“I’m just saying we could be a team, you and I.”
“If we are a team, then putting ourselves in danger at the same time isn’t the smartest move, is it?”
“Now isn’t the time to pull punches. We should both be there.”
I smile. “Believe me, I’m not pulling any punches. I’ve got the knockout blow in my back pocket ready to go.”
“Ariel,” she whispers.
“Exactly.”
“I know you trust her, but I’m not sure anyone can be as ruthless as Belov.”
“Maybe not,” I admit, “but he doesn’t suspect her. She’s the secret weapon and as long as her identity remains hidden, we don’t have anything to be worried about. She will protect our boy.”
She lets that sink in for a moment. Then her face softens. “Our boy.” Her eyes lift and she meets my gaze. “You haven’t even held him… you haven’t even seen his face.”
I brush a strand of hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear. “I don’t have to hold him or see him to know he’s mine.”
“Are you sure Belov won’t hurt him?”
“Yes. Whatever the fucker says, he’s scared. The last time he underestimated me, he paid for it. I took down half his empire with the with push of a button. He won’t make that mistake again.”
She bites her lower lip and looks up at me from beneath long lashes. “You’re ready, aren’t you?”
I take her hand. It’s cold and clammy. She is even more nervous than she’s letting on. “Do you know how long I’ve been planning this take down?”
“Since Pavel?
I nod. “Eight years, I’ve been waiting for my revenge. You better fucking believe I’m ready.”
27
WILLOW
Leo thinks he knows me. At this point, I can’t deny that he does.
But I know him, too. And I know that arguing with him is pointless.
So how do you get your way with a man who always gets his?
Easy.
You lie.
I’m reaching for my sports bra when Leo walks into the bathroom. We’re back to sleeping in his bedroom. In his bed. Together. Almost like a real life couple.
Except that it still doesn’t feel quite right. We both have too many secrets we’re protecting.
“Excuse me,” I say. “Changing here.”
“Like I haven’t seen it all before,” he says with a raised brow. “Back at it again so soon?”
I shrug. “I wasn’t satisfied with my last round. I need to work on my upper body strength.”
“You’re pushing yourself too far.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Willow—”
“I hate it when you say my name like that,” I snap. “I’m not a child, Leo. Stop treating me like one.”
“There is such a thing as burn-out, you know? But if you can’t restrain yourself, then I’ll have to do it for you.” He snatches my sports bra out of my hand.
I whirl around to face him, venom in my glare. “Oh, very mature. Give that back.”
He doesn’t move an inch.
“Fine. I guess I’ll just train without one,” I say. “That should give your men a real show.”
His eyes flash, his knuckles whiten, and the next thing I know, I’m pinned against the bathroom wall with his breath in my face.
I push on his chest and try to keep a brave expression. “You’re the reason I need stronger arms, always pinning me against walls.”
“Only because you ask for it.”
I push him off me again, successfully this time, but only because he lets me. “You’re infuriating, you know that?”
“I have your best interests at heart. You’re going to injure yourself if you keep this pace. It’s not healthy.”
“I can handle myself.”
“Why do you have to be so damn stubborn all the time?”
“Probably the same reason you are,” I retort.
He rolls his eyes. “Life would be easier if you’d admit that sometimes I know better than you do.”
“Leo,” I say, my voice dropping, “I have to do something, okay? If I don’t train, I think. And when I think, I keep dreaming… I imagine the worst possible scenarios.”
He sighs. “Willow—”
I shake my head and cut him off. He needs to understand this. “You can talk all you want about your plans and your power, but until Pasha is in my arms again, I can’t have faith in anything.”