“I won’t be long,” Vic added sheepishly.

He walked out with his father, closing the door behind him. Livy yawned, pulled off her clothes, and naked, stretched out stomach-down on the bed. She picked up the book Vic had tossed and read the back cover. She barely made it halfway through before she rolled her eyes and tossed the book back onto Vic’s side of the bed.

Vic walked out the front door of Novikov’s house. His mother sat sideways in the rental car, her legs hanging out and crossed at the knees, while she freshened up her lipstick.

Coming down the stairs, Vic stopped by Livy’s honey badger uncles. “Mind not staring at my mother like that?” he asked, trying desperately to keep in mind they were Livy’s blood relatives.

“Your mother is very pretty,” Balt remarked, his brothers smiling beside him.

Vic gave a short roar that managed to shake the house windows and moved the car a few feet.

The smiling turned to badger sneering. “That is annoying, hybrid,” Balt snarled.

“We have no time for this.” Vladik grabbed Balt and Gustav from behind and, ignoring the hissing and claws, tossed them toward the front door, quickly followed by Otto and Kamil. He was reaching for David when that badger held up his hands.

“I can walk, bear. I can walk.”

“Come.” Vladik moved to the car, remotely releasing the Mercedes-Benz trunk. “Take this.”

Vic opened the heavy briefcase, looked in, blinked, gazed at his father. “Seriously?”

“Take it. Use it. You cannot just sit around all day using your tail inappropriately with that She-badger—”

“Papa!”

“—and not do something to help yourselves out of this situation.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Victor,” his mother called out. “Victor, my dear. Come to Mama.”

Vic closed the briefcase and walked around the car to his mother. He crouched down in front of her since he knew she wasn’t about to stand.

“Take this,” she said, touching the case. “Use it.” She lowered her voice to a whisper, “Hide it from badgers. They are nothing but thieves.”

“Mama.”

“I do not mean your little Olivia. She has no distinct criminal record for at least a decade now. That is good. But her family.” She rolled her eyes. “Good luck protecting your wallet.”

Before Vic could ask his mother to stop—or just simply repeat “Mama” with tone—she went on. “The thing you must remember is getting this Whitlan person is just part of what you need to do. If you want to protect your badger, you’ll need to ensure Chumakov is made impotent.”

Vic reared back a bit from his mother. “That doesn’t sound right. Are you sure you’re using the rightword?”

“Do not insult me, Victor Barinov. Ungrateful boy!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Be smart. Take care of this.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Now kiss me so we can go.”

“Where are you going?”

“To do what we can from our end.”

“Which is what, exactly?”

“Why do you question me so?” his mother bellowed. “It is like you do not trust me!”

“I trust you! I trust you!”

Vic kissed his mother on both cheeks and stood while he was grabbed by his father in one of his all-encompassing hugs, then kissed twice on both cheeks.

“My brilliant, amazing son!” Vladik boomed. “Do not get yourself killed or my rarely seen rage will be unleashed on the entire world!”

“I know, Papa.”

“Good. And you take good care of our little Olivia. Your mother may find her too tiny to be worthy of love—”

“When did I say that?”

“—but I like her. She is good for you and doesn’t appear to find your awkward silences off-putting.”

“Thanks, Papa.”

Vic walked back into the bedroom, a briefcase in his hand. Shen was beside him, but when they saw Livy naked and on top of the comforter, Vic shoved the leering panda out of the room by poor Shen’s face.

“Hey!” Shen yelled through the door. “What was that for?”

“What are you doing?” Vic asked Livy.

“Waiting for you.”

“How about some clothes?”

“I felt like being naked.”

“What do you mean, you felt like being naked?”

“I really don’t know how to make that sentence any clearer.”

“There are people all over the house.”

“My family’s seen me naked. And there are no cubs . . . so I’m not sure what the problem is except you’re jealous that Shen saw my ass.”

“Yes,” Vic replied. “I am jealous he saw your ass.”

“It is a nice ass!” Shen yelled through the door. “You should feel very proud!”

“Thank you!” Livy called back.

Vic yanked the door open, and Livy heard Shen’s big panda feet running away.

“Enjoy that, did you?” he asked, slamming the door.

“I do so like being naked,” she teased. “If I could, I’d walk around naked all day long.”

Vic chuckled. “And if I could, I’d let you.”

Vic placed the case his parents had given him in the closet and stretched out on the bed with his back against the headboard. If Livy noticed the case, she certainly didn’t show it.