Dirty Obsessions: An Interracial Russian Mafia Romance (The Lion and The Mouse Book 5.5)

by Kenya Wright

  “Not if it works.”

  Maxwell jumped in. “That shit did work, man. Now you just have to make sure Leonid never gets in contact with the Xecutioners.”

  “Which is why I have them going underground.” I glanced back out the window.

  “With Ava?” Naveen asked.

  “No, I’m not that foolish. My men will take them to the old bunker I used when I first came to St Petersburg.”

  Naveen took a large gulp from his glass and wiped his mouth. “At least, you’ve got the whole place monitored.”

  “If they get any phone call from Leonid, my team blocks and tracks the location.”

  Wiping away the blood drops on his face, Maxwell took out a joint, lit it, and inhaled. “So, you get Leonid’s location and help from the Xecutioners if you need it.”

  Naveen leaned back in his chair and took another sip.

  I smiled at him. “Admit it.”

  He frowned. “I won’t.”

  “This shit may work.”

  Naveen shook his head. “You are the most suicidal Russian I have ever met. I should have stayed in Paris.”

  I grinned at him. “The Xecutioners are now my unicorn.”

  Maxwell handed me the joint. “We just have to make sure they don’t stab you with their horn.”

  I grabbed the joint. “Until then, let’s go to Paris and get the nukes from the pansies. We’re cleaning each problem up one at a time.”

  Maxwell winked. “And since we’re going to Paris, we must hit up a few strip clubs.”

  I checked my watch. “We should be able to fit one in, before getting the nukes from the Pansies and killing the Devil.”

  “Let’s just hope it will all be that easy,” Naveen muttered and finished his drink.

  “It will be. One by one, my problems will be done.” I gave the joint back to Maxwell, pulled out my phone, and dialed the number. “And now for the most important problem of all.

  Maxwell took a hit from his joint and blew out smoke. “What’s that?”

  Valentina answered after the second ring. “You still haven’t met with my brother.”

  I grinned. “I’m heading to the airport right now.”

  She let out a long breath. “Finally.”

  I quirked my brows. “I’m surprised at your relief.”

  “Why?”

  “Who would want a mosquito to protect a lion?”

  “You’re a special type of mosquito—one that a lion needs.”

  I didn’t know if the marijuana had triggered the blissful feelings to come over me or perhaps it was Valentina’s words. For once, she admitted I was just as powerful as her brother. I smiled, not realizing that her opinion of me had truly mattered.

  “Misha?”

  “Sorry. I was just gloating.” I cleared my throat. “I won’t be in Paris for too long. I’ll be back in St Petersburg in two days. As soon as I return, I will let you know.”

  “I. . .” Worry coated her voice. “Never mind.”

  “What?”

  “Since Uncle Igor’s death, I believe many are plotting Kazimir’s demise. People are uniting against him. I can’t prove it, but I feel this deep in my bones.”

  Still holding the phone to my ear, I glanced out the window. “The Lion has held the top position for so long and he’s done it with brute strength. It makes sense that his enemies would see him as weak now.”

  “You need to be by his side. Together, no one would go after us.”

  “I understand.”

  “Do you? Because you’ve left him alone for so long.”

  “I won’t leave Kazimir alone anymore. I’ve just had a lot to deal with here.”

  “People have been following me, Misha. They’re seeing me as a way to get to my brother.”

  I growled. “Who has been following you?”

  She spat the words out. “Solntsevskaya. My mother’s people. They must be trying to take over. So far, my men have killed them, but I may need your help.”

  Solntsevskaya Bratva? They’re not after you because of Kazimir. They’re working for Leonid. How did he know that Valentina mattered to me? Or was he just guessing?

  “Valentina, listen to me.” I gripped the phone hard. “Natalya and you must go straight to my condo with all your men. I’ll have more around you. Next, we’ll get you both to the castle in Prague.”

  “Why?”

  “My enemy is using the Solntsevskaya to fish me out.”

  “Why would your enemy come for me?”

  “They may know about my connection to Natalya or they’re just hoping I would care if you’re bothered. Either way, do as I say. I’m about to call my team now.”

