Page 226 of Bossy Hero

I pump my fist, unable to quash the urge to celebrate. “What did you get so far, you big-brained motherfucker?”

“Nearly irrefutable proof of her being as corrupt as her half-brother, a.k.a. shitbag Yev.”

My stomach sinks. “Go on.”

“After the call with the mayor, she put the baby in the crib and went to deliver the message to Nikolai.” Tomer whips his head toward Mia. “Play it for him.”

She points her finger at one of the monitors. “Here we go. Up here.”

I move closer and fold my arms in front of my chest. “How many times have you watched it?”

“Just once so far. We jumped into the other tasks afterward.”

As the video begins, the screen jostles due to Katia’s hurried steps. She proceeds rapidly down a long hallway, seemingly holding the phone in front of her midsection.

“She’s moving like her ass is on fire,” Klein muses.

For the first time, we get a glimpse inside Lenkov’s home.

Tomer settles back in his chair to watch, lacing his hands behind his head. “Seems like she has the run of the mansion. Not exactly giving abductee vibes, is she? No guard at her door. No footsteps trailing her.”

As I’ve come to expect, Mia attempts to give Katia the benefit of the doubt. “I’m not surprised. She just had his baby. And she’s been there for years, so Lenkov obviously trusts her. Isn’t that the point of having a spy on the inside?”

Tomer holds her stare, his features revealing nothing.

My attention fastens on the video. Katia turns a corner, breezing through a sitting area. We get a flash of boxes lining one wall. Maybe a bookcase.

I gesture vaguely at the screen. “I assume you’ll be breaking this down frame by frame.”

“Obviously,” Mia drones, embellishing her snark with a showy eye roll.

“In light of our workload, you’re getting a one-time pass for that, Mia. However, it’s noted, and I’m not above sending Lettie to retrieve my shit list.”

She laughs boisterously, totally unbothered by my petty threat. “Oh, here we go. Katia’s almost to Lenkov’s office.”

“Sounds like I’m back just in time,” Lettie announces, flouncing into the lair. “The troops will be along shortly.”

Without looking away from the screen, Tomer extends his arm toward her. She glides to him without hesitation, taking his hand and letting him tug her onto his lap. The movement is natural. Seamless.

As their boss, I recognize it’s 1,000 percent inappropriate for her to sit on his lap at a time like this. As a father, it warms my heart to witness their tender affection.

I should probably break it up. However, we’re only watching a video. It’s not like he needs his hands for that.

Speaking of the video, I try to focus on it, but my vision keeps falling back to them. Gradually, he splays his palm over her rounded belly, holding my unborn grandson.

Well, fuck. It’s official—she can sit there as long as she wants.

I’m getting soft in my old age.

I redirect my attention to the monitor in time to see Katia knock on a dark oak door. A deep, muffled voice calls out too softly for us to decipher. Before entering, she appears to switch the phone to her other hand. The view spins around, then lands behind her. The bottom of the screen goes black, and the audio scrapes against something.

Klein must be reading my mind. “Best we can tell, she slid her cell about halfway into her back pocket, which is why we maintain a partial view.”

I don’t respond since I’m attempting to follow the conversation. And failing. “Somebody translate the Russian. I’m rusty.”

“Same. I’m also a bit rusty,” Lettie utters, her eyes bouncing around suspiciously to see if anyone bought her bullshit.

My daughter is goddamned adorable.

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