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“That won’t be a problem. We’ve got a code to give you. He’ll know you’re with us,” I said.
“Please tell me it’s something ridiculous like ‘mayonnaise,’” Sephie said, laughing.
Andrei laughed. “It’s not, but I’m going to keep that one in mind for the future.”
“Right? How awesome would it be to break down the door and just yell the name of a random condiment? Mayonnaise! Oh, thank God, they’re here to save me,” she said, laughing more now.
Right on time. Everyone in the room started to laugh and we all forgot for a few minutes that we were planning a dangerous operation with the potential of not everyone making it back. Armando’s men looked surprised at Sephie’s random thoughts, but they appreciated the laugh as much as the rest of us. I caught her eye, her wide smile making my heart jump in my chest. I was just about to motion for her to come to me, when she got up and walked toward me. I pushed my chair back and opened my arms for her. She settled in on my lap and held her arms across my arms that were wrapped around her.
Ivan’s phone rang. He left the office to take the call, leaving us to wait for news. When he walked back in, I could tell by the look on his face that he did not have good news.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Sephie
“Oh, that’s a bad look,” I said, as Ivan walked back into the office. I knew Adrik knew what that look meant too, as I felt him tense when he saw Ivan’s face.
“We’ve got a bigger problem, Boss,” Ivan said, walking back to the couch. “That was one of the guys in Vito’s part of the city. He said they’re trying to start a riot, but it’s not a normal mob. He said he’s seen people on brawn before and he’s sure everyone that’s out is on it, from what he can tell. The police are responding, but he said they keep getting pushed back.”
Adrik started to run his hand up and down my back, like he always did when he was trying to keep himself calm. Armando looked to Adrik, asking, “Why Vito’s part of the city, though? I thought Vito was with Sal?”
“It doesn’t make sense. Maybe something happened, or maybe this is just part of his larger plan. It means we need to get Andy as quickly as possible to figure out what they’re planning. Trino said Anthony and Lorenzo were starting to get restless in Colombia, maybe they’re planning on returning and this is the distraction they need to come back,” Adrik said.
“Well, unless they’ve changed this formula again and we don’t know about it, the mob will pass out in under an hour. They just need to wait them out,” I said.
This time, Viktor’s cell phone rang. He walked out of the office to take the call. I looked to Misha, who was clearly running through scenarios in his head. He would get a faraway look in his eyes anytime he was thinking about possible outcomes. I waited to see if he would finish or if Viktor would walk back into the office first.
Viktor won that round. He walked in, saying, “We have Andy’s location. He’s got at least seven guys watching him at various points. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s doable.” He looked to Mike. “We can provide backup as long as we stay out of sight. I know for sure there are at least three guys that Stephen can take out without them seeing anything.”
The mood turned very serious as they planned out Andy’s extraction. They decided to take him to a safe house well outside the city first, in the event they were followed. They would get all of the information from him there.
Because Ivan still only had the use of one arm, he was going to stay behind. Andrei was mostly functional again, but still not 100 percent, which meant he also had to stay behind. Misha, Viktor, and Stephen would go with Mike, Chris, and Keith to get Andy.
I caught Misha as they had finished their planning session. “You’re sure this is still a good idea?” I asked, trying not to worry.
His wide smile crept across his boyishly handsome face. He just pulled me to him, kissing the top of my head. “It’s still a good idea, gazelle. We’ll be fine. As it stands now. The faster we get to Andy, the better, I think.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, sighing. “I don’t disagree. I just want you guys to be careful.”
“Always,” he said, squeezing me to him. He picked me up, spun me around once, then set me back down. “Otherwise, who would be here to constantly annoy you the way I do?” He didn’t even give me a chance to answer. He quickly added, “Nobody, that’s who.”
“Boring,” I said, dramatically.
They got organized, went over the plan once more, then headed toward the elevator. I felt Ivan’s giant arm around my shoulders on one side and Andrei’s sizeable frame appear on the other side. “Don’t worry, princess. We’ve done this more than once. Same for Mando’s guys. They’ve all got experience, which is why Viktor gave them the okay,” Ivan said.
I sighed. “I know. I can’t help but worry a little bit.” I thought for a minute. “How long is this gonna take? Are you guys hungry? Do you want to come upstairs and help me make dinner for when they get back? Cooking helps prevent me from worrying about everything that could go wrong.”
They both looked at each other, over the top of my head and said in unison, “Yep.”
I laughed. I walked back to the office where Adrik and Armando were still talking. I walked to Adrik, who simply opened his arms for me while he finished his sentence. I sat in his lap once again, waiting for them to finish their conversation before I told him my plan. He kept talking, running his hand up and down my back lightly.
Once they were finished, I looked at both of them. “I’m going upstairs to cook. I’m hungry, so I’m sure everyone else is also hungry and I think the guys will be extra hungry when they get back.” I looked to Armando, “You and Giana are welcome to come up and join us. I can make enough to feed this army.”
“I’ll check with Giana. She was admittedly tired after staying up so late last night and traveling today. She might be asleep by now, for all I know,” Armando said.
“No pressure. She probably has a hangover, huh?” I asked.
He smiled and nodded his head. “She did get quite drunk last night after you guys left.” He looked somewhat embarrassed at the admission.
