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Chapter 6
Ispend the day lurking in the shadows of the property with no real purpose other than to bide my time. For lunch, I eat with Mouse, who barely acknowledges my presence.
While she may communicate with Mischa easily, any question I voice her way goes ignored.
Alone, I settle into the corners of the house, watching Mischa from afar.
Did he mean the words he groaned to me in the forest?
Or perhaps his more recent boast conveys his true feelings?Nothing is worth holding on to for long.
Though the man does seem to cherish his power. He wields it effortlessly, almost without realizing the control he has over people.
“Get ready,” he says to me, noticing my silent observation once night has fallen. “Sergei will be here soon. His roaches are already scurrying around.” He nods to a man standing silently among the quiet chaos of packing and coordination going on around him. Instead of fatigues, he’s wearing black from head to toe and his build is sturdier than the agile men in Mischa’s crew. “Keep an eye on him and his little friends,” Mischa warns as I spot several other darkly dressed figures stationed at various points in the safe house.
“Spy on them?” I ask, but I’m intrigued despite myself. “Aren’t they on your side?”
“Side.” He scoffs, turning away. “Just tell me if they look too jumpy.”
I’m bored enough to take him up on his offer.
Unfortunately, Sergei’s men make for boring targets to spy on. They barely move even a step out of place. With a focused intensity, they observe Mischa’s men as disinterestedly as I observe them.
Eventually, it becomes obvious that the scruffy outlaw leader is a much more interesting target.
I find myself creeping into the hallway just to keep watch as he directs the movement of vans in the yard and dishes out more orders. The shadows of the house paint him, highlighting the contrast of gold and darkness that make up his core.
Strip him of the scars and tattoos and he could have been a different man in another life. Someone honorable. A teacher sternly directing students? Or a police officer? It’s terrifying how many possibilities could fit someone like him, armed with both authority and charm.
Redefining him consumes my focus—and I don’t even notice someone beside me until it’s too late. They brush past me and I jump, jarring my shoulder off the wall.
“Excuse me, miss,” the figure says, placing a steadying grip on my forearm. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I rasp automatically. Even so, my fingers rub at the back of my neck as I look up into the stern features of one of Sergei’s “roaches.”
“My apologies,” he murmurs. “Let me make sure I didn’t—”
“You can let her go,” Mischa quietly insists from the entrance to the cottage. His eyes fixate on the man’s hand until he releases me, and I smother a sigh. It’s like he’s hardwired to sense the moment any other dog might so much as sniff the air near his coveted prize. “Besides.” He glances over his shoulder, frowning. “Your master is here.”
Sergei enters the cottage a heartbeat later. He and Mischa lock gazes, trading a million warnings between them, I suspect. Together, they move into the sitting room off the hall. Someone left a paper map unfurled over the couch and Sergei points to it, stroking his chin with his opposite hand.
“Did you have a destination in mind?” he asks.
“West.” Mischa positions himself near the doorway, his arms crossed. When I creep up beside him, he looks at me but says nothing. Returning his attention to Sergei, he adds, “I have a cabin there.”
“Another safe house?” Sergei raises an eyebrow. “May I make a suggestion?”
Mischa grunts. “I doubt I can refuse.”
“I suggest we regroup at my property. It’s close. It’s familiar, and I can supply more comfort to your guests than some shack in the woods.”
“Fine,” Mischa grates through clenched teeth. “We can go now. Gather your men. Lead the way.”
“As you wish.” Sergei exits the house, but paces down the front path, he calls back, “There is one thing we need to discuss, however…”
“Oh?” Mischa’s eyes narrow, eternally suspicious, and I’m close enough to catch that. “And what is that?”
“Where is Ivan?”
