Katia looks directly at me and raises an eyebrow. “I don’t disagree.”
“I should be the one to question Noah,” I add. “I can get him to tell me the truth.”
“And how, exactly, do you plan to do that?”
I blink. “I’m going to talk to him. I’ll reason with him and—”
Katia cuts me off with another laugh. “So, you planned to sneak off and—in the unlikely event you don’t get caught in the crosshairs—just have a little chat? Spill your hearts over tea and candy?”
Color creeps up my neck and onto my cheeks.
Katia makes it sound ridiculous.
She doesn’t know Noah the way I do. Nor does she know how many nights we stayed up pouring out our hearts to each other, or how many parts of myself I’ve shared with him.
Noah knew me better than I knew myself, and I refuse to believe he would throw it all away so easily.
Katia’s expression turns cold. “And what were you going to do if Mason saw you, huh? Were you going to braid his hair, too?”
I glower at her. “I hadn’t gotten to that part of the plan yet.”
Katia shakes her head. “I have no fucking clue how you haven’t gotten killed yet. I thought you had a good head on your shoulders.”
“I do,” I protest hotly. “Just because I don’t operate the way you do doesn’t mean I’m any less smart.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Katia tells me flatly. “Or worse. You’ll get other people killed.”
“Come and keep an eye on me then,” I say. “We both know you’d rather be going with Mason anyway.”
Katia tilts her head to look at me. “I’m beginning to think you have a death wish.”
I keep my eyes on her face. “What’s your point?”
Katia sighs. “My skills are wasted on you; you’re right about that. He could be walking into a trap.”
My heart jumps into my throat. “So, you’ll come with me?”
“Let’s get a few things straight, Blondie. I’m not doing this for you; I’m doing this for him, and you will do as you’re fuckingtold, or I’ll take care of you myself. I hate liabilities. Is that understood?”
I nod. “Yes.”
This isn’t the girl who was forced into this life, and it’s not the one who fell in love with Mason when she knew better. None of those versions of her exist as she studies me. The woman in front of me is all business and pure lethal precision, the gears in her mind turning as she considers her options.
Without Katia, I’m not going anywhere.
She darts out her hand and snatches my wrist. “I could just leave you here.”
I ignore the thudding in my chest. “You could.”
Katia’s eyes narrow into slits. “It would be easier.”
I force myself to hold still. “Until you get to Mason. What happens after that?”
Katia inches close enough that I can feel her breath on my face. “Are you threatening me?”
Bile rises in my throat. “Just stating facts. We both know Mason won’t be happy if you go after him and leave me.”
Katia draws her lips back into a snarl. “I don’t like threats, Blondie.”
