“We shouldn’t keep him waiting then.”
He lights the cigarette and takes a few drags like he has all the time in the world. Beside him, Ekaterina is perched on the sofa, strangely quiet but alert.
“Do you know the gentleman who lives in the penthouse below yours?” Maksim asks.
What the fuck is he going on about now? “No.”
“Mr. Benoit. He’s an art collector. Made his money by making a few very smart bets a couple of decades ago.” Maksim blows out and smirks at me through the smoke. “You had no idea you’ve been having breakfast above a Monet all these years?”
“I could’ve been shitting above a Picasso for all I care. I fail to see the relevance of any of this.”
Maksim’s grin widens. “Mr. Benoit is sixty-two years old. He’s kept in decent enough shape all these years, but nothing could be done about his vision, I’m afraid. He’s gone completely blind. Imagine the tragedy of owning all that fantastic art and not being able to enjoy it.”
“Maksim,” I grind out, my patience waning.
“You sure you haven’t seen him? He always wears these enormous dark sunglasses and a newsboy cap. I met him just after the four of us bumped into each other at that gala. I negotiated the sale of his collection to the pakhan. When I told him last week that we’d increase our offer by ten percent if he helped us out with something, he was happy to oblige.”
I listen to him with growing apprehension, my hand tightening on Blake’s hip.
Maksim leans forward. “Mr. Benoit and the pakhan are just about the same height and build. Mr. Benoit left his penthouse to get breakfast yesterday morning, but it was the pakhan who came back disguised as him.”
My mouth goes dry. Blake’s completely frozen beside me.
Maksim isn’t here to take me to the head of the Boston Bratva.
He brought him tome.
“Why go through all this trouble?” I ask even though I already know the answer. The pakhan knows he’s being hunted, and so he came up with a plan to get to me completely undetected.
Scenarios of what could happen next whir through my mind at the speed of fucking light. This is bad. Gino has no idea what’s happening, and if the Russians have gone to these lengths to catch me off guard, they’re far more cautious than we anticipated. With their boss here, they must have a perimeter set up around the penthouse, and there’s a good chance they will spot the backup Gino’s sending.
I’m going to be exposed.
Fuck!
Maksim finishes his cigarette and puts it out against one of my marble coasters. “I told you he doesn’t take visitors. No exceptions. You should be honored he left the safe house for you. He wants to hear what you have to say. As long as you give him exactly what you told me you can, you’ll be generously rewarded, just as we discussed.”
I need to message Gino to tell him to call his guys back. But how? I can’t whip out my phone in front of Maksim. Gino’s men are going to be here any minute, and even if they somehow get close to the building undetected by the Russians the pakhan has likely stationed outside, Gino’s going to eventually want to know why Maksim and I aren’t coming out. What if he sends someone up to check on me while the pakhan is here?
It’ll be a bloodbath.
I turn my head to look at Blake for the first time since Maksim started talking. She’s staring at Ekaterina, her face a blank mask, but there’s a drop of sweat rolling down her temple.
I need to get her out of here.
My gaze snaps back to Maksim. “The wives don’t need to be here for this.”
He leans back on the sofa and pops his ankle on his knee. “On the contrary. The pakhan himself requested their presence to ensure we conduct ourselves in a civilized manner. You don’t need to worry. They’re just insurance, that’s all.”
Ekaterina purses her lips and glances out the window. She’s silent because she’s nervous too. The pakhan is a paranoid fuck, and given his history with Maksim, he probably doesn’t trust Maksim completely either.
“Blake, dear, go ahead and make us that coffee now, if you don’t mind,” Maksim says, taking out his phone.
Jesus, fuck. I want to scream in frustration, but I shove all of my rage down so that I can stay clearheaded.
My every move and word counts right now. I need to do everything I can to keep Blake safe.
Blake stands up and moves to the kitchen. I watch her walk away and try to think of a way to contact Gino to tell him to call his guys back. If she had her phone on her, maybe she could sneak a text to Gino. She has his number.
