire day again," he said that night when we were alone. I felt his mood shift when he said it. He was legitimately sad at the thought of me sleeping for an entire day again if I went to the meeting.

"I can feel your sadness," I said, almost surprised by it.

"I've missed you," he said, without hesitation. I hadn't thought about how difficult this had been on him. Not only was he still working through me and Ivan being taken but he also had to deal with me not being able to do much on my own since coming home and having the extra worry of trying to take care of me when he knew exactly how much pain I was in all the time.

I thought for a moment as he helped me undress, so I could put his shirt on for the night. "What if we sent Keith and Chris instead? I was only needed for the Italian possibility, but he knows Chen doesn't speak Italian, so it won't be an issue this time. Viktor and Ivan can feed him all the information about the mayor to tell the journalist."

Adrik stood in front of me, his sexy smirk on his face as he buttoned up his shirt. "You're not going to argue about going?" he asked as he leaned down to press his lips gently to mine.

"I mean, I can if you want me to. But I know how difficult this has all been for you. There's a very good possibility that going along would make me sleep for another day, or longer. Doesn't seem worth it, really," I said, pulling his arm around my waist with my one functioning arm. "And to be honest, I'm very tired of doing nothing but sleeping."

"We'll ask Misha what he thinks about it tomorrow," he said as he gently pushed me back toward the bed.

"I think you should ask Andrei too," I said as he helped me into bed. He raised his eyebrow at me, wanting more of an explanation. "It was Andrei that stopped Max from dying. Misha wasn't kidding when he said he never would've thought to look for Tori or Max if Andrei hadn't brought it up. I wouldn't have either. I hadn't thought about Max in weeks." I paused to take a few breaths, as talking too much was causing me to cough more lately. "The acupuncturist told me he was like me too. I want to see what he can do."

"Andrei's like you? How? Like his observation skills?"

"Those are the beginning. She said he'll soon figure out that he knows things before they happen. Like my ability to predict Trino's methods for revenge. Andrei should be able to do that too. Or something similar."

"He has been much more observant lately. He's been right every single time too."

"I told him that. He's still insecure about it. He doesn't trust himself completely yet," I said. I was lying on my good side, like normal, with Adrik behind me, his arms around me as tightly as possible. It took exactly two more minutes and I was sound asleep again.

"Is Andrei getting breakfast this morning?" Adrik asked as we walked into the kitchen the next morning. Ivan nodded his head as he pulled me to him to hug me good morning.

"Good morning, princess," he said, kissing the top of my head.

"Squish," I said, hiding my face in his chest. "Why do I not want to wake up when all I've done is sleep for the last week?"

His laughter made his chest vibrate, which made my nose itch. "You need it, princess. You've had a lot to deal with lately. It also doesn't help that you won't eat very much. Your body is tired from trying to heal and you won't give it any fuel," he said, his giant arms holding me gently.

"But food makes me nauseous. I want to eat. Believe me, I do. But every time I do I feel like I'm going to puke afterward. Sometimes the nausea happens when I think about eating," I said. "It's not fair."

Andrei walked back in with breakfast. "What's not fair?" he asked.

"That I can't eat right now because it all makes me nauseous," I said, grumpily.

"What about drinking? Does that make you nauseous?" Andrei asked.

"Not that I've noticed."

Andrei looked to Viktor. "We should stop and get her bone broth while we're out today. Or we can make her some. My grandmother used to make it. She showed me how. It'll be easy for her to drink, but it should help the lack of food for the last week or so and might kickstart her appetite again."

Adrik caught my eye, a small smile on his face. "Andrei, what are your thoughts about Sephie and I staying here today? I'm worried it will be too much for her if she goes and she'll end up sleeping for an entire day again."

"You should ask Misha that question," Andrei said.

"But I'm asking you," Adrik said, somewhat firmly so Andrei would know not to brush him off a second time. I was watching Andrei, but I caught Misha's eye. He knew what we were up to, giving me a quick wink. Andrei was almost flustered at trying to figure out how to answer the question.

"Don't overthink it, Andrei, or you're going to get in your own way. What does your gut tell you?" Misha said. I walked quietly over to Andrei and grabbed his hand. It worked for Misha, maybe it will work for Bubba.

He took a deep breath when I grabbed his hand and thought for a minute. He looked at Adrik and said, "She should stay here. Her lung is slowly getting better, but she still feels like total shit, despite what she's telling us."

Adrik raised his eyebrow, looking straight at me. His wide smile slowly crept across his face as he knew I was likely regretting telling him to ask Andrei's thoughts on whether I should go or stay. I wasn't expecting Andrei to completely out me like that. I just laughed. There wasn't much else I could do. He was right. Everyone knew he was right.

Adrik walked to me, pulling me gently to him. He was still trying not to laugh, but he was clearly amused at what had just happened. "Looks like you're staying here with me, solnishko," he said as he kissed my temple. "Maybe more often than you'd like." He finally laughed as I poked him in his ribs.

