Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 248926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1245(@200wpm)___ 996(@250wpm)___ 830(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 248926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1245(@200wpm)___ 996(@250wpm)___ 830(@300wpm)
I tensed.
“And. . .I love you, Kazimir.”
I swallowed.
David stared at me.
I frowned. “Love me? How hard did the Butler hit you tonight?”
David gave me a weak smile and moved his hand.
We walked off in silence.
Fucking idiot.
Then, Pavel’s face flashed in my head, and this overwhelming pain filled my heart, twisting and turning within me. I tried to ignore it and did my best to think through the aching sadness.
The lights blinked in the hallway.
Leave me the fuck alone.
David looked at them. “I should have someone talk to the hotel.”
“There’s no need.”
We made it to Maxwell’s door.
David raised his hand to knock.
I blocked his hand and sighed. “David.”
He turned my way. “Yes?”
“I love you too.” I gritted my teeth.
“I know.”
I blinked.
Smirking, David knocked. “Why are we at Maxwell’s suite?”
“I had a. . .spiritual advisor offer some advice for Fela tonight, and I plan to take it.”
“Baba?”
“Pavel.”
David widened his eyes. “O-kay.”
“Yes, I am now talking to ghosts. That is what Italy has done to me.”
“Ghosts are not bad advisors. At times, my mother has come to me in my dreams and given me sound advice.”
“Ghost advice or not, I have been getting more and more enemies through my heightened aggression. To get us out of Italy, I am going to consider a peaceful alternative.”
“The Lion and peace? Very interesting.”
The door opened.
Maxwell rubbed his eyes and yawned in the doorway. “Something wrong with Em? Did she shift?”
I leaned my head to the side. “Shift?”
“Did she shift into Lunita.”
“Maxwell, Emily is not a werewolf.”
“You know what I mean.”
“This has nothing to do with Emily.”
“Then, man, you know how late it is?”
“I need to talk to Ufuoma, and I am not asking.”
Maxwell scowled. “I won’t let you in this motherfucker if you got a weapon. You got a gun on you?”
“I do not.”
Maxwell put his view on David. “Yo, K.D., why are you wet?”
I spoke through bared teeth, “Get out of the way, before I break you in half and step over you.”
David chuckled. “Yes. The Lion and peace. I can already see the changes.”
Chapter 60
Peaceful Alternatives
Kazimir
Maxwell let David and me into his suite.
Men from Harlem Crew flanked the door.
I should not have been surprised that jazz music played. The song vibrated with the mellow sound of a saxophone riding a piano’s smooth melody.
The bigger shock was that weed smoke didn’t lather every inch of the space. Additionally, Maxwell didn’t have a joint in his hand which was typical for him.
I smirked.
Are you trying to be on your best behavior for Ufuoma?
We walked further into the bedroom suite.
Beyond the king-size bed, the balcony door was open. The night breeze rippled the long sheer curtains.
Next, I spotted the lemon tree standing tall and proud on the table and filling the space with a lemony scent. Lemons dangled from the branches. A soft wind fluttered through the leaves.
Ufuoma sat in a chair near the tree with her hands resting on the table. She wore a black shirt and jeans with no shoes. A towel wrapped around her hair.
When I entered the space, she never looked up.
Instead, she kept her focus on something in front of her.
I walked further in and saw the object. Rocco’s black and white clown mask lay on the table. Blood drops covered the top.
Interesting. Did you tell her what you did, Maxwell?
I caught two armed men standing on the balcony. “Where’s Fara?”
“In Boris’s room. Several people are guarding her.”
Boris. . .I cannot wait to have our conversation in Moscow.
Maxwell scratched his head and stood close to Ufuoma. “So. . .what’s this about, Kazimir?”
I folded my hands in front of me. “I thought Ufuoma and I should talk.”
Finally, she looked up.
I leaned my head to the side. “Have you had any rest this evening?”
Silently, she watched me.
Maxwell yawned. “She won’t say shit, so if you came here for a deep heart felt conversation, you won’t get one. She has not spoken a word since we left the yacht.”
Ufuoma placed her view back on the clown mask.
She will talk to me.
I headed over to the table, pulled a chair out, and sat down.
David followed and then stood behind me.
Maxwell got closer to Ufuoma, setting himself in a position to stop me from whatever attack he assumed might come.
I placed my hands on the table. “Ufuoma, your father has accepted defeat.”
She put her gaze on me. A skeptical expression covered her face.
I continued, “He plans to surrender to save your mother and your life.”
She widened her eyes.
“Your father knows that his death is the only end to this war. Therefore, he has agreed to dying, but under a few demands—ones that involve you.”
She parted her lips.
“What are your thoughts?”
She frowned. “I don’t believe you. What game is this?”
“What game would I need to be playing? Surely, you have heard of my reputation and tactics. Am I the strategic sort of man? Or am I more the kill everyone type?”