Page 139 of The Payback

“ELLIE! Focus!”

“It’s Natasha.”

There’s silence on the line, and I grip the edge of the desk, waiting while her brain explodes like mine did a few seconds ago.

It’s been a year of living on our little paradise island, working with Olivia and spending time with Dimitri and Nik as we figure out who we are outside our old roles. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Olivia this quiet for this long in all our years of friendship.

I pull the phone away, checking that the call hasn’t dropped. “You still there?”

She clears her throat. “Yeah. Uh, this is gonna be a shitshow, but let’s check it out together tomorrow when I’m back and go over everything.”

I won’t say no if Olivia wants in on the background and intel gathering. Usually, I pick over the information the clients send, verify it’s valid and up to date, and use an old contact at Interpol to prod for information gently. It’s a lot of work, and while I love doing it because I can work around Bella’s schedule and spend time with her while also working, sometimes it can be a little lonely.

“Okay. For now, what do I do?”

“Pretend it’s a pregnancy test you’re avoiding and shove it in the drawer for a couple of days. It will still be there when you’re ready to look.”

“Har, har,” I say. I should never have called her in a blind panic about possibly being pregnant and not checking the result. “The bathroom secret remains a secret. Pretend it’s in hiding, and we’re covering its ass. Like witness protection or something.”

Olivia snorts. “Fine. But seriously, I’m intrigued by Natasha. She may have been a former target, but I like her.” I swear I hear Olivia’s shrug over the phone. “I always said we could be friends if we weren’t working on opposite sides.”

“You’re delusional. What could you possibly have in common with the leader of the Bratva?”

“We’re both boss bitches. You are, too, so don’t even think about leaving yourself out of this. We rose in a world geared towards the patriarchy and carved out our own lives, free from restriction and the need to conform to what’s expected of us.”

She makes a good point. Leaving Interpol has been a mix of emotions for me, but it became easier once I learned how and what Olivia and her guys really do. I’d always imagined the worst. Murder, mayhem, upheaval... you know, the criminal trifecta. But they’re judicious in what jobs they take, never allowing innocents to get caught in the crossfire. And one of their specialities is restoring the power to where it belongs after being wrongfully taken or manipulated.

I can get behind a cause like that.

“Maybe,” I say, conceding that she might have a point that we’re all similar in some regard. “But she’ll likely want our heads once she learns what we did to her. Let’s just pretend it doesn’t exist.”

Olivia laughs. “That pregnancy test isn’t going anywhere.”

Leave it to Ollie to cut through the bullshit and see through my carefully constructed delusions. “I know.”

“You need to know.Theyneed to know.”

“Bossy pants. Go finish what you’re working on, and I promise I’ll check the drawer. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Olivia hangs up, and I look over at Bella. My sweet angel is now shouting, “Escape!” as her little fingers push a toy car through the buildings of her city, and her little lips mimic gunfire.

Yeah, we’rethoseparents withthatkid.

“Bella, baby, you want to bake some cupcakes with me?”

She abandons her war zone and climbs into my lap at the table. “Cupcakes!” She smooshes my cheeks and plants a kiss on my nose. “Where’s Dada? Papa?” she asks, looking for her fathers.

“Dada is away and working. Papa is in his studio. Want to go get him?” I ask.

Bella’s face lights up, and she squirms out of my lap, her little legs taking her down the hall before I hear the door to the studio crash open.

“Hey, princess,” Dimitri says. “Where’s Mama?”

“In the kitchen!”

There’s a squeal of delight and then Dimitri emerges from the hall with an upside-down Bella in his arms. She’s giggling and turning red, surveying the world from her new vantage point.

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