  “Do you think this is necessary?”

  “I can’t let anything happen to my daughter or her mother.”

  Valentina groaned. “Please stop saying it that way.”

  I grinned. “It’s the truth. You’re the mother of my child.”

  Annoyance covered her words. “Stop reminding me.”

  “Regardless, pack Natalya’s and your things. I need to keep you safe until this is over.”

  “Fine.” She hung up.

  I turned off my phone.

  Maxwell handed me the joint back. “How is that vile woman doing today?”

  “Valentina is as bright and poetic as a flower.” I took the joint. “Leonid has his people following her.”

  Naveen shook his head. “I never thought he would go after Kazimir’s sister. That’s suicidal.”

  Maxwell spoke, “Once we killed his brother, I bet Leonid stopped caring about his moves. He’s erratic now, trying to end this fast.”

  “Ending this fast may be the only thing that Leonid and I agree with.” I blew out smoke and gave the joint back to Maxwell. “I have Valentina and my daughter going to my condo.”

  Naveen held his hands out. “Am I going to ever get this joint? You two always keep me out of rotation.”

  Maxwell puffed and gave it to Naveen. “My bad. You’re so stuffy most of the time. I forget you smoke too.”

  “I’m only stuffy around Misha. Catch me when I’m around sensible people and I’m a whole lot of fun.” Naveen took the joint and looked at me. “Why not put Valentina underground with Ava?”

  “Shit.” Maxwell chuckled. “Putting a man’s baby mama with his current girlfriend is a crazy fucking thought.”

  Shrugging, Naveen handed the joint back to Maxwell. “They could be in their separate rooms and—”

  “It’s out of the question.” I shook my head. “Valentina is unpredictable.”

  Maxwell chimed in. “Shit. Valentina is so fucking crazy. She might harass Ava just because she is bored.”

  I pointed to Maxwell. “Exactly. This is why you’re my homey.”

  Maxwell puffed the joint, blew out smoke, and handed it to me. “Even worse, Valentina might try to fuck Ava. I wouldn’t rule that shit out either.”

  Naveen cracked the window open. “Valentina isn’t that bad.”

  Maxwell and I laughed.

  Naveen waved some of the smoke out. “She isn’t.”

  I glanced at Maxwell. “Naveen has had a crush on Valentina since we were kids. She used to call him, Her Little Stalker.”

  Naveen frowned. “That was a very long time ago.”

  “Hey,” Maxwell held out his hands. “It’s all good, man. Valentina is sexy as hell. I get it. But trust me when I say this. Avoid that pussy at all costs.”

  “Listen to him, Naveen.” I inhaled the joint and blew out. “It’s like she has the Darvaza gas crater in her pants.”

  Naveen frowned. “That’s unnecessary, Misha.”

  “What the fuck is that?” Maxwell asked.

  I handed Naveen the joint. “The Darvaza is a massive crater in Turkmenistan full of smoke and liquid fire. Many call it the Door to Hell.”

  Grimacing, Naveen took the joint from me. “Completely unnecessary, Misha.”

  Laughing loudly, Maxwell clapped. “Valentina’s pussy being th
e door to hell is funny though.”

  Chapter 25

  Misha

  La Chatte strip club provided an enchanting ambiance for gentlemen with packed bank accounts. It was one of the finest places in Paris. Here, if a man paid according to what he desired, plush entertainment and royal treatment were guaranteed. He received every lusty delight he craved and all the female attention that money could buy.

  The club’s name referred to a female cat. However, the French also used the word with a sexual meaning—similar to the English’s pussy.

  In La Chatte, a song blasted from the club’s speakers. French lyrics rode the booming rhythm. Strobe lights hung high on the ceiling and spun rainbows along the massive space.

  The clientele represented powerful and affluent men who would rather not be noticed. Therefore, the club didn’t have a huge mainstage for everyone’s viewing. Instead, there were small sections of private stages with poles and surrounding dividers for that section’s privacy. Each personal stage cost 2,000 euros, just to sit down. After that, one still had to pay for the women, cigars, food, and drinks. They had a coat check by the door, a cigar room off to the side, a sweet bar downstairs full of French candies, and a full-service restaurant at the top.

