Status Updates From Cardinal of Hope (The Cardi...

“So, on top of...everything, Callie’s been shot,” Corbin concluded. “Again.”
“And kidnapped, again,” Bryce added, taking the paper when Duane passed it off and looking over it himself. “This confirms that she didn’t just try to run again.”

“But I’m playing too, right? What do I get if I win?”
“Kiss from me!” Aleks shouted.
I bit my lip. It was a tempting prize. In fact, it was too tempting. Maybe if it was just Aleks and me here, but...
“How cute,” Jace commented, sitting on the cushion to my left and patting my head. “She thinks she’ll beat us.”

Someone—not CJ because my eyes hadn’t left that impending wreck of doom—but someone yelled out, “Boo!”
I didn’t know what happened, but my body just dropped to the floor as if I was a puppet with its strings cut. I curled up into a ball at Aleks’s feet, put my hands over my ears, and closed my eyes.
Because if I couldn’t see or hear them, then they weren’t there.
Riiight.

Jace cleared his throat. “I don’t know whether to break this up...or get popcorn.”
My eyes were round. I was running out of options. “Help,” I pleaded, looking over at Jace. He didn’t seem all that motivated to move though.
“So...popcorn then?” Jace asked, debating with himself.
Jace agreed with himself using his phone’s voice to say, “FUCK...YES.”

“I tell her nothing, CJ. Medvezhonok is smart and playing you like trumpet.”
“Violin,” Jace corrected.
“Nyet, violins are difficult. Trumpets have three buttons. Much easier to play. Trumpet,” Aleks stated.
Jace didn’t know how to respond to that and shook his head at the absurdity of the conversation.
Ignoring them both, CJ’s eyes widened as they flew to mine, narrowing a bit. “Is that so?”

I’d been picking up some tricky, tricky interrogation techniques from Emerson and Dr. Harper. So, I questioned, “Is that true, CJ?” 😂

CJ and Aleks’s conversation drew my attention as it became more heated. Aleks was yelling in Russian. CJ was talking back in English, but it seemed as if he understood the gist of what the Russian was saying even if he didn’t speak the language.
“I understand what CJ’s saying. Twin telepathy, you know?
I grinned. “He’s yelling about waffles,” I said

Sabra nodded at me. Natasia patted my shoulder. Darcy winked and ruffled my hair into a mess. Triz gave me a tight, full-bodied hug, and

Yolo barely blinked my way after pecking me on the lips before following the others out. I shook my head, confused by her contradictory actions.

Corbin informed the room, “Callie headbutted him in the nose.”
Lots of kitchen eyebrows went up at that.
Yolo said, “Ma petite, you continue to surprise me more every day.”
Corbin stopped laughing, tilting his head to the side. “My little?”
Yolo smirked means something more like sweetheart.”
The laughing hyenas quieted down.
“Medvezhonok is not your lover!”
“Not yet.”

Aleks’s soothing voice murmured more incomprehensible Russian words in his sleep, somehow pulling me even closer as his large hand reached up to ever so gently cup something that hadn’t been cupped before.
It was a calm move that upended my entire world.
My cheeks blazed red.

Boom! Off went keg Brock.
Boom! Off went keg Emerson with a smaller explosion from the vet sounding a fraction of a second behind.
But keg Natasia, Triz, Darcy, and—shockingly enough—Sabra all exploded in a surging rush of their native languages. Yolo “Not bad, Callie. Not bad at all.”

Brock returned to the room looking—not calm but contained. I had a feeling Brock wouldn’t be in the room long before he’d have to control his anger again.
Poor Brock.
My hunch was correct.

Brock swore once more and stormed back out of the room.

Natasia blew that plan out of the water by stating plainly, “You were on a cargo ship, weren’t you?”
I only hesitated for a second before nodding.
Brock and Aleks, having understood the Russian words, swore.
“What? What’d she say?” Jace asked, looking around. “Speak English! Or, hell, German!”

He sent me a wink and started the motorcycle up with the habitual ease that only came from experience. “Sorry I lied, but I wanted an excuse to hold onto you.”
Knowing the motorcycle might draw attention, I clambered on behind him, deciding to hold my thoughts about his little trick until later.

Bryce gave an exasperated groan. “Please tell me this will be quick,” he said into the speaker phone. “I’ve got Tech 1 and Tech 2 here making goo-goo eyes at each other over their machines. It’s disconcerting.”

“Tell me, Tate Twin, is it your goal in life to terrify dear Callina?” Bryce drawled.

Brock was silent for a moment before he crossed his arms and ducked his head in a subtle bow. “So how do you think you can help Callie?”
“Aikido,” she replied.
“Gesundheit. Bless you,” Jace joked.
Yolo rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, Brock should’ve shown you just how capable he is of handling anything you’ve got...even the Krav Maga.”

Brock’s head whipped around to stare at me.
Jace frowned. “I think I’ve heard of that before. It’s a type of martial arts, right?”
“Krav Maga is not just—” Brock frowned, still studying me. “It’s the most brutal form of martial arts.” He was looking at me with new eyes.

“What are the rules?” Brock asked, his eyes assessing Aleks. “I want to make sure there’s no dirty fighting.”
Aleks threw his head back and laughed. “Ah, you amuse me, Boulder. You think I cheat?”
“Yes.”
Yolo had kept me close to her,. “Pretend you are fighting for Callie’s hand in marriage.”
The humor slipped from Aleks’s face.

Yolo sent me a soft smile before she leaned forward and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips. Up close and underneath the cloying scent of her Chanel No. 5, she smelled like warm lavender on a breezy summer’s day. She leaned back and offered me a hand to help me up. I let out a big breath and took it.
Cute