“’Tis better to rule a kingdom of nothing than to destroy civilizations or ruin people’s lives.”
I wanted to shake him. “’Tis better to be the person I know you can be and fight back.”
More knocking on the door.
Ueili’s voice, “Nicolai, are you all right?”
“Fine,” he called back. “Philosophical discussions will have to wait, even if this is the most fun I’ve had matching wits in years. My friends are drunkards. Come on, the lawyers and the courier and my security staff await us.”
I followed Nicolai back out to the living room, probably with my mouth hanging a little open and a confused wrinkle between my eyebrows like I was an idiot, where Ueli was standing by the door with a man wearing a baggy black suit. The guy held up a fat envelope to his shoulder height and waggled it at Nicolai.
“You may hand it to Ueli,” Nicolai said, and the guy handed over the envelope.
My pride wanted to refuse Nico’s money.
My stomach didn’t want to eat crackers and pressed turkey snack packs for the next six months or longer.
If he offered me the money or some of it, I would gratefully thank him.
Footsteps stomped in the hallway outside, and the door eased open because the Black Suit with the money envelope probably hadn’t shut it right.
Ueli tossed the envelope on a side table, and he, Dusha, and Black Suit turned toward the door, reaching under their suit jackets.
“Expecting someone?” Ueli asked.
Nicolai stepped toward me. “No. No one.”
And then the security guys were holding guns, all pointed toward the floor in front of their toes.
I dove behind the couch.
The lawyers rolled in around me.
PART TWO
the birkins
CHAPTER 5
clementine arrives
LEXI
“Lexi!”A woman’s imperious voice trilled through the suite as I huddled behind the couch.“Lexi,whereareyou? I need your input,at once.”
“Clear,” Ueli announced, his voice flat.
The lawyers around me rose to their knees, prairie-dogged to look over the back of the couch, and then stood, straightening their suit pants and jackets without comment or chagrin.
I followed suit, staggering to my feet amid everyone leaning over the back of the couch, still twitchy.
Our reaction wasn’t funny. Diving for cover from an active shooter was ingrained, and I refused to look sheepish. Too many school shooting drills had knocked any amusement at ducking and covering right the heck out of me, out of all of us.
Clementine swished through the living room, holding her phone near her face but out and to the side like she might be surreptitiously video-streaming what was going on behind her back, and shimmied past the security guys still holstering theirweapons. A duffel-like luggage bag hung from one shoulder, while a latte-toned purse dangled from her elbow.
She surveyed the cadre of lawyers, the bodyguards, and the other guy, and huffed. “Seriously? You two will do anything to avoid telling me about it, won’t you?Fine.Lexi, make haste. We need to leave in minutes.”
Nicolai scowled at his cousin as she passed him. “What are you doing here?”
