We're facetiming and he looked behind me. "You couldn't resist, could you?"
Glancing back as one of the walls collapses with a roar, I shrugged. "It was coming right at me. I had to protect myself."
"The mission is a success?" He took a deep breath, letting it out as his shoulders relax.
"We didn't lose a single person. Some injuries." I looked back as Alexsey's group hauls away another group of soot-stained, traumatized guests. "I've got a few things to clean up here, but if you and Father want to have that meeting with the Canton group - that youhavebeen working on for months - do it. We'll be on our way home soon."
"This was easy," Ivan said, appearing at my side.
Frowning, I try to push back the suspicion from my superstitious Russian roots. "We're just better."
***
The jet just landed on a small airstrip we keep out in Long Island; the team splits up into the eight waiting vans and SUVs, and we're heading home.
Violet's head is on my shoulder, Rose and Iris are sitting across from us, grinning. The ridiculous wedding gowns they were forced to wear are streaked with mud and someone else's blood.
"Are you two okay?" I ask. "You look a little rough."
"Please," Iris snorts. "We looked worse than this after Senior Prom."
Rose nudges her, "Remember when the car got pulled over and-"
"What happened at your prom?" Violet's tone has a dangerous edge.
The girls at each other. "Nothing," Rose says with a bright, insincere smile.
"Yeah, I trust the two of you like I trust gas station sushi," Violet says before putting her head back on my shoulder with a sigh. "I keep saying 'thank you' to you," she whispers. "But thank you. I'm so grateful that all your men are alive. I didn't want anyone to die for us."
"What's thismenshit?" Melina calls from the front seat. She's checking her guns and putting in fresh ammo clips.
"Yeah, what's up with that?" Iris says.
"Melina saved the day," Rose adds. "The way she came in with those guns firing?"
"You really have to teach us how to shoot," Iris says, hanging over the front seat to plead with my amusedBrigadier. "Then maybe you guys won't have to keep rescuing us."
"I'm hoping that will never be required again," Violet says. "But first, Melina, allow me to apologize. The girls are right and you are a goddess. The way you descended on those fragile little country club pricks? Like an avenging angel, you were!"
"You are welcome," Melina says graciously.
"And second, ladies," Violet continues, "at this point, who am I to say you shouldn't learn how to shoot? If Melina is willing, of course."
"Women are far more suited for skilled marksmanship," Melina says. "Our hand-eye coordination is much better than a man's."
My phone buzzes, Dmitri's name flashing across the screen. "Brother, what's up? We just landed."
"We're under attack," Dmitri shouts. "It's the Krasniqi Mob."
"TheAlbanians?"I'm gripping my phone tight enough to crack the screen.
"They teamed up with the Morales Cartel, they attacked when they knew you'd be taking most of our available soldiers up to Maine."
My heart gives one leaden thump, feeling like it stopped in my chest. "Where are you?"
"They tracked us to Bora's Restaurant," Dmitri is shouting over the gunfire. "We're holding up in the back. We're down to six men. Father's-" his voice is hoarse. "Father's been shot."
My lips move soundlessly, no words to say. I can hear the percussive thudding of gunfire in the background, shouts fromone of his guards before clarity rushes back into my brain. "Violet, call Alexsey."
