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I shook my head. “I’m not hustling you.”
Stephen whistled through his teeth. “So fun to see the boss fallen like this. Thank you for finally putting him out of his misery.”
Tito threw up his hands. “Are we going to play or are we going to talk?”
He has a good hand. That’s why he’s anxious.I didn’t know how I knew it, but I did. I wasn’t good with people, but I was aware of him. He had a tell. He shook his leg, and he pushed because he wanted to win. I smiled. It was nice to know something for a change—but I was sure if I knew it, then Michael certainly did, too.
He leaned over and kissed my cheek and I mock elbowed him. “Don’t think you’re going to see my cards because you’re being affectionate. I’m onto you.”
Everyone laughed.
Playing with them turned out to be ridiculously fun, even knowing what we did right before everyone else arrived. I could still feel the slight stickiness between my legs, and when Michael occasionally squeezed my knee, I was fully aware that he remembered it, too.
In the end, I won. Everyone won a bit but, yes, I won the most. Surprisingly, Michael seemed incredibly proud every time I won. Each time I took a hand, he’d grin at me.
It was right at the conclusion of the game—sometime around midnight—that Michael’s phone dinged. He stared down at it, his expression sobering.
“Looks like it’s tomorrow, boys.” He leaned back in his chair. “I assume everything is in place?”
I stared between them, trying to read their expressions. The game helped me get to know them better, so I considered how they played. Stephen never bluffed. If he didn’t have the cards, he didn’t have them. Tito shook his leg and plowed forward when he got a winning hand. And Roy did most things with a grin, but he could fake that when he wanted. Michael? He seemed to have them all trained to believe that if he acted like he was winning, they should believe him. What was more, he never showed his cards unless you went all the way to the end with him. If everyone folded, we never saw his cards.
Right then, Tito’s leg shook.Something big is happening.
Roy sat back in his chair, but he wasn’t smiling. “Who is where?”
“Someone want to fill me in?” I looked between them, but it was Michael who shifted in his chair to answer me.
“This isn’t the only home I own in the area. In fact, this isn’t where my mail is sent, even though I took many steps to keep it hidden. The other home is my main house. Most of the time, it sits empty, but I let it slip to the Russians’ that we were in that house. They don’t know where you are, but they intend to move. They’re going to go to that other house to try to kill you. First thing tomorrow, I would guess.” He shrugged. “So this will all finally be coming to an end.”
I tried to digest it, and I remembered my almost marriage to Konstantin. Would he come personally to collect me, I wondered. “How are you going to convince them I’m there?”
“We have a female operative who works with us sometimes.” At my lifted brow, he shook his head. “No, not Sylvie. I told you, she’s a competitor not a colleague.”
Tito grinned. “A competitor? Is that what you call it?”
Roy and Stephen both shot him a look, and he quit grinning. I chose not to look at Michael right then. If his friends were glaring, I didn’t want to see his expression.
“She’s going to wear a red wig, and I’ll be there. They’ll be pretty convinced.”
My mind whirled.Hold on second.“You’re going to be there? So they can shoot you again?”
“No, so I can shoot them. No one is shooting me again. Besides, Roy will be with me. Stephen and Tito will stay here with you.”
They all three nodded, as though they figured as much.
I wanted to scream at him. Why did he have to be the one to go? Then again, I didn’t want anyone to go.Not one of them. No one, not even people I don’t know.But I knew that mercy wouldn’t solve the Russian problem I faced. I blew out a frustrated breath. I even understood how selfish it was of me to think specifically Michael shouldn’t be in danger.
I rose. “Will you excuse me, please? This was so fun, you guys, thank you.”
I walked into the bedroom where I still hadn’t slept, and I locked the door. My hair had held up pretty well, despite rain and sex. My reflection serenely stared back at me, and I still appeared pretty put together.
Nice, especially since I’m about to fall apart on the inside in a major way.
A shower seemed like the best idea, and when I stepped under the hot water a few minutes later, I knew that was the right call. I’d walked around with Michael inside of me all night. He’d have to deal with me getting clean now.
A second later, the shower door opened, and he stepped inside under the water with me. He was undressed and pressed against my nakedness, while the water streamed around us, creating a cocoon. I’d never shared such a sensual moment, and I sighed into him. “I locked the door,” I told him.
“Locks aren’t great at keeping me out of where I want to be, especially when you’re in here. That’s where I need to be.” He nuzzled against me, wrapping me in his arms.
