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“Hey.”

“Hi.” I took the seat beside him and immediately held his hand. “How’s the pain? Did they give you anything?”

“It’s there. Yeah, they did.”

“Listen, I have to go do something with Gideon but once I’m done, I’ll be right here next to you. I promise.”

Danny turned his head slightly, trying to see me better. I adjusted in the chair to make it easier for him.

“Vlad.” It wasn’t a question. He understood where I was going without me having to tell him.

“Yes.”

“Be smart.”

I chuckled. “Are you implying I’m not always?”

“Your track record sucks.” Talking was getting harder for Danny, and I didn’t want him to struggle.

“Fair point. I’ll be smart. You rest. When you wake up, this will all be over.” I leaned down and kissed his hand, then moved up and kissed his forehead.

“You better come back.” He was breathless, and before I could respond, he was fast asleep.

By the time I returned to the waiting area, Raff had arrived. He had a large coffee and some takeout.

“Be careful Danny doesn’t see the coffee or food. He’s on IV and probably jonesing for some of the good shit.”

He laughed at me. “If he’s gonna beg for it, I’ll welcome it. That means he’s better.”

“True.” I turned to Gideon. “Are we good to go?”

“Oh, we’re ready. Vladimir has an army if what the manager at the Colburn described is true, so we’re going in with one of our own.”

“Gid, if we walk in there like that, he’ll notice,” I argued.

He smirked. “We aren’t walking in like that. I’ll explain on the way. Let’s go.”

There was no way I wasn’t surviving this, no way I wouldn’t be right next to Danny’s bed when he woke up.

CHAPTER FORTY

Alex

Gideon’s plan was good but not flawless. We didn’t know the exact number of people who were with Vladimir—and that was a huge piece of missing information—so in that respect, we were going in blind. The plan was to have the manager call up to Ivanov’s room to offer them complimentary wine and desserts because the Colburn was honored by their business. That was how we’d get into his room. What would be there to greet us was a mystery.

Therefore Gideon had placed men on the floor, in the lobby, by every and any exit of the hotel, and he even had a couple in the parking garage. If Vladimir got past us, we’d know.

Penn was able to grab a laundry cart and was dressed like a staff member. He’d get up to the floor before us. The manager had given him a master key card, so he’d pretend to be housekeeping.

Gideon was with me serving the wine and desserts. Once we were inside, Gideon’s men would flood in behind us in case we were severely outnumbered, which was entirely possible.

The manager gave us hotel uniforms to blend in, so when the elevator opened to Vladimir’s floor, no one blinked as we strolled down the hallway. Beyond the rooms, I saw Penn and the laundry cart. He was tossing a sheet into the cart, not even looking in our direction. So far so good.

“Good evening, sir. We have your complimentary wine and desserts.” I smiled as if I weren’t envisioning cutting his throat.

“You can leave here.”

Well, that wasn’t an option. “Unfortunately, I can’t. I have to return the cart to the kitchen, and one of these desserts is a flambé.”