“I want to strangle you with my bare hands,” Mitya announced.
“I want to kiss her,” Sevastyan said. “Thanks, Ania, you did save our lives.”
“She did,” Mitya agreed, “but Vikenti or Zinoviy would have pulled the bastard out of the tree and killed him. Or they would have mistaken Ania for the shooter and killed her.”
“I was never in danger,” she corrected. “I was on the roof of the house shooting over you. He was in a tree facing the house, shooting at you. I think Vik and Zen are experienced enough not to make a mistake like that.” She applied antibiotic ointment and then covered the area with gauze.
“You’re going to be a major pain in my ass, Ania,” Mitya said. Sevastyan had the right idea, keep the line of conversation away from all the emotion and back to something they were familiar with. She could just answer him without thinking, or even feeling if need be. “You have no idea what I want to do to you right now.”
“I can guess.” She shone her light over his body, inch by inch, searching for any other injuries. “Clearly you want to strangle me with your bare hands. Because you’re such a kinky pervert, I imagine you’d like to put me over your knee and spank my booty.”
“There’s that,” he agreed, “and since I can’t strangle you . . .”
She gasped and leaned forward when she saw his leg. “You are a major pain in my ass. This is far worse than the one in your side and you knew it all along.”
“Not yet I’m not a pain in your ass, but I’m going to be,” he promised. He closed his eyes. “Right now, I’m just going to rest a little bit.”
“Sevastyan, have Vikenti bring the car. Call the doc, tell him to go to your place before here. Tell him Mitya is losing a lot of blood and might need a transfusion.”
Mitya smiled at her bossy tone. His woman. She didn’t think she was compatible, but she could take what they did. She’d been raised with one foot in their world. Her grandfather and father ran with the lions. They were certain to get muck all over them.
“Your grandfather kept a notebook that had information that could hurt a lot of good people,” Mitya said.
“That would be the reason he didn’t complete the drop. He wouldn’t have wanted to be responsible for that. Especially if he knew or liked them.”
She was probing the wound in his thigh. It had bled a lot, but he’d had bad, and this wasn’t that bad. More like annoying. It hurt, but he’d had worse.
“It’s still in there, Mitya,” she said.
“Well, don’t dig around for it,” he advised. “Did you ever hear about a notebook?”
“No. If he told my father, the information was never passed down to me. My father would have told me. He probably would have told you. We need the car.”
Mitya opened his eyes immediately. “Kotyonok.” He whispered the endearment. “I’m going to be fine. I’ll live long enough to pull you over my lap and punish you for all your indiscretions.”
He wanted to make her laugh, but she didn’t. She looked scared. Her gaze shifted from him to Sevastyan, looking for reassurance.
“He’s the devil,” Sevastyan said. “You can’t kill the devil, little sister.”
“In the spirit of full disclosure, I feel I should state I have exceptional hearing. Lying up on the roof, the wind blowing toward me, I could hear every word you all said.”
Mitya looked at his cousin and shook his head slightly. He didn’t want Ania to know about their double life. They were already in danger from Lazar. That threat was a much bigger one, or at least it had been until Amory and Kris had come after a piece of evidence that could turn every crime lord against them. Ania might or might not have heard, but he didn’t want her brought any further into danger. Hopefully everyone would think she was a beautiful piece of eye candy on his arm, one that didn’t have a brain in her head. She’d run her father’s business for the last three years, but she was selling it. Maybe . . .
“Mitya.” Her voice was very soft.
He turned his head with a bit of an effort and looked right at her. Looking at her hurt, especially now that her eyes had gone a strange amethyst. Gorgeous. Such a deep purple, yet a hint of crystalline. He knew her leopard had to be beautiful. The little monster, wreaking havoc on all of them, but especially Ania.
“If I could get my hands all the way around your throat, I would strangle you with them. And if you fall asleep, I’m finding cuffs and you’ll be immobile while I spank your booty and see how you like it.”