by Kenya Wright
What strategy is this? Do you think you can get me alone to convince me to let you go?
Curious, I led her a few feet from the guards and the bathroom. At that moment, Natalie opened her door up and almost bumped into me with Benji still on her right hip. “Oh wow. Sorry.”
“No. I apologize.”
“It’s all good.” Natalie looked at me and then Emily. “How did those tests work out for you?”
“Uh. They were fine.” Emily shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“Hmm.” Natalie nodded. “Okay.”
“I was just wondering, if I could talk to him privately.” Emily gave her a weak smile. “I’m sorry. This is your apartment and—”
“Oh no. Go ahead and use my room.”
I eyed Emily.
Emily walked inside. “Thanks so much. We won’t be long.”
“Girl, take all the time you need.” Natalie sighed. “You both have a lot to talk about.”
It was in that moment, where I realized Natalie still thought I’d gotten Emily pregnant. Natalie and the baby left, before I could throw in an explanation.
Whatever. It’s better than her thinking I’ve kidnapped Emily.
I followed the Mouse into the bedroom. “What did you want to talk about?”
She paced back and forth. “What’s your plan after this is over?”
“Oh. You want to have a brainstorming session with me?”
She stopped and stared. “You’re going to try and kill Kazimir.”
“Why would I tell you my thoughts?” I asked.
“I had a few days of peace with Kazimir. I want that to continue.”
“I agree. There’s nothing more that I want, than to reunite with Eden, and spend lazy days with her.” I placed my hands in my pocket. “But a smart man would say that Kazimir is now motivated to retaliate. What are your thoughts?”
The Mouse returned to pacing. “It doesn’t have to be this way. It was kind of a misunderstanding. There doesn’t have to be war.”
“I was thinking that would be an acceptable excuse too, but when Kazimir started shooting the rocket launcher, I figured I’d taken it too far.”
She rubbed her face. “This is going to get ugly.”
“As war gets.”
She mumbled something under her breath.
“Why did you want to talk?” I asked.
She shook her head and walked around the room, taking in the things on the wall. Natalie must’ve had an obsession for ballet.
Ballerinas covered almost every inch of the space—posters and dolls. Ceramic figurines and tons of books on the craft.
Emily stared at the massive poster over Natalie’s bed and frowned.
I looked at the poster. It was Kazimir’s ex-girlfriend, Olesya—the ballerina. On a highly decorated stage, she balanced on her toes. A man in tights held her waist.
What was interesting, was that Natalie, had tapped a picture of a crown, on top of the head of the one lonesome black ballerina far off on the side of the stage. That ballerina had smiled with her back arched, and hands high above her hands.
Emily walked over to the other side of the room and stared at Natalie’s bookshelf.
A porcelain black ballerina covered the dresser. On the other bookshelf was a collection of worn out ballerina shoes with dates written in marker on the bottoms.
The Mouse studied the ballet shoes. “Sometimes I wish life was this simple.”
“Like Natalie’s life?”
“Maybe.”
“I’m sure Natalie has had some hardships.” I gestured to the mountain of diapers in the corner and the basket full of scattered toys.
The Mouse looked in that area. Her hands shook. “Good point.”
“We all must deal with shit.”
She stared at me. “And now, Kazimir will be your shit.”
“He will, but why do you care? You’ve been around him. I’m sure you’re confident in the Lion.”
“A smart person doesn’t go to war, unless they’re confident that they’ll win.”
“You don’t think Kazimir is guaranteed to win against me?”
“I think that it’s not smart to go to war at all.” She placed her hands on her hips. “And I’ve been watching you.”
I gave her a weary smile. “Many do, but where is this going?”
“We exchange the women, safely,” she said, as if she wasn’t one of the women. As if she was going to help coordinate the plan. “But how does everyone get out without the other side killing each other?”
“You don’t think a pinky promise will work?”
She blinked. “Are you always this sarcastic?”
“When I haven’t slept and have gone through the roughest fears in my life…yes.”
“You can’t just meet Kazimir at the location.” She sighed. “Let me go to him on my own, and I can get Eden safely back to you, while making sure that no one has to look over their shoulder.”
I frowned.
“Okay. This sounds crazy, but you have to trust me. I can talk to Kazimir. If I am with him, Eden will go back—”
“I don’t trust people, I don’t know. Why would I trust you?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Jean-Pierre, there will be a moment today, where you’ll need to trust me. If I get to Kazimir before you, then I can make sure that you all get out safely. I just want that same promise for Kazimir and me, when we leave Paris.”
“You won’t get to Kazimir before I do.”
“If I do?”
“Then, I would be impressed—”
“And you would let me and Kazimir leave France safely?”
I couldn’t believe I was even considering the conversation. I wouldn’t let her go until the exchange. Still, I went with it. “Kazimir would have to behave the whole way to the airport. No more of my men killed.”
“I can do that.”
I quirked my eyebrows. “Can you?”
How much power do you have over the Lion?
As if she heard me, she whispered, “I have my limits.”
This could be helpful.
