Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 148949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 496(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 496(@300wpm)
I continued down the hall, made it to the courtyard, and stepped outside.
A chilly breeze brushed against my skin.
She will stand down, and Baba too. Meddling women!
Yet, my nerves stood on edge.
I didn’t lift the phone just yet, perhaps to avoid this conversation that I didn’t want to have.
Will she understand? She must.
I scanned the courtyard. It was a vision of serenity and felt like the heart of the funeral home.
Like all of Moscow, winter’s icy grasp began to relinquish its hold in the courtyard, surrendering to the tender warmth of spring.
But it was even more present here.
Statues of two angels stood sentinel in this sacred space. Their marble wings were unfurled as if poised for flight. Each figure embodied a moment frozen in time, an eternal balance between sorrow and solace. Their gentle faces gazed down upon the courtyard, offering comfort and hope amidst the thawing landscape.
She will understand.
I walked down the stone path. Small patches of snow covered some of the stone. In other places, the snow melted.
Bushes lined the path. I guessed that when spring came, those bushes would bloom roses and other flowers.
Alright.
I went to the wall in front of the angels, stood there, and ran my fingers through my hair.
Do not let her talk you out of this. She is the Mouse. You are the Lion. There are levels to this.
I breathed in and then exhaled.
Just tell her what is going to happen, and that is it.
Swallowing, I raised the phone and placed it next to my ear. “Mysh?”
“Kaz?” Her voice sounded like she was in deep pain.
It made my confidence waver. . .just a little.
I swallowed again. “Yes, mysh?”
“Can you answer a question for me, Kaz?”
Shock hit me. “Yes.”
“I thought I fell in love with a lion, but. . .did I really fall in love with a monster?”
Pain throbbed in my chest.
I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. “Mysh. . .a lion is a primal creature. Therefore, sometimes a lion can be a monster.”
“Which is why sometimes a mouse would have to hide from the lion? Correct?”
I opened my eyes. “Hide, mysh? Hide from who? Me? Hide where? What part of this planet can I not touch?”
“We have already been through so much this month. No more blood should be shed over Lunita’s actions.”
“Yet, blood must be shed.”
“Let it go. We deserve some peace before we head to New Orleans.”
“Killing them will give me peace.”
“And your killing them will give guilt—driven nightmares to me. I will not sleep. Between you and Lunita I am barely holding on to the bits of sanity floating around in my mind.”
Guilt coursed through me. “Never would I want to add to your pain. You know how much I love you—”
“If you love me, then let these innocent people go—”
“Someone must pay for the gardener’s betrayal!”
“He paid for it. My guards paid for it. Then, your guards paid for it. And even more, Olga paid for it. Enough!”
My eyes watered at the mention of Olga. A sudden, overwhelming sense of dread washed over my body like a tidal wave, drowning me.
All the sorrow and despair that I had kept at bay began to claw and tear at my very core.
“Damn it.” I lowered the phone and placed it by my side.
I had no idea if Emily was talking or not.
I just couldn’t. . .
The cold air around me seemed to thicken, as if an invisible fog had descended upon the courtyard.
It was suffocating.
My chest tightened.
Her heart wildly pounded.
Trying to regain my composure, I looked at the angels in the courtyard. They were the only things in the space not covered in ice.
I found myself wondering why the snow on the angels had melted first. Did they have some spiritually healing energy radiating from their stone bodies? Did that make them warmer than other objects in the courtyard?
I sighed.
Why did she have to say Olga’s name?
I pushed through the sorrow, lifted the phone, and placed it against my ear.
“Kaz? Kaz?”
“I am here, mysh.”
“There must be a way we can compromise on this.”
“Dead is dead. The only compromise I am willing to listen to is how the family dies. I will do that for you—”
“That is not enough! There are teenagers in the family. Right?”
I frowned.
“Are you going to kill them too?”
I remained silent.
Her voice cracked. “Kids?! Kids?!”
Pressure built in my chest.
“Would your mother have agreed with this?”
“Do not do that.”
“Release the kids.”
“If I kill the whole family. . .it will be a permanent reminder of why the Lion is the Lion.”
“We already know you are the fucking Lion!”
“My reputation would strengthen. They will say he is heartless—”
“Because you would be heartless to take the teenagers’ lives—”
“And the world will fear me more—”
“Including me. . .”
I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes. “Mysh. . .”
“I have limits. You know that. Lunita has limits. You know that too. Harming kids are both of our limits. Do you really want to fuck around and find out with the both of us?”