Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 148949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 496(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 496(@300wpm)
“You scared?”
My bottom lip quivered. “Yes.”
“Don’t worry. Papi’s coming.” Max hung up.
I rolled my eyes and raced up the stairs.
Chapter 3
Puzzle Pieces
Kazimir
On the TV screen in front of me, Misha sat there with his face contorted in a mocking scowl. “Are we done, Kazimir?”
You’re lucky you’re not in this room.
King David stirred next to me, clearly knowing I was close to throwing that TV screen out of the window.
Rage coursed through my veins.
“Are we done?” I placed my hands on the desk and threaded my fingers. “No. We are not.”
Misha let out an exasperated breath.
“I want you to do as I ask, that means instead of excuses, you say, ‘Yes, Kazimir. I will have it done by the end of the week.’”
“I am busy, and the request is the highest level of asinine impropriety.”
“Your use of big words will not get you out of my request—”
“Asinine means extremely or utterly foolish or silly and impropriety means a clear failure to observe reasonable social standards.”
“Who’s social standards?”
“The world’s standards.”
“I asked you to do one thing—”
“One thing?!” Misha widened his eyes. “You call me every day about this or that like I am your fucking technology wizard, demanding I do impossible things that only a genius could do, lucky I am that, However, I am done—”
“But, today it has been one thing—”
“Yes. One thing I will not do.”
I spoke through clenched teeth, “Why not?”
“I am not going to convince Maxwell to order Boris to return to Moscow.”
“Because?”
Misha raised his voice. “Maxwell doesn’t want Boris to die!”
I leaned my head to the side. “Who said I would kill Boris?”
“No one said it, but anyone with half of a brain could surmise that you do not plan to throw Boris a big surprise party.”
“It could be a party.” I shrugged. “One lathered in blood.”
Misha frowned. “Are we done?”
That fucking question again.
I wished I could rip it out of his throat and beat him with it.
I gritted my teeth, feeling close to exploding. “No. We are not done.”
Misha held out his hands. “What is the other manner of business?”
“What were you doing in Tokyo?”
Misha rolled his eyes. “We agreed that you would let me handle the Dragon—”
“I did not agree to you doing anything with the Dragon—”
“Perhaps, not with the Dragon, but we agreed that when I had complications outside of the Brotherhood—”
“You are not outside of the Brotherhood. Your bloodline is firmly rooted at the very center of the Brotherhood.” I raised one angry finger. “Thus, anything you do results in some sort of dangerous rippling effect coming my way.”
Misha’s expression of annoyance shifted to anger as he glared at me.
Good. Be mad.
Misha spoke, “I am handling it.”
“Still?”
“There’s some last things that need to be handled.”
“The news reported bombs.” I frowned. “Was that your handiwork?”
“Do you really want to question me about bombs?”
“You know what?” I gripped the edge of the desk. “Instead of Boris coming, perhaps you should come and visit.”
Misha crossed his arms over his chest. “Is that some sort of physical threat?”
“Lions do not make threats.”
Misha rolled his eyes. “Are we done?”
Hot fury boiled in my veins as I imagined smashing his head into a window, watching his eyes shatter and the glass raining down in a hail of razor sharp blades. A perverse smile danced across my face as I dreamed of how his blood would splatter on my office walls.
David stepped forward with caution, as if he were tiptoeing through a minefield, before finally mustering the courage to break the eerie silence. “Excuse me, Misha, but Kazimir does have a new task that needs to be strategized for this year, and he expects all the top people to be involved.”
Misha turned his attention to David. “And what is that?”
David cleared his throat. “Kazimir wants to assassinate the Russian President and replace him with the rebel leader—”
“I am now ending this call.”
David tried to talk.
The screen went black.
I glared at the TV. “I am going to kill him.”
“That is your cousin. I believe that means that you cannot kill him.”
“We will see about that.” I rose from the desk and headed off to the door. “Did you find out why Emily didn’t show up for breakfast this morning?”
“I have puzzle pieces, but not a clear and complete picture of what is going on.”
I stopped at the door. “Tell me about those puzzle pieces.”
“Emily had one of her people pick up Dr. Stovall and give her an emergency exam.”
“Dr. Stovall came here this morning?”
“Yes, but he assessed Emily in Blue’s room.”
I touched my chin and rubbed it.
This morning, I woke up to an empty bed. That wasn’t an odd occurrence. Emilio constantly required my mouse’s attention. Therefore, I usually washed my face and hands, and then headed to the nursery to help out where I could.
But when I arrived, Olga rocked a sleeping Emilio in her arms and my mouse was nowhere to be found.