Adrik asked Andrei to stay behind while everyone else went with Chen. He knew I'd want more time alone with Andrei, but I think Adrik was also curious to see what Andrei's newly discovered gift was about as well, especially given that he so easily read me that morning.

For the first time since I'd come into their lives, I saw Andrei nervous about staying behind with me. "Bubba, don't be nervous," I said, trying not to laugh at him. He was still sitting at the kitchen island, so I walked slowly to him, sliding my arm around his shoulders. He grabbed my wrist, holding onto my arm. He gave me a sideways glance. He's definitely nervous.

Adrik might've been enjoying his nervousness. He was standing on the other side of the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest. He watched me try to calm Andrei down, finally saying, "How long have you been noticing these things?"

"Not long. Really since the night we saved Max. Tori popped into my head the day or two before that night and I couldn't get her out of my head. I've not thought about her since the day she got fired, really. I mean, we saw her that one day when Giana wanted to go shopping. Well, Misha saw her. I didn't see her. Mentions of her here and there after that, but other than that, I never thought about her. It was weird that I thought of her and couldn't get her out of my head," he said.

"Did you feel like something was wrong when you thought about her?" Adrik asked.

"Yeah. It wasn't the same as Misha's impending doom, but something didn't feel right. Same as when Sephie grabbed my hand today when I was thinking about her going to the meeting with the journalist."

"What about the rest? About her lung healing and her still feeling like shit?"

"That just popped into my head. I said it before I really thought much about it," Andrei said. He glanced at me apologetically.

"Don't be sorry, Bubba. You're right. I do still feel like shit," I said, smiling at him. "But that's the way it works for me. I've learned that when something pops into my head like that, it's usually because the other person is thinking it but doesn't want to say it. That's how it seems like I can read your mind all the time. It's only different with Adrik," I said.

"How is it different with him?" Andrei asked.

"With the rest of you, it's usually something you need brought to light, if you will. It's an issue that you need help dealing with. But if you're not thinking about it or struggling with it, I don't necessarily pick up on it. I might be able to if I made an effort, but I don't like to pry. With Adrik, it's everything. I just have to look at him for a few seconds and I know what he's thinking. Like when he gave Giana shit over accusing me of being on drugs. It wasn't the same as when I see things with Misha, but I got a recap of what happened. Enough to know what went on," I said. "He's able to do it to me more now too. It seems like the more time passes, the more connected we are."

"She's still much better at it than I am, clearly. Since I believed her when she said she was starting to feel better," Adrik said. He squinted his eyes at me like he was still somewhat irritated with me.

"It wasn't a complete lie. I do feel some better. I just still feel like shit overall. But slightly better shit," I said.

"Viktor said he was going to get you bone broth. That should help. Not eating isn't helping you out right now," Andrei said.

"I'll consider a feeding tube if that doesn't work. She's going to get all sharp and pointy again. I'm very delicate," Adrik said, grinning at me.

"I'm ruining all of Bubba's hard work training me. He's going to have to start completely over with me by the time I get out of this cast and my ribs heal enough that I can do anything strenuous."

"That's what I like to call ‘job security,'" Andrei said.

The other guys got back a few hours later from Chen's latest meeting with the journalist. I felt Adrik hold me tighter before he lightly brushed his fingertips over my cheek to wake me up. "Wake up, solnishko. They're back and it's time for your antibiotics," he said quietly.

"Shocking. I fell asleep again," I said sarcastically. Adrik helped me up from the couch.

"How did it go?" Adrik asked as we walked slowly to the kitchen.

"Chen really is quite good at pretending to be someone else," Stephen said. "I don't know why he thinks dating is hard."

"The thought of boobies makes most men incapable of forming complete thoughts. Women instinctively know this, so they put them on display. It's downhill from there, really," I said.

"That seems legit," Stephen said.

"The journalist didn't have much information on the mayor, but he said he was going to look into him to see what he could find. He was under the impression that the mayor was clean, but he also said he hadn't looked into him much. Since he was the one that appointed Henry, he assumed the mayor would also be upstanding," Ivan said.

"He might've been when he was first elected. Or might've been trying harder to be. If he took campaign money from one of the bosses, it would've been hard to get away from that," Adrik said.

"Would he know he took money from one of the bosses?" I asked, my half-empty glass of water in my hand. Adrik walked to me, grabbed the glass, finished it, then refilled it for me.

"It's possible he didn't know. Henry said it came from a nonexistent corporation. On paper, it would've looked like a large donation from a company," Viktor said.

"That's how they get politicians in their pockets, princess," Ivan said. "They make it look legit at first, then once they've already accepted the money, they reveal where the money actually came from. They've already accepted it, so it already looks bad. Then the bosses have their guy."

"Rude," I said.

