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Taylor swallows. “Right. Well, I just wanted to say…thank you. For coming back.” Then she pushes herself up on her tiptoes, kisses my cheek softly, and retreats into her bedroom. “Goodnight, Ilarion.”
“Goodnight,tigrionok.”
The door swings shut. The lock clicks closed.
I look down at my erection. “Fuck,” I mutter. But there’s no fixingthisright now, so I head downstairs in search of Dima and Mila.
I find them out on the porch, next to the pool. They’re both fully dressed and soaking wet. Mila shrugs when she catches my judgmental look. “He pushed me in, so I took him down with me.”
Dima shoots me a mischievous smile. “I needed to let off some steam after that shitshow of a meeting.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t you usually do that by fucking the first unfortunate woman you lay eyes on?”
The moment I say it, Mila stiffens visibly. It’s not the first time Dima and I have made comments like that, but it’s the first time she seems to notice.
“You okay?” he asks her. “Cold?”
“No,” Mila says quickly. “No, just… Yes, actually. I am cold.”
“I’d offer you my clothes, but I’m all wet, too,” he says, winking at her.
She rolls her eyes. The annoyed expression she wears is quite convincing. But I can see through it now. I learned to read the signs a long time ago.
After it was too late.
The two of them sit up as I take one of the pool chairs facing them. “Did you fill her in?” I ask Dima.
“Yup. Right down to the stupid suit that prick was wearing,” he grumbles.
“I hate to say I told you so,” Mila says, glaring between the two of us. “But…I told you so.”
“Did you say you hate to say it?” Dima asks. “Because I didn’t quite get that.”
She ignores him and turns to me. “You know Benedict,” she points out. “Why on earth would you choose to trust themudak?”
“It wasn’t about trusting him. It was about upholding my own reputation.”
“So basically, the meeting tonight was completely pointless?” she asks, folding her arms like our mother used to do. Not that I’m about to tell her that. She’d probably rather I spit in her face.
“Oh, no. I wouldn’t say that.”
Dima and Mila exchange a glance. “What do you mean?” he asks.
“Remember when I grabbed for his gun?”
Dima raises his brow. “To save yourself from getting shot? Again?”
I scoff. “Fuck no. I needed an excuse…” I say, pulling out a tiny black tracker out of my pocket. “To plant one of these on him.”
Dima’s eyes pop as he looks at the small device I’m holding up. “No fucking way. I can’t—You didn’t—Did you actually?”
“Of course,” I scoff. “Why else would I throw myself at a gun? Now, we have a location, and I’m willing to bet it’s the same place that he’s holding Archie.”
Mila gives me an impressed smile. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”
“You should be.” I gently nudge her with my elbow. “He’s not going to suspect this one, which is exactly why I want the two of you to gather up a team and strike while the lead is still hot.”
“The…two of us?” Dima repeats, glancing at Mila. “I’m pretty bad at math, but I’m pretty sure you plus me plus Mila makes three. Is there something I don’t know?”
