Page 99 of Wicked Arrangement

I’m a little surprised by this, given his previous question I’d assumed he was about to say the opposite and was worried it would piss me off.

“Despite everything?” I ask incredulously.

I don’t need to go into details, Artem knows the ins and outs, the ups and downs, and the doubts I’ve had since I first met Kim.

“Yes, I truly believe that Kim is a nice girl who got caught up in something she couldn’t even begin to understand and yet she’s taken it all in her stride and proved herself to be a loyal friend and stronger than any of us gave her credit for,” Artem replies with conviction.

“But why would she stay? If she’s truly innocent, why didn’t she run for the hills the second things got dicey? Heck, the first fucking day we met someone tried to blow me up.”

Artem gives a small chuckle, “Well, I’m not saying she has the best common sense or self-preservation, but it’s clear to me why she stayed.”

I stand looking at him expectantly and he rolls his eyes slightly before elaborating. “Because she’s in love with you, dumbass. It couldn’t be more obvious.”

Hearing those words my heart somersaults. “I think I’m in love with her too,” I blurt out before I can hesitate and not say it.

“I know, that’s been pretty fucking obvious for a while,” he replies with a grin.

“So, what should I do?” I ask, praying he has the answers.

“If you decide Kim’s the one for you, you’re committing to that fully. Being with you is a risk for both of you. You have to declare that she’s with you and that touching her is declaring full-on war with us. We will have to go to war with Sharkozi for what he did.”

“We’re already at war with Sharkozi,” I reply.

“True, but this will bring it out of the shadows. It won’t be a secret anymore that we know what Sharkozi has done, or that we’re the ones who have Roman,” Artem warns.

“I know. I think it’s time we stopped playing games, Sharkozi can’t get away with this any longer.”

“I agree,” Artem nods. “So, what’s next.”

“First, I bring Kim home. After that, we need to weed out the traitors in our midst and rally the troops to rescue Emma Walsh and find Noah Walsh. Then, I finally kill Roman Sharkozi.”

“After that, we go to war,” Artem finishes my sentence.

“I intend to destroy the Sharkozi Family, they will be a distant memory. It’s time for the wolf pack to hunt and stake our claim as leaders in the US.”

Chapter 51

Kimberly

The past couple of days here with David visiting have been a breath of fresh air. David is so fun and full of life it has helped me forget my troubles, at least for a short while. The twins adore him, as does Grace. Even Thomas, when he has been here has treated David with respect and dignity, which is more than many of David’s own family does. I can tell the trip has been as good for David as it has been for me.

Grace has popped out for an hour, entrusting the girls to our care while Thomas works in his study. They’re playing with a large doll house in their room—the kind of room little girls dream about, thanks to Grace’s impeccable style—while David and I sit on the too-small-for-adults chairs and pretend to drink tea from the cups and saucers they proudly presented to us moments ago. As usual, David throws himself into the game wholeheartedly, noisily slurping and appreciating his imaginary drink for the twins’ benefit.

Soon, the children begin to bicker. “No, no, no, the baby’s name is Milly!” Lily declares.

“No, it’s not, Stupid, it’s Holly!” cries Hope, glowering at her twin.

“I’m not stupid, you’re stupid!” Lily pouts angrily, pointing accusingly at her sister who stands looking unafraid with her hands on her hips.

The two continue down this path, arguing over the name of the baby doll they’d been playing with. As is often the case with young children, the argument escalates rapidly, and soon the two are yelling and grappling over control of the doll. Inevitably, one of them gets hurt in the scuffle.

“Ow!” Lily cries, big fat tears starting to fall, “Kimmy! She pinched me!”

“Did not! Liar liar pants on fire!” Holly denies vehemently.

We go to break the two up and try to resolve the squabble. “Now you two, you shouldn’t fight with each other. What’s the problem?” I chastise gently.

Both start to talk over the other, each keen to have their say first.

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