"But effective," Viktor said.

Misha and Andrei had been busy warming up bone broth while the rest of us talked. Misha ordered me to sit while Andrei put a small bowl of broth in front of me. "It might still be too hot, so be careful," he said, as he set the bowl in front of me.

I looked at it for a minute, which made Misha say, "I will airplane it. Don't tempt me."

"You're still not the boss of me," I said, picking up the spoon.

"The bigger question is which one of the bosses has the mayor in his pocket. Or if it really is Ricardo," Stephen said.

"It's interesting that Ricardo seems to have so much influence without being well-known and without being a boss himself," Andrei said. He and Misha both were basically standing over me to make sure that I ate at least part of the bowl of broth. Nothing like feeling like a child to stimulate your appetite.

"Not everyone is interested in recognition," Adrik said, a small smirk on his face. "But I find it interesting that the other bosses allowed him to have this much influence."

"Do you think it was because of his ties to Lorenzo?" I asked, diligently taking sips of the broth so the Wonder Twins wouldn't yell at me.

"Possibly. I think it's worth seeing what we can get out of Armando about it. Dario might know something as well, but I don't want to talk to him without Sephie," Adrik said. "Did the journalist give any indication of when he'd have more information?"

"He seemed to think he'd be able to find something quickly if there was something to be found, but it could've been his ego talking," Ivan said. "He's supposed to let us know when he finds something."

"We'll see what we can get out of Armando tonight. It's been a few days since I've been down there. He might miss me," Adrik said.

I looked at Misha and Andrei when everyone else left to go "talk" to Armando. "We are not allowed to do anything weird that will cause them to come running back upstairs this time."

While they both laughed at me, Misha asked, "Do you not like it when Boss comes out of nowhere to save you?"

"No, I do. I very much do. But I feel bad for always interrupting his schedule," I said. We were in the kitchen, as Andrei had talked me into more broth. It was actually working. I managed to eat most of the first bowl he gave me when they first got back from the meeting with the journalist and I only slept for a short period that afternoon.

"You know you're more important than his schedule, spider monkey. He's told us all exactly that. Multiple times," Andrei said, setting down another small bowl of broth in front of me.

"I know, but it still doesn't mean I should constantly interrupt him. This needs salt," I said, taking a small sip.

Misha's handsome smile stretched across his face. "That means your appetite is waking up, gazelle." He grabbed the salt and handed it to me.

"I thought it meant this was bland," I said, grinning at him.

"What did Boss say about Andrei's newly discovered ability?" Misha asked curiously.

"He mostly wanted to know how long I've been able to do it. He seemed more amused that I outed Sephie than anything," Andrei said, still giving me an apologetic look.

I laughed softly. "Don't apologize, Andrei. It makes him angry that I try to keep it from him when I don't feel well. He's still mad at me for keeping it hidden after Misha and I were attacked. Same for the ball. I clearly need help in that area."

"Ivan lectured him on being mad at you for that, you know," Misha said.

"He did?"

"Yeah, it was after you got home from the hospital. When he could feel your pain. He was happy that you wouldn't be able to hide it from him anymore. We could hear it in his voice when he made a comment about you always trying to hide it. Ivan told him it wasn't your fault," Misha said.

"It's not? Pretty sure I'm the one that's constantly trying to hide it. I know I'm doing it. I just don't know how to stop," I said, pushing the now empty bowl away from me.

Andrei picked up the bowl to wash it. He said, "You really don't know, spider monkey?" I shook my head no.

"No, it's just something I feel like I have to do. No idea why. And no idea how to stop it."

"It's a trauma response, gazelle. You've learned that you're better off not asking for help when you need it because the few times you did got you hurt worse. You might not be aware you're doing it, but there's some part of you that's still trying to protect you, especially when you're hurt. It's why you get extra argumentative with us when we try to do stuff for you and why you try to hide it from Boss when you're hurt. You're still scared you're going to get hurt worse," Misha said.

I thought for a moment, chewing on my bottom lip. "Ivan really said all that?" I asked. They both nodded their heads. I took in a slow, almost deep breath. "He's been hanging around Stephen. Obviously," I said, grinning at them.

"He's right though," Andrei said, drying his hands on the kitchen towel. He threw the towel back on the counter and walked around the island to stand next to me. His giant arm slid around my shoulders. "It might still take you a while to fully believe it, but you're safe with us. No matter what. You'll always be safe with us," he said. I leaned my head onto his shoulder, taking another almost deep breath. "I know that. I really do. And I love you all for it. I don't know why I can't stop trying to pretend I'm okay when I'm clearly not," I said.

"You don't have to figure it out, gazelle. I kinda like when you're extra spicy and cranky," Misha said. Andrei helped me up, so we could move to the couches. He laughed at Misha, but said quietly, "I think we all do. You're extra hilarious when you're cranky."