  VIP was located on the third level, consisting of thirty private rooms. Most of the rooms cost another 2,000 euros. Once the stripper agreed to go up with the man, further payment was discussed.

  Currently, Maxwell held a stack of euros in both hands in front of our private stage. Four topless dancers twisted and spun in front of him. I sat in the back of our section. Naveen was on my right. Anatoly lounged next to him with his hand in a cast. My doctor took care of it on the plane. Dima and other guards were on my left.

  Wearing a gold leather bikini and glass high heels, the waitress brought over our drinks. When she placed everything on the table, she leaned down to me. “Sir, are you sure you don’t want anything besides water?”

  I waved her away. “I’m sure.”

  “Yes!” Maxwell wiggled his hips to the music and glanced over his shoulder. “Yo, how do I tell them yes again?”

  Grinning, I yelled at him. “Oui.”

  “That’s right.” Maxwell tossed euros at the dancers. “Oui. Oui. Shake that ass. I’ve got bands for everyone. Bands for you. Bands for you.”

  “You speak American lingo.” I looked at Naveen. “What are bands?”

  Naveen drooled over the half-naked women on the stage. “Bands are slang for stacks of money.”

  “How?”

  “It refers to rubber bands wrapped around large stacks of money.”

  “And how do you know this?”

  Naveen smirked at me. “I may have spent a large amount of time in American strip clubs.”

  “And there you go. And some for you.” Maxwell slung tons of euros at the women. An inch of money covered the stage that they danced on.

  Sighing, I checked my watch and turned to Naveen. “Where is the Devil?”

  “He said he was on his way.”

  “That was hours ago. We’ve been here all night. Well. . .now morning.”

  “What? No.” Worry covered Naveen’s face. He checked his watch. “You’re right.”

  “Of course. I’m the only one not drinking and ready to get out of this place.”

  Naveen sighed. “I told you coming to the strip club was a bad idea.”

  “Maxwell needed a break. I’ve been dragging him through death and blood this whole time. Never once has he complained. I figured this would be a reward.”

  “Meanwhile, strip clubs are my weakness. I’m never on my game when naked women are around.” Naveen pulled out his phone and rose. “I’ll call the Devil and find out where he is.”

  “Do that.” I returned my view to Maxwell slinging euros at the stage. One of the women gestured for me to come to her. I shook my head. Although they were all good-looking women, none could stand next to Ava. My gorgeous ballerina not only exuded elegant beauty she was smart, talented, and independent. With Ava’s high quality, it would be impossible for another woman to capture my attention.

  Maxwell paused from the women, dug his hand into his pockets, and pulled out his phone. When he checked the screen, he looked over his shoulder. “Eh, Misha. I’ll be right back. This must be Em calling me.”

  “Early in the morning?” I raised my eyebrows and rose from my seat. “Are you sure it’s her?”

  “You and she are the only people who have this number.”

  I walked over to him. “But then why would she be calling so early?”

  “One never knows with Em, man.” Maxwell shrugged.

  Do the Lion and Mouse know about the nukes?

  I held my hand out. “Maybe you should wait to answer it until we’re done with the Devil.”

  “Yo, Em will be cool. In fact, she can keep the Lion at bay.”

  I nodded.

  “I’ll be back, man.” He stumbled off and yelled into the phone. “Shell-o! What does my Em need? Are you missing daddy?”

  Still standing, I checked the time. It was early in the morning. The sun would be rising soon if it hadn’t already.

  What would Kazimir’s lover want from Maxwell at this time?

  The women still danced on the stage even though no one was near it.

  I went back to my seat and thought of Ava. My favorite memory came to mind.

  In Ava’s underground rehearsal room, I stepped back and watched her. “Get back on your toes.”

  She panted. “I don’t want to dance anymore.”

  “But I do.” I grabbed her waist and gently turned her around. With her back to me, she held her hands onto the barre.

