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“It’s so fucking sexy” I trace the outline of the brilliant stone “Do you want to see?”

She nods

I go back to the bathroom and return with aas she studies the sparkly stone that adorns her asshole I’ like that, but I a, if not tearing, her

After I set the ht so she’s lying flat on her stoher shoulders, back, and buttocks to help her relax When she’s soft and pliant, I press a kiss to the top of her crease

“Stay,” I order “I’ll be back in a few minutes with breakfast”

As usual, breakfast waits in the war drawer Tima made syrniki Served with sour creae cheese pancakes are h a shower and get dressed quickly She’s dozing off again when I kiss her goodbye It takes much willpower to tear myself away from her and walk out of the room

Igor and Leonid are waiting in the foyer when I get downstairs Di

“Guard her with your life,” I tell Igor His orders are to protect Katerina when I’m not here

He nods with a steely expression

“Ready?” I ask Leonid

Heme the pistol in his waistband

We drive to my office in a convoy of five cars I expect an ambush everyto get the fight over with and kill thehappens, and half an hour later, we arrive safely at

Grigori greets me with coffee and a stack of reports A pile of contracts waits on ned Once he’s briefed me on what I’veup with the tasks on my priority list

At noon sharp, Adrian calls on the secure line

“What do you have formy chair toward the

“So”

My body tenses with anticipation “Go on”

“I’ve been keeping tabs on Oleg Pavlov, as you requested A huge amount of money was recently moved from his bank account and distributed between various accounts Some of those are offshore and others local Froed to trace a portion of it Some of the money ended up in Bitcoin and so ned the systeoose chase” He pauses “It turns out all the diversions lead back to one place, or should I say, one person”

“Who?” I demand

“A hacker in Moscow Goes by the nareat pains to keep his identity concealed I’m afraid I don’t have his real name for you yet”

A snowflake drifts down and sticks to the“What did Pavlov ith a hacker?”