“There are eighteen of them. They’re all trained assassins. Are you telling me they couldn’t get to Sorbacov?”
“All eighteen had someone they protected. Viktor had us. Each of the others no doubt had siblings as well. I’m not surprised Viktor managed to bring them together. If he trusts them, believe me, malyshka, those men are loyal to him and one another.”
“They must be a terrifying bunch riding motorcycles down a highway. I’d think seasoned criminals would be afraid of your brother, let alone seventeen more just like him.”
He glanced at her again. Worried. “He would never hurt you or your sisters. You’re married to me. Your sisters are married to his brothers. That makes you all family. That means something to us. It also means something to the men he travels with. Viktor wouldn’t be with them unless they have the same values he has.”
Lissa sighed. Shook her head. “You don’t see it, Casimir, because he’s your brother, but he’s absolutely terrifying. I can’t imagine him with Blythe. I just can’t. He’s not going to be sweet to her like Gavriil is to Lexi. Gavriil’s dangerous and scary to the rest of the world, but to her – and us – he’s different. I can pretty much guarantee your Viktor has had a lifetime of telling everyone around him what to do and they jump to do it.”
Casimir shook his head. “The men surrounding him, the ones taking his back, if they came out of that school, they’re anything but ‘yes’ men. They’ll be every bit as lethal as Viktor.”
“I hope he doesn’t expect them all to live on the farm. We’ll have to add ten more properties, ones with hundreds of acres,” she said, giving him a little sniff. And her chin.
“You give me that chin, malyshka, and I get this instant need to lean over and bite it. Don’t tempt me when I’m driving.”
Her gaze jumped to his face. She couldn’t help the little surge of heat rushing through her veins the moment he talked to her in that low, sexy voice. God. He was beautiful. Now that she saw him, she would always see Casimir under Tomasso or Steve, or any of the other roles he assumed. “My Casimir,” she murmured.
His face softened. His eyes were warm when he took them off the road long enough to glance at her. That meant something to him. She could see it on his face. He was like Gavriil, showing one thing to the rest of the world and giving her his best. She hoped his brother was the same, but she was a good judge of character, and sometimes, when one lived too long in a violent world, having to be part of it, fitting in and taking on those roles, there was no way to get out. Viktor had lived in that violent world from the time he was a boy. Still…
“I’ll give him a chance,” she promised.
“Thank you, Giacinta.”
Again, his voice made her shiver. That meant something to him too, something big. “He’s yours, Casimir,” she replied. “That means he’s mine as well.” She meant that. She had no idea what any of them were going to do with Viktor and his seventeen motorcycle-riding badass assassins, but family was family and they would deal. Whether or not Viktor could have Blythe was another matter altogether.
“I don’t like this plan,” Casimir said, indicating the blueprints in her lap.
“I know, honey, you’ve mentioned that about, oh, I don’t know, a thousand times.” Lissa tried not to feel exasperated, but truthfully she was. Casimir was being overprotective. If he weren’t with her, she wouldn’t be getting an argument. “I’ve done this before.” She tried to pull her hand out from under his.
He heard the irritation in her voice. How could he not? She tried to hide it, but he was so tuned to her, the slightest inflection would tip him off.
His fingers tightened over hers, preventing her from taking her hand back. He pressed her palm even tighter against his thigh. “You don’t have physical contact with your target, not as a rule. You’ll only have one shot at this. He’s got two bodyguards in close proximity, and if you miss, you won’t get a second chance.”
“We’ve gone over this a hundred times, Casimir,” she said. “There’s no point in going over it again. I’ve already rigged the doorbell. Lydia always has a drink before Aldo gets there. Always. She’s had that little glass of wine for years. I’ve researched her thoroughly myself. She’s an innocent in this. She genuinely loves him. I’ll have no trouble putting the sedative in her wine. She’ll be asleep only a few minutes. It will give me enough time to do the job.”