Adrik was clearly surprised when he walked back into the penthouse and I was still awake, laughing with Misha and Andrei about something ridiculous that we'd come up with. He walked to me, kneeling down in front of me, his face immediately softening when he looked at me. "You're still awake," he said, almost like he couldn't believe it.

"I'm pretty sure Andrei spiked the broth with caffeine," I said, smiling at him.

He looked at Andrei. "You got her to eat more?" Andrei nodded his head. "She ate all of it this time," Andrei said.

"Downside, they had to help me up like twelve times, so I could pee, but otherwise, I think it's helping," I said, laughing quietly. "And just in time too. I might murder him if the doctor tells me I have to go back to the hospital tomorrow."

"Nobody wants that, princess," Ivan said.

Andrei looked at his watch. "It's been a couple of hours since she ate the last bowl and it's time for her antibiotics. Think you could manage some more, spider monkey?"

"As long as I can put salt in it. It tastes so much better that way," I said. Andrei stood up to go to the kitchen while Adrik helped me up from the couch. "How did it go with Armando? Was he happy to see you?" I asked, grinning at Adrik.

Before he answered, he pulled me to him and pressed his lips to mine. "I'm so happy you're still awake, solnishko," he said quietly, so only I could hear.

"I think he was happy that he could finally see out of both of his eyes again," Ivan said. "I might've ensured that happiness was short-lived." He had a devious grin on his face as he looked at me.

"Squish. Everyone knows you don't punch like a weak girl. You didn't have to prove it," I said, laughing at him.

"Was he any kind of helpful about Ricardo?" Misha asked.

"Only after Stephen made him want to cry," Viktor said, also with a devious grin on his face. I looked at Stephen, my mouth open in shock. He just shrugged his shoulders. "He had it coming. It's not my fault he hasn't dealt with his childhood."

I caught Adrik's eye as he helped me sit at the kitchen island yet again. I could see the "I told you" running through his mind.

"What did you find out?" Andrei asked, sliding another bowl of broth in front of me, along with my antibiotics and a glass of water.

"It seems that Ricardo thinks of himself as an equal to Boss. It looks like he's the real reason for the coup, not Sal. Ricardo has never been able to gain as much power and favor as Boss has in the city and it drives him crazy. He's been trying to simply outdo Boss in business for years, but has never been able to come close. That's when he started trying to get politicians and police in his pocket," Ivan said.

"Outdo you how?" I asked, sipping the warm broth. I had to admit I was starting to really like it. It didn't make me nauseous and my stomach was finally happy after so many days of not eating.

"Apparently, he's been in competition with me for years. I had no idea. Armando said that Ricardo took it personally every time he would try to make a move in a business deal and either I was there first or I had an even bigger project in the works. It's not my fault he's shit at business," Adrik said, shrugging his shoulders. He had a sly smirk on his face, which told me he was clearly enjoying this new piece of information.

"Your greatness will always irritate those who aren't willing to work as hard as you do," I said. "Did Armando know how Ricardo got the other bosses to go against you?"

"No, but we didn't ask that question either. I think that question is best put to Dario," Stephen said.

"Maybe I'll be better enough that you can talk to him tomorrow," I said, pushing the empty bowl away from me. Misha grabbed it to wash it this time.

"One day at a time, love. We'll see how you are after you see the doctor tomorrow," Adrik said, kissing my temple.

"We can just call the doctor. We don't have to go all the way back to the hospital," I said, knowing full well I was not going to get out of having to go back to the doctor this morning. "Andrei can call him. He'll tell him my lung is doing better." I had a mischievous smile on my face, trying to see how they'd react to me being bratty about going to the hospital.

"You do feel better this morning, spider monkey. That's not a lie for once," he said, grinning at me.

"See? No need to go to the hospital. Dr. Bubba told me I was okay," I said.

Adrik smiled at me, instead of being frustrated like I thought he was going to be. "You're still going, but it makes me happy that you're feeling better, solnishko. Yesterday was the first day you were awake for more than two hours in over a week."

"It was a big day. Andrei's a genius," I said, laughing when his cheeks flushed.

"No arguments from me," Adrik said. "I'm happy he found something that helped. I was beginning to have abandonment issues." He smiled widely at me, causing the warmth to spread over my entire body.

"We all were," Ivan said.

The trip to the doctor was much easier this time. Not only was I starting to finally be able to breathe better but my shoulder was also starting to hurt less when it had to be taken out of the sling. The x-ray wasn't nearly as painful this time.

"I have good news this time around," Dr. Williams said as he walked into the exam room. "Your lung looks much clearer this time."

"She's finally feeling better, but it took until yesterday for her to start to really make improvements," Ivan said. "Yesterday was the first day she was awake for more than a few hours."

"How's your appetite now?" Dr. Williams asked.

"Still not as good as it should be, but she's been able to keep bone broth down the last two days," Andrei said.