I continued, “This is an interesting topic, but you won’t talk to him before I do. Perhaps, we should discuss what you would do once we exchange.”
“I can’t make promises if I don’t know what Kazimir has in mind.”
And I’m sure Kazimir has something in mind.
Louis and Emily had been stressed about the exchange. Rafael had brought it up too. No time had I thought about the consequences. And even now as everyone worried, I just wanted Eden back in my arms. It didn’t matter if there would be a war after that. I just wanted to hold her again and know that she was okay.
If I had the fight the Lion, the Dragon, or any other criminal with a supped-up animal name, then I would.
Emily studied me.
What went on in this little woman’s head? How had she grabbed the Lion’s attention?
I glanced back at the ballerina on the poster. Had I kidnapped that ballerina Olesya, I doubt Kazimir would’ve gone to so much trouble.
The Mouse tapped her thigh with one hand. “We… we could be friends, Jean-Pierre.”
“And what does a friendship involve?”
“Lots and lots of trust.”
“I’m not letting you go, Mouse.”
“But if I go—”
“You won’t.” I snorted.
“If I do, give me time to stop this.”
“Stop what?”
“A war between us.”
“I haven’t even thought beyond that.”
Strain hit her voice. “That’s the problem.”
She sounded as bad as Louis.
“Okay.” I still didn’t understand where she was going with this, or how it could ever be a friendship between us. “If you go to him first, then I’ll give you time.”
“Let us leave Paris?”
“Oh yes. Kazimir and you leaving Paris would be fine with me.”
She returned
to pacing. “And no war?”
“Not on my side, if Eden is back to me unharmed.”
She eyed me. “Define unharmed.”
“Not injured.”
“Kazimir wouldn’t hurt her. If others did, then that’s your problem with them. Not ours.”
“Fair.”
“Okay.” Emily walked over and held her hand out to me. “We exchange with a few hiccups, but we don’t stress about those hiccups.”
I quirked my eyebrows. “What am I shaking to?”
“Our friendship and no war.”
War had been coming close to erupting between me and Kazimir for years. I had helped his biggest enemy try to kill him. While Kazimir didn’t know, he might find out.
But I’d done the worst to him now. I’d taken the love of his life. Some would say I had my reasons. Kazimir wouldn’t.
And if she’s pregnant with his child… well… I would need her friendship.
The Mouse kept her hand out. “Jean-Pierre, to friendship?”
I shook her hand, not thinking that it could hurt.
Our hands connected.
She gently pulled me in for a hug.
Before I could respond, she kneed me in the crotch.
What the fuck?
Shocked, I doubled over.
Goddamn it.
Again, she used my leaning against me by pulling me into the bookshelf of ballerina figurines and shoes.
Fuck!
Pain exploded, still I reached out to grab her. “Get back over here!”
“I can’t.” She slammed my head against the shelf. It crashed on top of me. Ballet shoes fell around. My vision blurred. Agonizing shards shattered in my head.
I felt her take my gun. Heard her footsteps rush away.
She’s really becoming a pain in the fucking ass.
Blinking out through the dizziness, I reached up and shoved the shelf away. More shoes fell on me.
Shots came next from the hallway.
“Goddamn it!” I pushed everything away. “Get her!”
My men must’ve come in.
More shots.
A slam.
“What the fuck?!” Rafael yelled out from somewhere in the apartment.
More rumble.
I finished wrestling with the shelf, jumped up, stumbled forward, and hurried out into the hallway, stepping over one of my men lying dead on the floor.
That’s three of my men, Mouse, that you’ve killed. And you want friendship?
The rest of my men had run out of the apartment.
The front door swung back and forth.
Rafael rushed off the balcony with Gwen. He had a plate of food in his hands. “What just happened?”
“Where’s Louis?” I grabbed for my gun and realized Emily had it. “Fuck!”
Gwen widened her eyes. “Louis walked Natalie downstairs. Are my sister and Benji going to be okay?”
“Fuck!” I rushed out there. “Yes. They will be.”
Gunshots came from the stairwell. She was shooting up at my men and getting away.
Like Lion. Like Mouse.
Rafael and I ran to the hallway. People were all in the staircase. Some screamed. It was probably residents of the building.
My men yelled.
One cried, “Up here!”
Another yelled, “No, down here!”
Movement came from both sides.
Rafael looked at me. “Which way should we go?”
I leaned my head to the side of the railing and looked up. “It wouldn’t make sense for her to go up, but. . .who fucking knows today. Shit. I can’t believe I let her get so close.”
“Exactly. She’s been whipping your ass all day; you would think that you would have handcuffed her by now.” Rafael headed up. “Louis should be signaled right now. He’ll be down that way. We should run up just in case.”
We did.
The movement we’d heard above us, went silent. It could’ve been her, or someone else could have left the stair well. Silently, we moved up. Each time we made it to the floor, I slowly opened the door and checked the hallway.
Fuck.
If I didn’t find her, then I couldn’t do the exchange. This was the last thing I needed. Our conversation ran in my head as I raced around.
My phone buzzed.
