“Kerry, I have no words for this.”
“You think she’ll like it? Or at least not be mad about it?”
“Mad?If I were her, I’d drop my panties and climb you like a tree.”
“Mira!” My jaw dropped. “Rome, come get this girl.”
The jerk snickered. He was no help at all.
“Hold still now.” Brushing Mira aside, Yuri finished up my back.
When he was done, he handed me my balled-up shirt and knew better than to ask me if I needed help. After I got it on, he held up the page from my sketchbook.
“Can I have this?”
“Why do you want it?” I asked.
“It’s too beautiful to throw away. All your work is.” He smiled. “It’s not like you need it with a permanent copy on your back, and I promise I won’t use it as flash. I want to frame it.”
“I don’t know,” I stalled.
“It’s a compliment to your talent, Kerry,” Rome told me.
“And he’s right about it being too good for the garbage can,” Mira chimed in. “Think of all the work you put into it.”
She was right, and the fact he wanted to frame it, like it was real art, made me feel good inside. Still, I needed him to understand one thing.
“We have a good relationship, don’t we, Yuri?”
I thought I’d kept my tone even, but he still took a step back.
“Da.”
“I’ve always paid you whatever you asked without haggling and let you keep all my originals for free and your own use, right?”
“Da.”
He took another step back.
“You can keep that. You can even sell the tiger design if you want.” I narrowed my eyes and put a little power in myvoice. “But if you ever inkheron anyone else, I will end you. You feel me?”
“Da.”
Skirting around me, he walked us to the door. We’d already kept him ten minutes past his closing time, which was why I added an extra C note to the wad of cash I handed him.
“Wunderbaras always,” I told him. “Thank you.”
“Pazhalusta.”
The others said their goodbyes, and we headed back to the safe house. Mira tucked her hand in Rome’s elbow and laid her head against his arm. His face didn’t change, but I could tell that made him happy.
Good.I nodded to myself.I think they’ll be fine now.
“What doeswunderbarmean?” she interrupted my thoughts.
“I picked it up from Kasparian. It’s German for wonderful.” Since the two words sounded so much alike, I could remember it.
“And what did Yuri say right before we left?”