"That's a good option. Unfortunately, I want you to continue the antibiotics for another seven days, which isn't going to help your stomach. Yogurt helps, broth is great, basically whatever you can stomach, but you need to eat. I can clearly see that you've lost weight since the last time I saw you," the doctor said. He had a chastising tone to his words.

I sighed. "I know. Trust me, I'd rather eat."

"It's not her fault. She has a very sensitive stomach," Andrei said protectively.

"I can write you a prescription for an appetite stimulant," Dr. Williams said.

"No, thank you. It'll probably just make me more nauseous. I don't know if you've noticed, but things tend to react the opposite of how they're supposed to with me. I'd rather not," I said.

Dr. Williams chuckled. "You need food to help your body heal. At this point, a candy bar is going to be beneficial for you. Eat," he said, looking at me sternly.

Adrik could feel my anger at being chastised by the doctor. I realize he was concerned for my well-being, but he clearly wasn't understanding that I wanted to eat but couldn't and I wasn't in the mood to be lectured by him. Adrik reached across my lap, almost like he was trying to push me behind him. He said quietly in Russian, "Look at the floor." He then looked to the doctor, curtly saying in English, "We'll make sure she eats. Is there anything else?"

"As long as she continues to make improvements, I won't need to see her for four more weeks. Her shoulder will continue to make improvements, but keep it in the sling as much as possible. If there's an issue with breathing again, come back right away. Once you've had pneumonia, it's easy to get it a second time, especially when your lung has collapsed once. Take any issues with your breathing very seriously and come back here as soon as you notice something is off," Dr. Williams said as he stood to leave the room.

Once he closed the door behind him, Adrik looked at me, immediately smiling when he looked at my eyes. "I knew it," he said, his expression a mix of lust and amusement at my dark eyes.

"Like I want to not be able to eat for days at a time. I'll take it from you guys because I love you all, but he can fuck right off with his lecture on my need to eat. I fucking know, doctor," I said, pronouncing the "doctor" as sarcastically as possible.

Adrik looked at me for a few moments, his smile still prominent on his face. Then he looked at Andrei. "You really are a genius. She's feeling much better."

I motioned for Ivan to help me up. "I am feeling better and I want to be gone from this place," I announced. "Who's carrying me out of here, so we can leave faster?"

I felt Adrik's arms around me as he picked me up. He looked in my eyes, telling me, "Keep your eyes closed until we get to the vehicles. We don't need any delays."

"Happily," I said as I buried my head in his shoulder and neck until I felt him slide me onto the backseat of the SUV. I opened my eyes as he got in beside me. He was still clearly amused at my attitude with the doctor. He leaned over and kissed me passionately, but stopped much too soon for my liking. I groaned quietly in frustration.

"I don't want to risk you not being able to catch your breath again," he said quietly.

"I know. I still don't like it, but I know."

"Soon, love. Soon. Maybe not soon enough, but soon," he said.

Adrik's phone rang on the way back to the penthouse. He pulled it out of his pocket. "Trino," he said, answering it. Because we were in the SUV, he didn't put it on speaker, so I could only hear one side of the conversation.

I felt Adrik tense beside me, so I knew whatever Trino had to tell him likely wasn't good news. "When did it happen?" he asked. He worked until his hand was under the sweatshirt and thermal shirt I was wearing and his fingers were running lightly over my bare skin, trying to keep himself calm. "And your guys have no idea where he was headed? Have you checked the private airport?" He paused to hear Trino's answer, then added, "Okay, we'll do it. Most of the people at that airport are my guys anyway. If that's how he left, they'll know something."

Adrik was silent for a few moments, listening to Trino. I could hear that Trino was angry, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. "No, don't worry, Trino. We actually expected this. Sephie called it when you delivered Anthony and Lorenzo. She'll be happy to hear she's won the bet pool," he said. Sal's finally decided to run. I could hear Trino talking again, then Adrik said, "We'll go check out the airport. Come to the building this evening. There's even more to this."

The conversation ended soon after. As Adrik was putting his phone back in his pocket, Ivan said from the front seat, "So Sal decided it was best to run?"

"Trino said he must've had tunnels under his house because his guys haven't seen anyone leave in two days. It felt off, so Trino sent a team in to the house. There's been no movement or any signs of anything in the house for a couple days. They were all gone. They're currently looking for how they got out of the house. Since we don't know when they left, he could be anywhere by now, but my guess is he took a plane out of here," Adrik said.

"Do we know where Ricardo is right now?" I asked.

"Since we got Armando, he hasn't been seen in the city. We didn't have anyone on him because we didn't know to have anyone on him, so the short answer is no. We don't know where he is," Viktor said.

"I would bet all my earnings from Sal's bet pool that he's going wherever Ricardo is," I said.

Adrik laughed. "Don't say that in front of Trino. I did not peg him as having a thing for women who like to gamble."

