Page 84 of The Brutal Arrangement

I laughed. “Well, as much as we’re practicing, it shouldn’t be long.”

“Girl, you’ve got to be sore!”

Just like that, we fell into a comical version of girl talk rather than discussing this nursery. It felt so good to have her to talk to, and I lowered my guard more and more.

It wasn’t just a girly chat, either. She shared more about how she’d come to be in the family, and she helped me understand more about what it was like to be in this building.

“It’s not an easy life,” she summed up once we got up and stretched from sitting in the unfurnished room.

“I can tell,” I joked.

“And this business with Nik being gone has everyone on edge.”

I nodded, leaving the room with her. Damon talked about his missing twin with me a couple of days ago. As soon as he said they were looking for him, I had this silly, stupid, intrusive thought that I’d heard that line before. That someone was looking for something. After the fact, I realized that was why Maxim had questioned me whether Katerina was looking for somethingor someone.

“Damon is worried about him,” I admitted. “And I wish he weren’t so nervous about something bad happening.”

Sloane nodded. “I think Maxim is worried, too, but he’s putting on a brave face.”

“Do you think Nik is staying hidden?” I asked her, desperate to hear her agree with what the other Ivanov brothers assumed.

She shrugged but ended up nodding. “Maybe. I didn’t have long to get to know Nik, but I can see it. He’s their spy guy.”

“Maxim is the boss.”

“For now,” she corrected. “Since Grigory is recovering.”

“And Damon is…” I glanced at her, not wanting to say it.

“Yes, he is,” she replied, also not fond of vocalizing that my husband was the one who headed up torture and enforcement.

“Nik is the spy,” I continued.

She nodded again.

“And what is Saul again?” I caught myself and shook my head. “Sorry. I’m not being nosy or prying or?—”

“Chill, Lucy. I know you’re not a spy.”

I exhaled a breath of relief. Some habits died hard. “I’m just trying to remember who’s who and what’s what.”

“It’s a lot, and this organization is much bigger than what’s in this one building. I’m not even going to try to remember it all. Maxim can tell me what I need to know. But Saul is sort of like the backup brother, I guess. He doesn’t seem to care where his responsibilities are—so long as he’s free to be the player he is.” She rolled her eyes.

“It always seems so complex. This is a family but then a business too.”

She put her arm around my shoulders. “Yeah, it is. But I’m glad you’re here now too. Don’t get me wrong, Anastasia is…” She scrunched up her face. “Well, I’m sure she’s all right. I’m not close to her.”

“Yet?”

“Let’s just say she doesn’t seem to approve of me.” She didn’t seem bothered about it. “And that’s fine. Maxim does. I care about that no matter how difficult it is to be with him and in this family.”

I nodded. I had taken a similar attitude with Damon.

“Because we love our men,” Sloane said with a contented sigh. “And that’s what truly counts the most.”

Letting my lips lift in a slow smile, I realized how right she was.

I couldn’t speak for her and how she felt about Maxim, but I saw how well they got along.

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