“I thought you would like them.”
He looked at me. “Why?”
“I heard that you have an appreciation for beautiful things.”
Hiro placed the lollipop back into the box, handed it to the blue-haired guy, and grabbed the other one. “And what is in this box? More pretty lollipops of gold?”
“Check and see.”
He opened it and froze.
Uh. . .is that a good sign?
Hiro called the others over. They surrounded him and went through the box, speaking in Japanese the whole time. After two minutes, Hiro returned to me. “Do you know what my biggest dilemma will be today, Ms. Jones?”
“No.”
“I don’t want to suck on any of your lollipops. All of them are so elegant and perfect.” He gave me a genuine smile. “This was very thoughtful. Because of that, I will give you a discount on your contract.”
I widened my eyes. “So. . .you will help Misha?”
“The Mosquito and I already have an arrangement. From this moment on, you and I have our own contract.”
Yefim shook his head. “That’s not what the arrangement will be. At this moment, she is representing Misha—”
“Misha is not here to confirm it.” Hiro’s expression turned wicked. “Would you like to call him?”
“That’s fine.” I let out a long breath. “Tell me the cost of your contract.”
Hiro leaned his head to the side. “Have you ever been to Tokyo?”
“No.”
“This year you will.”
I stirred. “Why will I be in Tokyo?”
“I have an enemy there. They call him the Dragon. His wife is your fan.”
“She likes ballet?”
“She likes you.” Hiro handed the other box of lollipops to the blond. “Perhaps his wife’s adoration stems from your similarities.”
“Similarities?”
“She’s also from New York and has the same African qualities.”
“She’s black?”
Hiro nodded.
I asked. “How do you know she is my fan?”
“There are pictures of you in her office. She’s also begged the Dragon to go to some of your performances. He bought tickets, but as you know the theater is closed until further notice.”
“So. . .you would want me to go to Tokyo and dance for them?”
“You will hold a private Tokyo performance for some of the high society. With the announcement of it, I have people in place that will make sure the Dragon and his wife goes.”
“This sounds too simple.”
“It is not easy to get the Dragon out of his fortress in Tokyo. This performance will make him vulnerable.”
“And. . .” I held my hands to my side. “And you’re going to kill him and his wife?”
“She’s done nothing to me.”
“What about the Dragon?”
“I haven’t decided if I’m going to kill him or not.”
“Why not?”
“It’s complicated, Ms. Jones.” He stepped forward, leaving only a foot between us. “But that is not your concern.”
“So, all I do is hold a private performance in Tokyo—”
“At the theater, date, and time of my choosing.”
“Anything else?”
“Make sure you dance for at least an hour and a half. You’ll need an orchestra. Whoever plans this must work with one of us.”
“Maybe I can get my agent to figure this out.”
“As long as she listens, I don’t care.”
“And the Dragon’s wife is safe?”
He nodded.
“What about anybody else? Like. . .people in the audience or—”
“We only kill our target and at this time, I’m not sure if the target will die.” He leaned his head to the side. “Does that make you feel comfortable?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t want to cause anyone undue harm?”
“I don’t.”
“Then, perhaps you’ve fallen in love with the wrong man.”
I frowned. “That’s my concern. Not yours.”
The wicked grin returned. “Do you have the location of the mother and child?”
“I will.”
“Once we get it, you only want them freed from Leonid?”
“Yes. . .unless. . .well what else can I get?”
He chuckled. “Not feeling too much of a savior when it comes to Leonid?”
I sighed. “Just make sure the mother and child are safe, please. If anyone gets in your way, then of course you should kill them.”
“And will you come with us? It would be fun.”
Yefim spoke, “She won’t be there.”
“When will we get the location?”
“I hope to have it soon.”
Hiro extended his hand. “Do we have a deal?”
“I know you will pick the date, but when do you think it would be?”
“Soon. The theater will probably be open by next month. So I would expect to do this in a few weeks.”
“That may not be enough time to get a proper performance together and—”
“Make it happen.”
Swallowing, I nodded. “Okay.”
Hiro gestured at his hand. “Deal?”
I shook his hand. “Deal. . .and. . .thank you for helping.”
“Thank you for the lollipops.” He winked, let go of my hands, and walked off. “We’ll prepare. Have the location soon. I wanted to dye my hair tonight.”Chapter 28
Misha
Leonid knew I was in Paris which meant that he had eyes on my private plane.
When I left the strip club, I chartered a private jet. To keep up impressions of my still using the private plane, I had my men go on there. They were instructed to leave two hours after me. I would get to St Petersburg before them. While Leonid assumed I was still flying to Russia, I would be in the city.