Her Rogue Russian(3)
"Sure you don't want to invite your friend in?" he offered, taking a casual sip of his coffee. "Andrews, was it? Looked like the two of you could light a fire."
Savannah pulled a face. It was a micro-expression, there and gone again in a flash, but either the coffee was too strong or she had no real taste for Agent Tom Andrews. "As much as I find that mental image … interesting, Mr. Karev … Agent Andrews has agreed to keep his hands to himself for the time being."
Maxim snorted. "We'll see about that." Tom Andrews struck him as the obnoxiously persistent type. "So what is this? I assume the bureau hasn't come into any new evidence substantial enough to hold me here. I would say my rights were being infringed upon if I wasn't so curious about your bottom line."
"My bottom line is I want to find your father's killer as much as you do," Savannah stated. "Or at least, as much as I think you do. Watching you toil away in that bike shop day in and day out doesn't exactly inspire confidence."
Maxim bristled. "If my life is so boring, then maybe you should quit surveilling it and leave me the hell alone."
Savannah shook her head. "I didn't mean any offense, but I need to know just how committed you are to finding your father's murderer. You've been out of the Bratva for a while, Maxim. How many years has it been? Three?"
Maxim said nothing.
"Now I'm asking you how willing you are to go back in." Savannah pushed a file across the table to him. He studied it from afar without bothering to open it.
"You want me to go undercover for you," he guessed. "You want me to rejoin the Russian mafia."
Savannah shook her head again. "No. I want you to validate my cover. The bureau's proposal is fully outlined in the-"
"I'd rather hear it from you," Maxim said pointblank. "What exactly is it that you want?"
Savannah eyed him over the rim of her cup; then she lowered it, tapping it thoughtfully on the edge of the table. "I want you on the outside. I think you're more useful to us that way-and rest assured, I'm the only one in the department who thinks that."
"That it?" He held her gaze. Savannah didn't back down.
"I want to shut these smugglers down. And I want to catch a murderer," she admitted finally. "If you really have nothing to hide, then I want what you want. You agree to assist me-to assist my organization, rather-and I agree to help you clear your name. Otherwise, you can look forward to sitting behind bars for any number of offenses … legitimate or otherwise." She raised the cup once more to conceal the patient line of her lips. "I have no control over what the other teams do, or what means they implement to achieve their own ends. You might be looking at a lot of broken taillights in your future." Her eyes flashed. "But I can assure you that by sticking with me and my team, I'll ensure our interests always align. As much as we might be fed the same line over and over again from elementary school on, it isn't 'innocent until proven guilty' in the real world, Maxim. I think you know that. I also think you're smart enough to realize that you're headed for the chopping block. Word on the street is you're everyone's prime suspect these days."
"So it's either work within your shitty system, or let the system work me," Maxim summarized. "That about right?"
"That's about right."
He mulled her offer over for longer than was strictly necessary. She wasn't really giving him much of a choice-only the illusion of making a decision. They both knew what his answer had to be.
"So, what?" He leaned in against the table, mirroring her posture with crossed arms. "I go back in? It won't be easy, but I'm not saying I can't do it. What's your role in all this?"
"I'm your girlfriend," Savannah Casillero stated simply.
"I don't do girlfriends," Maxim replied.
"You misunderstand me, Karev." Agent Casillero leaned in until the gold leaf ends of her hair trailed on the surface of the table. "I don't care if you're gay, straight, or attracted to the two-wheeled death machine you rode in on. The minute you leave this room, you and I are going steady, and I dare you to do better."
All things considered, Maxim thought that was a dare he just might be willing to take.
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