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I made it a rule to never jump off the cliff unless I knew where I would land. I had no idea what the ramifications of injuring a Russian prince would be. We could probably stop Konstantin between the three of us, but I wasn’t sure we could handle the consequences.
“Hypothetically, if I shot him, who would know?” Leon asked. “I could shoot him, hide the body, I know a place, and nobody could prove anything.”
The prince leaned to the side to get a better look at Leon. “We wouldn’t need to prove anything. We would only need to suspect.”
Linus was still unconscious. We didn’t have time for this.
I stood up.
The prince gave me a dazzling smile. “There you are, Ms. Baylor. Images don’t do you justice.”
“The Office of the Warden greets Your Highness. You are trespassing. Please leave this house.”
“We have things to discuss.”
“This isn’t a good time.”
“I’m afraid the matter is urgent,” Konstantin said. “I’ve been watching this house for the past three hours just to talk to you.”
I had no idea if anything coming out of his mouth could be trusted. He could’ve been involved in the hit on Linus, or he could have nothing to do with anything. Nothing mattered right now except getting Linus out of here.
“You know who I am, so you know where to find me. Right now, you’re interfering with my official duties. Leave immediately, or I will lodge a formal complaint with the Russian Embassy. I will be loud and public about it.”
“That would be . . . unfortunate.” Konstantin smiled again. “As I’ve said, I’m here to help.”
“The Office of the Warden thanks the Russian Imperium for its generous offer of assistance. At this time, we have to regretfully decline. Please leave.”
Konstantin sighed. “In that case, I have no choice but to respect your wishes. However, we do need to chat. Am I to understand that you wish to have this discussion at your place of business?”
Why did that sound like a threat? I needed to say something neutral that didn’t obligate me to anything.
“House Baylor welcomes clients during normal business hours. If you choose to visit us, we will be delighted to extend our hospitality.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Alessandro took a step forward. His voice promised violence. “Leave.”
Konstantin sighed and took a step back. “As you wish. I did my best. I hope neither of us has any regrets.”
He turned and walked up the stairs. Alessandro followed him.
“What the hell?” Leon muttered.
“I have no idea.”
Moments passed, dragging on.
Alessandro returned, picked up Linus like he weighed nothing, and slung him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. “Let’s go.”
Leon took point. Alessandro followed, and I brought up the rear. In seconds, we crossed the house and moved to the garage. Four armored vehicles waited on the concrete floor. I pulled the keys to a Duncan Arms Stormer off the key rack and started the engine with the remote. The huge white SUV roared in response. Of all the custom vehicles Linus owned, this was the best armored. It could withstand a mine detonation and a full blast from one of Linus’ turrets for ten seconds. Only his exosuits provided more protection.
I got behind the wheel. Alessandro loaded Linus into the backseat.
“Do you want me to ride with you or to follow?” Leon asked.
“Follow,” Alessandro said. “We may need a second vehicle.”
The only reason we’d need a second vehicle was if the Stormer were disabled.
Leon opened the garage door and jogged to his Shelby Cobra. Alessandro climbed into the passenger seat. Orange magic sparked, and a Duncan Arms rifle appeared in his hands.
I guided the massive vehicle around the driveway to the gates. We turned right on the one-way street, following Leon, made a U-turn, crawled over the first speed bump, and headed out of the subdivision.
“Sasha?” I asked.
He swore in Italian, too fast for me to follow.
“Who is he really?”
“Exactly who he says he is. The second son of Grand Duke Leonid Berezin, who is the younger brother of Emperor Mikhail II.”
“Alessandro, you are not giving me a lot to work with.”
He glanced at me, his eyes dark. “He has two brothers. His older brother is earnest, uncomplicated, the perfect heir of a Grand Duke, not too bright, not too dumb. His younger brother is a brawler, subtle like a bull on meth. Konstantin is a hedonist, who drinks, womanizes, and parties. You see what they want you to see. These are the roles they have been assigned. It’s not who they are. They are not men. They are wolves in human skin who guard the Russian throne. His presence here means the highest level of the Imperium is involved. He has a mission, and he will kill whoever interferes with it.”
“Can he kill us if we interfere?”
“One-on-one, I can take him. It would be a hard fight. But it wouldn’t be one-on-one. The Imperium would never send him here alone. He wasn’t lying. He might just be the Emperor’s favorite nephew.”