"He is a complicated man," I said.

The guys dropped me, Adrik, and Misha off at the building while they went to the private airport to see what they could find out. Once upstairs, Misha and I both looked at each other. "Do you think we can find him?" he asked.

"It's worth a try," I said.

Adrik clicked his tongue. "How much does it zap her when she does that?" he asked Misha.

Misha looked at me, pondering his answer. "It really zapped her the first time, but since then, I don't think it's been a problem, but it's hard to tell because she's been so sick otherwise."

They both looked to me. "Don't look at me. I don't even know what day it is, much less what makes me tired. Existing makes me tired lately. I mean, it's a lot of work to be this fucking awesome, granted. But still."

They both laughed at me. Adrik looked to Misha again. "Do you need her for it to work or can you use someone else?"

"It works best with her, but it worked with you when we were looking for her and Ivan. It might work with someone else the same way too. It's just clearest with her," Misha said.

"Let's wait until they get back from the airport. You can try it with me again or Andrei. If we don't make it clear enough, then use Sephie. I'd like to not zap her very small supply of energy right now," Adrik said.

"I can help with that too," Misha said, getting a bowl from the cabinet so he could make me another bowl of broth.

"Do we have any eggs?" I asked. They both turned to look at me, clearly shocked. "I'm as shocked as you, trust me," I said, laughing at their response to my question.

"How many do you want?" Adrik asked.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. One is plenty for now."

"Instead of broth or in addition to broth?" Misha asked, pausing the heating process.

"In addition to," I said.

Misha looked at Adrik. "I feel like the other four should be here to witness this. Should we call them? Video it? What do we do here? We can't make her wait until they get back. The hunger might pass. This is so stressful," he said, his hand running through his hair. I couldn't do anything but sit and laugh at him.

"Misha, you're my favorite. Don't tell the others."

"Oh, I'm telling them. That's the first thing I'ma do when they get back," he said, grinning at me.

Misha and Adrik were in the process of making me yet more broth and another egg when the other four guys walked back into the penthouse. The shock was evident on their faces, even more so once Misha informed them it was the second time in an hour that I'd eaten.

"Misha wanted to call you guys when I asked for solid food earlier," I said, still laughing at him.

"Would've been worth it," Viktor said. "We've all been worried about you, sestrichka."

"I know. Don't blame me. It's my stomach. She has a mind of her own. She's wild. Untamed."

"What did you find at the airport?" Adrik asked, sliding a plate with one more egg on it in front of me.

"Sal left a day and a half ago. It was the middle of the night when he left, so either Trino was right and he had tunnels, or his guys fell asleep and missed him leaving," Viktor said.

"Do we know where he went?" Misha asked.

"They didn't log a flight path until they were already in the air," Ivan said.

Adrik looked at Andrei. "We're trying to save the small amount of energy that Sephie has right now. We want to see if you or I can help Misha find Sal, without him having to use her."

"Does helping Misha zap your energy, spider monkey?" Andrei asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. It's hard to tell what's what right now. I didn't think so, but the night we found Tori and Max was right before I started sleeping for days at a time again, so I don't know. Could be my lung, could be helping Misha," I said.

Andrei looked at me for a minute, like he was completely lost in thought. "It was your lung, but I can see if it works with me. It's good to have options," he said, smiling his handsome smile at me. "What do I have to do?" he asked Misha.

"Just concentrate on Sal," I said. "Misha does the rest."

"Like think of his face?" Andrei asked. I nodded my head.

"If it works the same for you as it does for me, you'll be able to see what Misha sees like it's in front of you," I said.

Andrei nodded his head, then extended his hand to Misha. It took a few minutes, but we could see Misha squeeze Andrei's hand tighter, which always meant he was seeing something. Andrei's eyes went wide, but he wasn't looking at anything we could see. We knew they'd found him. We were just waiting to see where they found him.

They watched the movie that only they could see for several minutes before it stopped. "That was weird," Andrei said once they joined us back in our reality.

"Was it like a movie?" I asked.

"It was just like when you help me, gazelle," Misha said.

"That's because Bubba is like me," I said, grinning at Andrei.

"Like you how? Like his rapidly improving observation skills?" Viktor asked.

"Those, yes. But he'll be able to know things before they happen like me soon too. That's why Adrik asked him about me staying behind when you guys went to meet the journalist with Chen," I said.

"That's how he knew you still felt like shit," Stephen said. "I was wondering if that was a lucky guess or not."

"It just popped in my head and I said it before I really thought about it, but she said that's how she reads our minds all the time," Andrei said.

Stephen laughed loudly, which was somewhat out of character for him. We all looked to him, somewhat puzzled. "I'm just glad I already told you guys I was gay because I would've never slept another minute knowing that both Andrei and Sephie can do this. I would've had to find another job. I would've been a wreck."

"I love that the vampire among us is worried about mind reading. Isn't that how you get your victims to willingly comply?" I asked, laughing.

