Levin spoke slowly then as if Jordan was a lot dumber than he’d originally thought. “Killing Vlad isn’t going to do shit to stop the organization. Someone else will take his place.”
Jordan, deadpan, said, “I know."
Then he simply stared at Levin.
“Me? No. No way.” Levin swiped his hands in front of him as if shoving the idea itself away. “I’ve been turning down the job from the inside for years. I don’t want to get any deeper than I already am.”
“Even better.” Jordan sat back then. “It’s a temporary assignment. Let us put you in place and work on how to unravel the whole thing. Permanently.”
“Damn,” Legend whispered as if even he was a bit impressed with Jordan’s balls.
“No,” Levin refused again. “It’s too risky. And there are…other…considerations.”
There it was again. Karolena sat up straighter and wondered who it was he was trying to protect in addition to her. He cut his stare to her, then back to Jordan.
“We’re not exactly asking.” The head of Shields was scarier than she’d realized. Had Levin been right? Had the agents preyed on her weakness to hospitality? Had they used positive manipulation to bend her to their will instead of Vladimir’s cruel approach?
She needed some time alone. To think about how her world was mutating again and to ground herself so she could figure out what was right and what was real.
“Congratulations on your promotion,” James added in his patented chipper style.
Levin stood, putting the Shields on edge. But all he did was pace. In that moment, Karolena realized he’d been every bit as trapped as she had.
She rose too and went to him, fuck whatever Tavish and Legend thought. She took his forearms in her hands and held tight. He looked straight into her eyes and said again, “I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you for anything you might have done.” She threw caution out the window and went in for a full hug. She needed it and she suspected he did too.
When he didn’t pull away, and instead held her for a moment before sighing, she looked over her shoulder at Jordan. “Can I speak to Levin in private for a few minutes? Or even switch to Russian if you don’t want to let him out of your sights?”
Jordan grimaced. “No, I can’t let you do that.”
“So that stuff you told me about how I could be one of you, and how you loved me…” She looked directly at James for that one. He shifted his stare to his sneakers. “It was all bullshit? Not one damn one of you trusts me after I put my faith in you?”
Aven spoke up then. “That’s not it, Karolena. We don’t trust that sexy son of a bitch not to use you.”
Damn it. Frankly, she hated it, but she could see their point. She returned her focus to Levin. “Fine. Tell me then. Why do you want to stay? And what caused you to change these past couple of years? I’ve felt it. And I can see it today…there’s a reason. What is it?’
Levin swallowed hard. “I’ll tell you if you explain why that redhead in the kilt and his giant sidekick were so pissed when they thought we might have a thing. Are they using you? Have they forced you to do…stuff…with them in exchange for their help? Because if so, this is off. No deal.”
“No. Sleeping with them was my prerogative, though maybe not the wisest decision I’ve made considering how they’ve acted this afternoon.” She shrugged. “Either way, I liked it and they’re good at it, when they’re not practicing on each other.”
Levin blinked several times in rapid succession as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly.
So James clarified. “We like to share around here. At least within limits. These amateurs keep themselves to their trios. My husband and my wife and I have an arrangement with six of our friends. As you do.”
“Your husband?” Levin latched onto that.
Karolena braced herself, considering how hateful Vladimir had been when discussing homosexuality.
“I’m not trying to pry.” Levin looked back to her as if it pained him to ask for details. “But are you saying that the three of you are in some kind of relationship where the two guys also…”
“Yes, that’s exactly what she’s saying,” Legend boomed, daring Levin to say one dumb thing. If anything, she didn’t doubt his love for Tavish. Because it was obvious that’s what it was. She’d seen it up close and personal.
“Huh.” Tension melted from Levin’s body. She wondered if she’d ever seen him at anything other than full alert before. “Okay, then I will do what you ask.”
“You will?” Karolena asked at the same time as Jordan.
He nodded. “With one condition.”