Rafael and I checked the building’s roof.
I pulled it out and answered. “Yes?”
Kazimir’s voice came on the line. “I’m texting you the address. Bring Emily in ten minutes.”
“Okay. I will.” I hung up.
Rafael looked at me. “Who was that?”
“Kazimir. He said he was texting the address.”
Rafael held his hands out. “And?”
I headed off. “And we’re going to get Eden.”
He stopped me by grabbing my shoulder. “How the fuck are we going to do an exchange, without something to exchange?”
I rubbed my face with both hands. “We’ll be creative.”
“How?”
“Gwen could maybe pretend to be—”
“Fuck that. We’re not involving Gwen. Really? That’s how you want to play this? Let’s get the first black woman we know to stand in.” His voice rose. “I thought I would never say this, but finally you’re taking this too fucking far.”
“What do you want me to do?!” The last word cracked. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. “What do you want from me? If anybody took you, I would do the same. If they took Giorgio or Louis, I wouldn’t be reasonable. I would go hard. I would bully presidents, until you were back to me. I would crush buildings. Every resource. Every movement. Every ounce of energy, would be put to get you back.”
I opened my eyes and stared back at him.
“Okay.” Rafael frowned. “I just don’t want any more women to die this week.”
“Me either.” Slowly, I left the wall and hugged him.
He tried to get out of it. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry about Shalimar.” I held him longer and then let him go.
“Okay. Okay. Get off me. Let’s do some more stupid shit today.”
“Yes. Let’s talk to Gwen.”
Once Kazimir gave me the address, I sent out a message to all my men.
My phone rang again.
I picked up. “Yes?”
Louis spoked, “I have your message, but we have a problem.”
“What?”
“The three main warehouses that hold are guns in Paris.”
“Yes?”
“They’re full of lions.”
Of course they are.
“People are trying to kill the lion, but they can’t even get inside without one of them coming for our men. What do you want them to do?”
“Figure it out.” I hung up and looked at Rafael. “We found the lions.”
“Where?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Kazimir had proven to be more than his bully reputation. He was smart and resourceful. His mouse had showed the same thing. She’d found ways to get close and get away.
But did our conversation still matter.
The Mouse had held her hand out. “We exchange with a few hiccups, but we don’t stress about those hiccups.”
I quirked my eyebrows. “What am I shaking to?”
“Our friendship, and no war.”
“Hiccups? This is more than a hiccup, Mouse.” A dark chuckle came from me, as I stormed off to the elevator. “To friendship my ass!”
Rafael shook his head. “You’re finally losing your mind.”
“Clearly, you haven’t been paying attention. I haven’t had my mind in a long fucking time.”
Chapter 23
Fi-na-fucking-ly!
Rafael
Well, there goes any chance with Gwen.
Not that I was in any mood, to be with any women anymore. I’d made a sad attempt at talking to her while she tried to get me to eat, but Shalimar’s dead body, continued to play in
my mind.
And even worse, now Jean-Pierre had told her everything—the kidnappings and the possible war. He told her that we could protect her.
Lies. Can we protect anyone anymore?
Eden had been taken right under our eyes. Shalimar had been tortured and killed. Emily escaped.
Yet, she sat there, in her small living room, listening to Jean-Pierre but looking at me. There was a sadness in her gaze. Like she wanted to hold me. Like she wanted to wipe the tears, I wouldn’t let fall.
Jean-Pierre had always been persuasive with his words, especially when he was at his most desperate. He painted her a picture of future fortune and complete protection to her family. He declared, that the task would be simple, but have possible threat.
That part he didn’t sugarcoat.
He placed a high price tag on it. When Jean-Pierre ended, she looked at me for several silent seconds, nodded her head, and agreed to Jean-Pierre’s plan. Deep inside, I knew some of the reason she did it was for me. It might’ve been crazy to think so, but something whispered that in my head.
Why would she do it for me? She barely knows me, although she’s been in my restaurant for a few months, helped it make it what it is. But why?
Did I look that much of an injured animal? Or did she really believe all the things that Jean-Pierre had told her?
We headed to the car as guards still searched the building for the Mouse.
Gwen walked ahead with Louis. He’d agreed to stay close to her the whole time, take a bullet if he needed. I’d volunteered for that part too, but everyone had stared at me, as if I was unstable.
I walked on Jean-Pierre’s side.
He watched Gwen be guided into the limo. A strained expression covered his face.
I stopped him. “Are we really doing this?”
Jean-Pierre turned to me. “The plan is simple.”
“Also insane and impossible. Gwen can’t pose as the Lion’s mouse. He’ll know the difference.”
“Of course he will, but Eden will be there. Just give me time to grab her, before Kazimir figures it out.”
I glared at my cousin. “Kazimir is not letting go of Eden, until he has confirmation it’s Emily.”
“I don’t need him to let Eden go. I just need to see her, have her in the same vicinity as me. It’s a simple plan.”
“Fair point. Insane. Idiotic. Suicidal. But fair point. What could go wrong?”
“Everything.” Jean-Pierre walked off.