"Oh, I'm totally fine with it when I'm the one doing the reading. I prefer not to be read. Nine hundred years, Seph. There's plenty I'm not proud of in here," he said, tapping his temple.

"Nine hundred years of making you awesomely hilarious and smart as fuck. I fail to see the issue here," I said. It was hard to catch Stephen off guard, but I managed to do it. His mouth fell open. He didn't know how to respond. He just walked to me, putting his arm around my shoulders and kissing my cheek.

"You're just the best, Seph," he said quietly.

"So, where is Sal?" Adrik asked Misha.

"He's in Italy. I can't be completely sure, but it looked like he was not too far from Armando's place in Naples. But I haven't been to Italy very much, so everything might look the same to me, I don't know," Misha said.

"It narrows it down slightly," Viktor said.

"You guys can try again later and see if you can narrow it down further," I said, winking at Andrei who still looked surprised it had worked.

"What if Misha uses both of us?" Andrei asked. "You seem to give him the most clarity, spider monkey. Maybe you can still give him that, but it won't zap your energy if he uses me too."

"Maybe," Adrik said, firmly. "Let's see how she gets through the day. I don't want her to go right back to sleeping the entire day."

"The bigger question is how are we going to tell Trino that we know where he is," Ivan asked. "I mean, Trino's been cool with the very little glimpses he's gotten into Sephie's weirdness, but I'm not sure I like the idea of him knowing everything."

Andrei once again got a look like he was thinking about something else and not at all paying attention to our conversation. "He already knows. It's partly why he's so enamored with Sephie."

"He does?" Ivan asked.

I laughed. "I suspected he did too, but never thought much about it and never tried to clarify," I said.

"Santeria is common in Colombia. It wouldn't be a stretch for him to believe Sephie has special powers," Andrei said.

I couldn't help but giggle. "I want to make him think I'm a voodoo priestess now. Does anybody have a snake I can borrow? I'll give it back once he leaves."

They all laughed at me, the relief clear on their faces that I was starting to feel better. Ivan looked at Andrei, saying, "You really are a genius. She feels much better."

I smiled widely at Ivan. It made me happy to see them help Andrei be more confident in his newfound abilities. "As for your earlier question, Squish, I don't think it's much of a stretch that Sal would run to Italy. It's probably a very safe bet that Ricardo is there as well. They're likely trying to plan. What about Niko and Vito? Where are they?" I asked.

Viktor pulled his phone out of his pocket, stepping away to find that answer as well. When he stepped away, I said, "It wouldn't surprise me if they also ran. They're probably still trying to come up with a plan to make this coup happen anyway. I almost want to let them. If Lorenzo was the logistical brains behind this, whatever these morons come up with should be hilarious."

Viktor walked back to the kitchen, with a stressed look on his face. Ivan grinned at me, then asked, "Niko and Vito ran too, didn't they?" Viktor just nodded his head, looking surprised. "Sephie called it when you stepped away to check on them." Viktor's wide smile stretched across his face as he walked to me, putting his arm around my shoulders and kissing the top of my head. "It's good to have you back, sestrichka," he said.

That evening, once everyone in the office had gone home for the day, Trino and his guys stopped by. Gus and Oscar were with him, but Chen was absent this time. "He's working on a contractor job. He said it was really important and he wants it to be perfect, so he couldn't get away when we told him we were coming here tonight," Gus said when I asked where he was. I smiled, knowing it was one of Adrik's projects that he was working on.

"Miha, you look much better this time," Trino said when he walked into Adrik's office. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. It's still too slow, but better," I said. I'd still been coughing occasionally when I talked. The cough sounded horrible, even though I was feeling better.

Trino cursed in Spanish when he heard my cough. "She got pneumonia after she got home from the hospital. The doctor said it's common after your lung collapses," Ivan said as he helped me onto the cabinet behind Adrik's desk.

"Dios mio, Miha. How are you still functioning?" he asked.

I laughed. "Ask them. I haven't been lately. I've done nothing but sleep for, like, an entire week."

Trino looked at Adrik, who nodded his head in confirmation. "Armando has had to suffer greatly because I've been bored without her," he said, his sly smirk on his face.

"I fully support this, Jefe," Trino said.

"What did you find at Sal's house?" Adrik asked.

Trino took a deep breath and blew it out loudly. He was clearly frustrated. "We found a tunnel underneath his house. That's how they got out without my guys seeing anything, which is advantageous for my guys. I was ready to kill them if they'd fallen asleep and missed Sal leaving."

"We just don't know exactly when they left. They could be anywhere by now," Gus said.

"They're not anywhere. They're in Italy," I said.

"And they left in the middle of the night a day and a half ago," Ivan said.

"Along with Niko and Vito at some point as well," Viktor added.

"How do you know they're in Italy, Miha?" Trino asked skeptically.

