“Holy shit,” Sarah replied.
“You owe me some thanks.”
“I do?”
Nodding, I replied, “I made it t-through the call without t-threatening to cut his b-balls off.”
A laugh burst from her lips. “You want me to thank you for that?”
“I d-did what you asked.”
“That is true, and I’m grateful.” With a smile, she said, “Both for you not threatening him and for you hopefully deterring him.”
“If he d-dares to look at you any other way than p-professionally, I’ll have more t-than a talk with him.”
Covering her face with her hands, Sarah groaned. “I shouldn’t have said anything to you.”
I pulled her hands away. “Listen to me. I have t-three sisters. I would’ve done the same t-thing if they had some creep harassing them. No man should ever have the right t-to make you feel uncomfortable.”
Sarah’s brows creased as she stared at me. “You know, you really are decent.”
“Considering how surprised you sound, I’m not sure t-that’s a compliment.”
“Don’t make me bring up the whole kidnapping thing again,” she teasingly said.
Tilting my head, I replied, “Not all g-good men are good, and not all b-bad men are all bad.”
Her expression sobered. “You’re right.”
Sensing we needed a subject change, I asked, “What kind of cupcakes are we g-getting?”
The darkness faded from Sarah’s face. “Sammy loves red velvet cupcakes, but he is very particular. The only kind he will eat outside of the ones my mom bakes are found at the O’Brien and Sons Bakery.”
At the mention of the last name, it suddenly hit me.
“Shit,” Oleg muttered from the front seat.
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
Sarah glanced between the two of us. “What’s wrong?”
“When you mentioned Hyacinth place, I d-didn't realize it was in Irish territory.”
With a gasp, Sarah asked, “Are there actually territories in the city?”
“You are so naive.”
Her dark eyes narrowed. “Excuse me for not knowing the ins and outs of the underworld.”
As I foughtto keep from smiling, I wondered how I ever looked at Sarah’s picture and thought she was stuffy or uptight. She is a fiery little hellcat through and through.
Sarah must’ve noticed the amusement in my eyes because she huffed. “This isn’t funny, Maksim.”
“I know t-that.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to risk my life in enemy territory getting Sammy’s cupcakes all because you have to be a Bratvapahkan!”
“Easy now. I would never p-put you in danger.”