  I pressed against her back, pushing my cock against her ass and wishing I’d taken it out of my pants. I kept my grip on her waist, helping her remain on those toes and giving her my body to rest against.

  I watched her in the mirror. “Pull down the front of that leotard. I want to see your breasts.”

  Lust filled her eyes. “And if I refuse?”

  “You like to taunt me.”

  “I do.” Still on her toes and balancing against me, she yanked the top down. Her small breasts popped out. Her stiff nipples bobbed.

  Knocking me out of the memory, Naveen stomped back. His face was twisted in rage. His hand shook as he ran it through his hair. “We have a problem.”

  I looked up at him. “What?”

  “Instead of coming to meet us, the Devil went ahead and grabbed the codes on his own.”

  I stood. “What?”

  “So then. . .” Nervous, Naveen backed up. “I told him to bring the codes to me.”

  “His response.”

  “The Devil said he had a new buyer.”

  I bared my teeth. “The Dragon.”

  “He also took Jean-Pierre’s woman with him, explaining that he owed Jean-Pierre.”

  “Who cares about Eden? We’ll save her if we can. More importantly, the codes can’t get into the yakuza’s hands. The Dragon is pissed with me about working with the Xecutioners. He’s trying to start a war.”

  “There’s one good side to this.”

  I scowled. “There is no good side.”

  “At least, the Dragon would still need the other part of the codes to do any real harm. Once the Dragon understands that, he’ll realize he has more problems on his hand and the Lion’s attention.”

  “This trip was to not have Kazimir aware at all.” Rage rose in me. “We have to go after the Devil before he gets to Japan.”

  “The Devil cut off the tracker for himself—”

  “But he doesn’t know we have a tracker on the codes.”

  “One would think that he knew since we directed him to it.”

  I shook my head. “The Devil is a small fish playing in an ocean full of hungry sharks. Let’s track and eat him up before he triggers chaos. We’ll get Circuit to give us the locations for the codes, grab them, and kill the Devil—”

  “And what will we do wi
th Jean-Pierre’s woman?”

  “My father wanted her protected. Like I said before, save her if we can.”

  Nodding, Naveen sighed. “At least this can’t get any worse. Where’s Maxwell?”

  Maxwell returned. No longer did he stumble or wear a smile on his face. In fact, he had his gun by his side. He waved for the girls to get off the stage and leave. With so much rage on his face, the woman didn’t dispute or try to remain there. They wore worried faces as they hurried with picking up the money on the stage.

  I raised my eyebrows as he stomped my way. “What’s wrong?”

  “The Corsican took Em.”

  My body spun into a tornado of panic.

  They took Kazimir’s lover? May the world survive after this.

  I focused on breathing. “Tell me everything.”

  “The kidnapping is over this chick. Someone took her.” Maxwell showed me a picture on his phone. The woman looked familiar. “The main guy wants you to call him immediately. His name was John.”

  “John? Who the hell is that?” I took the phone and studied it. “Wait a minute. That’s Eden. You meant Jean. And this is Jean-Pierre’s violinist. She is the whole reason why my father and he were fighting.”

  “This dude wanted you on the phone and he didn’t sound like he was playing around at all.”

  I glared at Naveen. “The Devil takes Jean-Pierre’s girl and so Jean-Pierre kidnaps the Mouse.”

  “Damn.” Naveen raised his hands in the air. “The Devil triggered chaos. I’m so sorry, Misha. I. . .I thought he could do the job.”

  I shook my head and spoke the hard truth. “No. I fucked up by not handling this all myself.”

  “Yo.” Maxwell’s face held a deadly expression. Never had I seen him look like this. Usually, he wore a smile. “I don’t give a fuck about the Devil, the French, or even this John/Jean motherfucker. All I care about is getting Em back.”

  My phone vibrated.

  “Damn it.” I pulled it out. “I’m sure this is Kazimir.”

  To my surprise, it wasn’t someone calling. A strange number had texted me a picture. I pressed on the image. It downloaded. Horror hit me as I looked at the picture. “Fuck. What does God want from me?”

  “What?” Naveen walked over and looked at it. “We are triple-fucked.”