"It's the most obvious choice. There's a very high likelihood that's where Ricardo is as well. Sal is likely running to him for direction now that Lorenzo is dead. Niko and Vito are simply running after their master as well," I said. Trino looked at me thoughtfully, but didn't say anything. I caught Andrei's eye. He was trying not to smile.

"Who's Ricardo?" Gus asked.

"We think he's really the one that's behind this coup. He's been working with Lorenzo for years, but he has a relationship with the other bosses as well. He's the one that's been pulling Armando's strings behind the scenes. Likely since he was still an underboss. He's been using a fake name this entire time. It was likely Ricardo that instructed him on what name to use to keep from raising suspicion with the other bosses, as well as my father," Adrik said.

Oscar laughed quietly. "Italians are so dramatic," he said quietly.

"You are not wrong, Oscar," I said.

"What are you thinking, Jefe? Are you going after them?" Trino asked.

Adrik thought for a few moments before answering. I knew he was torn about his answer because of me. Were I not in the condition I was currently in, he would be much more willing to follow them to Italy and to end this all as quickly as possible. But given that travel likely wouldn't agree with me very well right now, he was hesitant to follow them.

"They can come to me. I'm not going anywhere with Sephie in this condition," he said firmly.

"Do you think they'll be back?" Oscar asked.

"I do. Ricardo is apparently obsessed with me," Adrik said, smirking. "Armando said Ricardo has been trying to overtake me for years, from both sides of the business."

"Your greatness irritates those not on your level, Jefe," Trino said. All the guys looked at me. Even Adrik turned his chair, so he could see me out of the corner of his eye. Trino noticed, giving me a questioning look.

"I said almost the exact same thing earlier, Trino. Great minds think alike," I said, smiling at him. I motioned for Ivan to help me off the cabinet. I walked to Adrik, wanting to sit on his lap. Instead of staying at his desk, he stood up, pulling me to one of the couches. He helped me sit in his lap and lean back against him; my legs crossed in between his.

Adrik put his lips close to my ear, asking quietly in Russian, "Are you tired, solnishko? Do you need to go back upstairs?"

"No, I'm okay. I was cold," I said, pulling his arm around me tighter. I could feel the low vibration of his quiet laugh as he brushed my cheek lightly with his facial hair.

"How is the situation with the Mexicans, Trino?" Ivan asked.

"They got word of what happened to Anthony and Lorenzo, so they've been quiet so far. They still remember what I did when I took over in Colombia," Trino said.

"I wouldn't put it past Sal and Ricardo to keep in contact with them. They're going to need help to make this happen, if that's what they're still trying to do," I said, leaning my head back against Adrik's shoulder.

Trino looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. He started to ask a question, then stopped himself, then decided to ask it anyway. "Miha, how do you always know what you know? You've been with Jefe for such a short time and yet you know this business better than men who've grown up in it. You're a very smart woman, don't get me wrong, but I've literally never met anyone who knows the things you know after such a short time."

I felt Adrik hold me a little tighter as we all contemplated how to answer Trino. It was Stephen that spoke first. "Sephie has a very unique ability to understand human psychology. Because of it, she can predict what people will do in certain situations."

Trino shook his head, like he wanted to believe Stephen, but he wasn't sure he did. "It's something else, for sure," he said. "Is this why Armando took you? Surely he knows how unique you are."

I scoffed. "That's a complicated answer, Trino."

"How so?"

I could feel my anger starting to rise at the thought of Armando thinking he ever had a chance with me, but I tried to keep it under control while making sure my eyes stayed normal. I took as deep a breath as I could. "When the bosses would meet at the restaurant I used to work at, Armando would stay after sometimes and help me clean up. He would ask me questions about my life, but I always got the impression that he was trying to set me up with his son, who is close to my age. According to Dario, that was not the case at all. Apparently, both Armando and Sal had been eyeing me when Ghost came back. Dario thought they were going to get into a fight over me, but then I met Ghost and that option was taken off the table. I think it's why Sal was going to sell me off to the highest bidder when they took me. He's still pissed. Armando too."

Ivan, who was sitting across from me and Adrik, said quickly in Russian, "Blink, princess."

"Shit," I said, under my breath, closing my eyes for a second. I managed to cough to hopefully distract anyone who might've seen them. I opened them, looking to Ivan first. He nodded discreetly and winked at me.

"Sephie thinks they'd put Armando into a bit of a leadership role while I was away. I think he and Sal had started to think they could run the city, either together or separately. The night I met Sephie was the night they recruited all the bosses to try to overthrow me. We're still trying to find out how much of a role Ricardo has been playing this entire time. He seems to have more influence than he should for someone who isn't a boss," Adrik said.

"We think he might have the mayor in his pocket as well," Ivan said.

Trino made a gesture like he was spitting. "Politicians. They're all the same. They can all be bought for the right price."