Page 49 of Lord of the Underworld

"Oh, you want -"

His hand pulls me just a bit closer, my mouth lands on his and I gratefully sink into the kiss. He tastes a bit like mint, the warmth of coffee and my lips open when he runs his tongue along them. A breath escapes me in a moan and as I lean against his hard chest, everything goes fuzzy for a moment.

Unfortunately, he pulls away, eyeing me as he picks up the sharpening stone again.

"Tonight, then," I babble, feeling hot and ridiculously giddy. "See you tonight."

I leave Slava in the waiting area outside Yvette's office at the charity. "I apologize in advance, Slava. The nonprofit budget meetings are endless. It's going to be three or four hours."

He's a dour-looking man in his late thirties with iron gray hair, who eyes me for a long time before nodding and seating himself, hands on his knees, staring at the office door as I close it with a weak smile.

Yvette's already gone, meeting up with her people to extract Luciana's son. I click an audio track on her computer, and it pipes through a speaker on her desk. It's several hours’ worth of muffled voices and the occasional chuckle or two. Out in the waiting room, Slava will hear what sounds like the world's most boring budget meeting. It had worked just fine when it came to Father's bodyguards, who would always settle in for a long, tedious wait.

Swiftly putting on my makeup and wig, I leave through a hidden back door in Yvette's office. It opens into an alley, then it's just a quick run to pick up the van parked on the next street.

Lana and her three associates are there at the meeting point, right on time. She's a short, no-nonsense woman in her early forties, I know her by reputation. Efficient and a good shot. The three other women are professionals Yvette says she's used in the past. Marie, Tooka, and Carol listen, clearly indifferent, as I outline the extraction plan again.

"It is crucial that we scoop this woman and her daughters up now," I emphasize. "We won't get another chance."

We're all in sensible, non-descript jeans and boots, practical and nothing that stands out. I'm wearing glasses and a short, black-haired wig, with some basic prosthetics to change the shape of my nose and chin.

If anyone in the crime world found out that Yvette and I were the ones behind the disappearances… I shudder. The torture and murders wouldn't stop with us. They'd go after our families for retribution.

The Silk and Sage Spa is about a mile from The Children's Museum, where Yvette and her team will pick up Luciana's son and his nanny. We'll be met by the next people handling the route and they'll all reunite on the third hand-off. The storm has let up a bit as we pull into the parking lot.

"I'm sending Marie to circle the spa," Lana says, her finger tapping the steering wheel. "She'll report back when she's verified their location."

"Good." I crawl awkwardly into the cargo area of the van we're using, changing into a spa uniform, along with Tooka, a snarly-looking redhead.

"Why are they always aqua?" Tooka growls, writhing to pull the scrubs up over her hips.

"And itchy," I agree. "Headsets in."

There's a crackle and Marie speaks softly. "Only two bodyguards, lucky that. Both in the waiting area. One has his cigarette pack out. Let's wait to make sure he's not going to circle the building to smoke."

Two precious minutes. I check my watch, every second drags like a fork scraping across a plate.

"No, he's staying in front," Marie says. "You're on."

Lana lifts her gun, pulling out the ammo clip, checking it and slamming it back in. "Seven minutes?"

"Let's try to make it five," I say. "We're running behind."

As Tooka and I stroll painfully slowly down the sidewalk, looking like two employees just heading back after lunch, I text Montel.

Oksana: We're going in the back. You've looped the security feed in by the exit and in the hall?

Montel: Just finished the museum, it took me an extra minute. On it now. Take your time going in.

Gritting my teeth, I slow down, Tooka matching my stride.

My phone buzzes.

Montel: Got it. Go.

Luciana and her daughters, Gulia and Chiara, are sitting in the "serenity den," still in their sage-colored robes. Luciana shoots up from her chair as we step into the room.

"Is everything okay?" she whispers.