20
Lyon leaned back in his chair, his feet on the desk, and worried the engagement ring between his fingers. It was a simple ten-carat emerald-cut diamond, and he’d been worried ever since he’d picked it up that Kira wouldn’t like it.
The wedding ring she’d chosen for herself had been a simple diamond-encrusted band. Would she think this one ostentatious? Would she hate it? Be disappointed he didn’t know her well enough to know she would hate it?
He sighed. It had seemed perfect under the lights at Tiffany’s in New York, the diamond winking from every angle.
He brought it to his face and read the tiny inscription: For my malen'kiy sokol. Ya obozhayu tebya.
He’d agonized over the inscription, finally settling on his old nickname for Kira — little falcon — and the phrase I adore you in Russian.
I love youhadn’t seemed strong enough to express his feelings. Now that he’d finally given voice to them, now that they’d been returned, he wanted to shout them from the rooftop.
He didn’t just love his wife. He adored her, and he planned to spend the rest of his life proving it to her.
Starting with this ring he hoped she wouldn’t hate.
“Hey.” Alek appeared in the door frame.
Lyon tucked the ring into his pocket and dropped his feet from the desk. “Come in.”
Alek did, closing the door behind him and taking the seat across from Lyon’s desk.
“How are the men?” Lyon asked.
“Solid,” Alek said without hesitation. “Stefan and Markus are playing pool in the rec room while Oleg complains about the state of the world. No sign of dissension in the ranks.”
“Good,” Lyon said. “What’s the word from Borya?”
Alek reluctantly shook his head. “It’s not good. Support for Ivan among the Spies seems firm. Borya is trying to undermine that support, but he has to be careful and that makes it slow going.”
Lyon understood. Borya couldn’t come out and suggest the other Spies abandon support for Ivan, who’d been on the council with some of them for decades. They didn’t know about Ivan’s mentorship of Lyon, his plans to eliminate Lyon so that he could take Lyon’s place.
To poison the well, Borya had to move slowly, planting seeds of doubt, hoping those seeds sprouted into vines that spread throughout the Spies, time was something they didn’t have. Aksana’s arrival indicated Russia was preparing to make their move, and that meant Lyon had to move first.
“Time to call Roman then,” Lyon said. He’d filled Alek — and only Alek — in on his conversations with Roman in New York.
Alek scrubbed his face with one hand. “You sure you want to do that?”
“No,” Lyon said. “But it’s the only move we have right now unless we want to play defense.”
Alek nodded, and Lyon had the sense his friend was holding something back.
“What is it?” Lyon asked.
“Eliminating Ivan might squash Russia’s bid to take over Chicago, at least temporarily,” Alek said. “But it might also accelerate their plans.”
“I’ve considered that possibility, but I don’t think we have any choice. We’ll just have to work with Roman on the most advantageous timing and plan for every eventuality.”
“Worst case, it will buy us some time,” Alek said.
“That’s what I’m counting on. They won’t want to take over the organization with a power vacuum. The point of grooming Ivan was to have a replacement king already on the board. It will take time to dig into Ivan’s death. By the time they’re ready to make another move, we might have movement on the Spies.”
Or more information about who was paying Lyon’s mother.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we’re working with Roman Kalashnik against Ivan,” Alek said. “We’re in uncharted territory.”
Lyon didn’t disagree, which was why he was itching to focus on something more familiar, something more certain.
“You busy?” Lyon asked, rising to his feet.
“Not for another couple of hours,” Alek said. “I’m going to check in on the crew in Wicker Park tonight. I think someone might be on the take.”
“Anything I should worry about?” Lyon asked.
Alek shook his head. “Strictly low level, but we want to shut that shit down now.”
“Come on,” Lyon said. “I need to get to the house in Lake Forest.”