“This is all yours.” Kazimir slipped his finger along one of the wig boxes. “Now you can hide all you want.”
I studied his face.
He hit me with a heated gaze. “Just don’t disappear from me.”
“Never.”
It took me a few minutes to shower and get dressed. Checking my watch, I figured we’d be in Moscow soon.
I hope Max and X are okay.
X’s body was on the plane in the cargo area. Kaz had given Max the money to start the cremation process in Moscow. That was one of Max’s jobs. Apparently, the other was to figure out why the ballerina was killed.
Don’t think about her.
Although I didn’t think she should’ve been killed, I held a twinge of jealousy. It was irrational, but still I found that when dealing with my heart, I didn’t have as much control as usual.
When I finished dressing, I slid the cabin door open and walked down a long corridor of an empty car. I glanced out of the long windows. An interesting terrain greeted my eyes. Rugged mountains had given way to lush green hilltops crowded with tiny homes. They looked like tiny villages scattered along many hills, and the further the train sped along, some of the hills gave way to farmland—crops I’d never seen in its natural state.
“The train will get us there tomorrow.” Kaz pulled me into an embrace. “We’ll pass Poland, Belarus, and then end in Russia.”
“Moscow.”
He ran his fingers through my hair. “And then we’ll be busy, so enjoy this ride.”
“I’ll try to figure out a way.” I slipped my fingers down to the bulge in his pants.
“Oh, mysh. I really enjoy traveling with you.”
We made love and feasted on succulent dishes. Things I’d never heard of—potato dumplings drowning in a spicy beef sauce with a side of fried cheese. Rabbit roasted with root vegetables and garlic. Fruit dumplings floating in cinnamon and wine. And even though I’d been stuffed with food, I’d let Kaz spoon feed me delicious mouthfuls of chocolate-smothered nuts over wafers and cream.
We ate.
We fucked.
We planned.
And repeated over and over until I’d decided that I no longer enjoyed plane travel. The train was the way to go from now on.
“I’ll buy you a train, when this is all done.”
“No.” I kissed him. “I’ll buy you a train, when this is all done.”
He grinned. “No woman has ever given me a gift.”
“Lies?”
“Truth.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never gotten close enough to any woman for her to know what I want.”
“Good.”
We slept for a while in between breaks of caressing and whispering, plotting and snacking. I’d learned more about his world than I thought I would ever know.
The Bratva was more than impressive. The overlapping networks of gangs spread throughout the globe. There was no country the Bratva did not touch. And there was no crime his men did not have a hand in.
Where are you, baby?
Three empty train cars down, I still had not found Kaz, but I did see the dining car. I remained there, transfixed by the new scenery rushing by the windows.
I walked over to one and pressed my hands against the glass.
How did I get here?
Each day had been dreams and nightmares mingling together in thousands of surreal moments.
What does a normal day look like anymore?
Although I heard no movement or door slide open, I felt Kaz before I saw him.
I turned his way. A sudden rush of desire poured over me.
I leaned back to better appreciate the view. “There you go.”
His hair lay in a sexy tangle around his shoulders. His shirt was off. Sunlight bathed his muscles in light, tall, huge, and powerful. Built by God to dominate and have every woman begging for a turn.
I knew I was spoiled by him, but I whispered anyway, “I don’t like waking up without you.”
“Then, it won’t happen again.” He padded over on bare feet, effortlessly seducing me. Promise blazed in his gaze. His hand went to my hair, yanking the pony tail out and letting the strands fall over the sides of my face. “What did you dream about?”
“A lion.”
His cheek tweaked. “A big one?”
“Very big and powerful.”
“I like this lion.”
“And I was me, but very naked.”
“As you should be.” When he came close, he caught me by the waist and pulled me to him. “And what did the lion do to you, when you came to him naked?”
“He caught me.” I wrapped my arms on his shoulders. “But then the dream sort of turned into a nightmare.”
He inhaled me, brushing his nose against my cheeks and then up to my forehead. “How did it become a nightmare?”
“He told me he wouldn’t let me go.”
“That scared you?”
“Of course. He was going to eat me.”
“No.” Kaz nipped at my mouth. “He was going to consume you. That’s a very different thing.”
I grinned. “So I should never be afraid to be eaten by a lion?”
“Never.”
Lifting my head, I kissed him, tasting a hint of sugar and coffee.
“No fear, mysh. None.” He softly grabbed my face between his large hands. “In order to survive this, we can’t be scared, and we’ll always need to work together.”
“It was just a dream, Kaz.”
“No.”
“So a dream is also a meaningful coincidence to you?”
“No, it’s even more. It’s a direct message from somewhere.”
“Somewhere?”
“Whether inside of you or far beyond.” And then he shifted from philosophy professor to dirty, perverted gangster. He slipped his hand down to my breasts and stroked my nipple with the pad of his thumb. The hungry point hardened under my bra and shirt.
He groaned. “You’re lucky I don’t have time.”
I frowned. “We’re almost there?”
“Yes. We’ll arrive in a few minutes. But, I really wish we had time. I would’ve loved to show you how good it is to let a lion eat you.”
I giggled. “You’re so dirty.”
“You too.” He nipped at my mouth and then stepped back. “We should go. I received a message this morning from Luka. Sasha was spotted in Moscow but leaving the city.”
“Where did he go?”
“No one in Russia has seen him. At least none of my people in any of the cities. He’s there, but he’s hiding well.”
“Okay, but we’re going to end this.”
“Yes. This week. We’re all in the same country now. There’s nowhere to run.”
“All of us? Who else is here?”
Kaz showed me his phone. “Darryl was with him.”
My chest seized with dread as I looked at the image. My brother stood next to Sasha. Both were dressed to impress—designer outfits. Darryl talked on the phone as if he was some top boss. Sasha stared at a car that was pulling up.
My body trembled with anger. “Darryl is here.”
“Yes. I was told Darryl left in one car, and Sasha in another. Both cars went in separate directions.”