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I grin. “Probably, but you have to agree it’s the perfect setup. No one is coming here, which makes it the perfect location.” I look around the steel-reinforced room that operates as my new command center. “And you could have technically come in from the top entrance in the cabin, but where’s the fun in that?”

He glares at me. He tried to find it but eventually had to give up or be late. “Fuck you.”

“We both know you’re not into me, but thanks for the offer. Besides, I’m into someone else, and he’s packing an extra inch on you.”

Mishka rolls his eyes. “I’m still waiting for the moment he realizes who you are. He might try to kill you on the spot.” He glances around the room again, giving it a pointed look. “And he’s definitely going to kill you when he realizes you’ve built yourself a little hideaway right under his nose. Is this where you’re going to stay when he realizes how much of a pain in the ass you are and tries to lock you in his dungeon?”

“He doesn’t have a dungeon, but maybe I should mention that to him. I’m sure I can convince him it’s an excellent idea. I’ll have a spare key, of course.” One more look around the room makes me smile. “But yes, this will be my base while we work things out.”

A plan I know won’t be easy, but I’ve never shied away from a challenge. Convincing Ilya Romanov to give me an actual shot at something normal is going to be quite possibly my biggest one yet.

Fragile male egos and all that.

Okay, so it’s going to be more than that. How is a man like him going to accept who and what I am, knowing what he does about me? It’s not like my crimes have been kept quiet. My name is whispered in fear and reverence in some of the most dangerous circles around the world.

And it’s not like I’m going to stop what I’m doing. Is he going to try and insist I become a Stepford wife or something stupid? God, I can barely contain my shudder. Imagine me sitting at a table full of high-society old biddies.

Yeah, no. I’ll take a quick death, thank you.

“Is this where we’re bringing the others for these regular meetings you want to have?” Mishka asks, distracting me.

“No. I have another location for that.” I give him a pointed look.

He scowls. “Absolutely fucking not. I’m not having them know where the fuck I am.”

“Obviously not at your house, but I’ve already scouted out the perfect location for us to build our meeting place.”

“What the fuck? Where?”

“We’ll talk about it later. Right now, we need to get these last things figured out before we get moving, and since it took you a little longer to get here, we have even less time. Which reminds me, was Mila scared when you grabbed her?”

Mentioning Ilya’s niece distracts him, but that won’t last long. “She was cool as a cucumber. Didn’t argue or ask a bunch of questions. And I got through the gate without issue.”

“Good.” I roll my eyes. “And of course she didn’t argue with you.” I think back to the day I pulled her out of that hole in the wall. “Maybe she’s gotten wiser during the years.”

“Or maybe it’s because she knows you’ve been keeping watch over her.” He gives me a pointed stare. “You’re fucking lucky no one has been able to trace those letters back to you, Lane. It was a huge risk.”

It’s my turn to scowl at him. “I’m not arguing with you over my choices. They’re mine to make. And I was never going to risk her.” Not when she’s a damn good kid and so important to Ilya.

“Yeah, I know all about the guards you’ve had watching her. Still not sure how you found them, but it’s worked. No one’s been the wiser.” He cocks his head slightly. “Do you think she’s going to be understanding about all of this?”

“I’ve done it for her and Ilya, so I hope like hell she is.” I keep my tone flat, but deep down, I can admit having Mila upset with me won’t sit well. Especially with all the time, money, and risks I’ve taken, but I can handle it.

“Why them, Lane?” There’s no judgment, but his gaze is unwavering. “You’ve ignored that question every time I’ve asked, but now, we’re balls deep in this plan of yours, and out of everyone, I think you can trust me enough to answer.”

I want to scoff. Trust? I don’t trust anyone. Not fully. Not even him and he knows it. On the other hand, he’s the closest thing I’ve had to a friend in a very long time. Hell, the last time I had one was Rori O’Brien before she left me.

The familiar anger at that reminder tries to simmer, but I stamp it out. It’s done and over, and she’s going to start making it right by helping me finish this plan. The one she has no idea about, but that’s neither here nor there.

“Lane, we’re not going to be out of each other’s lives even after this. I don’t care if you don’t ever trust Reaper or Hunter, but you and I, we’ve been through enough shit. We’ve done all this, and we’re finally close. And when it’s over, if things go the way you want, we’re essentially going to be neighbors.”

“That your way of saying I can’t just kill you and get rid of you?” I try to say it carelessly but don’t quite manage it.

“That’s my way of saying that when this is over, really over, we both have a chance to have a different life. We can finally be people and not machines again. I mean, what’s all this for if we can’t be the very things they tried to break us of? Being able to have someone in our lives? A family? Friends? Personally, I think that’s an even better fuck you than blowing everything up and killing them.”

Why do those questions make me so uncomfortable?

Because you haven’t actually thought about what your life is going to be after this. You’ve never known anything else, and you’re probably going to fuck it up.