Page 25 of Room One Hundred and Seven: Catch and Claim

“Don’t want to give the wrong impression, not with Kirby in our lives,” I toss back at him as I swing the door open and step inside.

I know he won’t bring it up again in front of Volkov. We might be on the same side, but he’s still a man with a lot of pull. And it’s not like he’s a fucking troll or anything. I’m man enough to admit that he’s attractive, then there’s the whole power attracting women thing.

Kirby wouldn’t necessarily be swayed by that, but I think it’s best not to tempt fate.

“Gentleman,” Kirill’s voice booms from his spot behind his desk. Maxim is lounging on a couch along one wall, his smile lazy as he takes in our approaching figures. Baker is sitting in a small sitting area on the other side of the room along with Huck. “Please,” he makes a sweeping gesture toward the chairs on the other side of his desk, “have a seat.”

I sit while knowing Wolfe will join me and Dominic will stand at our backs without needing to look their way or ask. That’s what happens when you work side-by-side for as long as we have.

We’re not in danger in this room, but Dominic will be on edge until we walk out. The men in this office don’t have the years of training the same way we do, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t deadly.

“Clearly you’re here because you have information to share,” Kirill opens the conversation for us.

It doesn’t take long to update him on what we’ve found out. His jaw is clenched when Wolfe mentions the drugs being a distraction.

Maxim’s voice is full of barely contained rage, “What the fuck is he planning?”

I can only shrug in response to his obviously rhetorical question. His guess is as good as mine. I can give it to him, but he’s a smart man. I have zero doubt that he’s had the same thoughts that I have.

“He’s just fucking with us. Either it’s to cover for what he’s really doing, probably trafficking, or he’s just out there ruining our name on the street. We made it clear from the start that we wouldn’t be peddling shit on the street. If he’s only undermining me, it’s a good place to start. It being a distraction could be bullshit,” Kirill points out.

“I wouldn’t assume anything when it comes to Mikhail,” Baker’s tone is neutral and measured, “or discount any option.”

“True,” Kirill grunts.

He looks at us and I hold his gaze, unwilling to back down. We’ve been working at trying to get to the bottom of things. If we could just go scorched Earth and burn the city down to smoke him out, it would make things easier. Since we can’t go that route, subtle and quiet takes time.

I’m not going to apologize for it.

“We’ll keep our eyes open and running down any information we get. I’ll loop in Penance and the DSMC.”

Kirill nods. It’s enough of a dismissal for me.

As we leave his office, I desperately want to head to Club Sin and pull Kirby into my arms. She’s not ready for that. Not yet at least.

If I’m right, she’ll be coming to us. I hope she’s ready when she does because it’ll mean it’s time to show her exactly what we’re into. She can handle it; I think she’ll even enjoy it.

CHAPTER 11

KIRBY

I’m relieved to be ensconced behind the walls of Club Sin, even though I can’t shake the annoyance that has been hanging over me for the last few days. I’m not even sure where to start unpacking my emotions. The only thing I do know is I’m glad the anxiety I’ve been carrying around with me all day as I moved through Seattle and ran errands has melted away.

It’s not easy for me to be here, but it’s not as bad as I expected it to be. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m stronger than I would normally give myself credit for or if it’s because of the distraction that my men have provided me. It could be because I know one of them has been watching me over the last few days.

I could feel their eyes on me.

How do I know it was my men and not something more sinister? It’s simple—I wasn’t on edge.

I had a feeling of safety and caring instead of feeling like my skin was crawling and I needed to always look over my shoulder. Call it a gut instinct if you want, but it is what it is.

Still, even though I know at least one of my men, if not more, has kept an eye on me, I haven’t seen them.

And that is the start of my annoyance.

While they spent so many nights in Club Sin watching me and preventing me from doing my job, for the last few nights, and days, they’ve left me alone. I know they haven’t ghosted me considering the texts that I’ve gotten every morning.

If they’re giving me space because they thought I was going to freak out after the night I spent with them…well, I can’t say that’s not what would have happened if they hadn’t backed off. I did need some time to process everything.

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