Slowly, Livy faced the canine. “You know what, Blayne?” Livy said mildly. “You’re absolutely right. I did.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “And it felt good.”

The wolfdog gasped, her mouth dropping open, but before she could say anything else, Livy walked out.

Halfway down the hall, she passed Coop. “Hey,” Livy said, grabbing his arm. “Do me a favor.”

“Sure.”

“If you’re going to the kitchen, make sure to drink out of the orange juice bottle that’s right in the front. The one with no pulp.”

“You’re the only one who drinks the one with no pulp. The rest of us like pulp.”

“I know. Just trust me on this.”

Coop shook his head. “You’re messing with Blayne again, aren’t you?”

“Well, your sister’s not here to do it, so I’m covering.” She squeezed his forearm. “That’s what friends do for each other, Coop.”

“Torment the innocent?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

They drove back to the territory that Ricky had taken Toni to the night before where they’d run for hours. Honestly, the land was even more beautiful in the day. So lush. And Ricky actually would love to come back in the dead of winter. To see all this covered in ice and snow. It must be amazing. Especially Lake Baikal itself.

Vic took them past the wooded area they’d run through and down a road until they reached a village. He pulled up in front of a small house with a pack of children running around.

“Where are we?”

“This is the home of Genka Kuznetsov.”

“Wait.” Ricky scratched his head. “Kuznetsov?”

“What’s wrong?”

Toni leaned forward. “Are they related to the Kuznetsov Pack in New York?”

“Do not mention the New York Kuznetsov Pack or your association with them,” Vic warned.

“Why not?”

“Sabina Kuznetsov is the daughter of Anton Kuznetsov. Her Pack of orphaned wild dogs took Sabina’s last name because they thought it sounded cooler than Jessica Ward’s last name, which in New York is true. Unfortunately, the reason Sabina ended up in New York was that her father was pushed out of the Pack by Genka who, to this day, loathes her brother with the fire of a thousand suns.”

“That’s a lot of heat,” Ricky noted.

“Exactly.”

“Then maybe we shouldn’t be here.”

“You need information. And that’s what the Kuznetsovs trade in. Information.”

“Okay.”

Vic looked between them. “You two ready?”

“Yep.”

They got out of the car, and adult wild dogs seemed to appear from everywhere. Surrounding the house and especially the kids, protecting them.

An older She-dog walked out of the house andstood on her small stoop. She had hair that was filled with a riot of colors like gold, brown, red, and white, but mostly blond. Lots of blond. “Why are you here, Victor Barinov?”

“I’ve brought friends for you, Genka. They need your help.”

The wild dog lifted her head, sniffed the air. “At least this time they’re canines. Unlike you.”

“I’m not canine, nor am I empty handed.” He lifted both his arms. In one hand he held two bottles of very expensive vodka. In the other, he had a basket filled with good French and Italian cheeses and water crackers from England.

That’s when the wild dogs no longer looked suspicious but instead raised their own arms in greeting, calling out Vic’s name. Genka opened her front door. “Come friends, come. Let’s sit inside and enjoy this wonderful bounty our friend Barinov brings us!”

So, that’s what they did.

Toni had to admit, she was fascinated. And extremely annoyed. Not at the wild dogs. Once they got some gifts, they were in great spirits. But the bears were playing games. Games that annoyed her.

“I like Novikov,” Genka said plainly, her English heavily accented but easily understood. “He is strong like polar but mean like lion. He is hybrid like you, Victor Barinov, but with talent.”

Barinov snorted. “Thanks, Genka.”

“Welcome.” She lit a cigarette, took a long drag, then pointed the cigarette at Toni. “You know, problem is not that Novikov kicked Yuri Asanov’s ass.”

“And Novikov truly kicked Yuri Asanov’s ass,” Genka’s older sister commented as she walked into the room and dropped onto the couch across the small living room.

“The problem is that he made the entire team look bad. They look weak. Now they want to make him look weak.”

“I can’t help them do that,” Toni said, shaking her head.

“Of course not. You are canine like me. We are loyal. Not like cats.” Genka looked pointedly at Barinov.

The hybrid threw up his hands. “Are you just going to abuse me while I’m here, Genka Kuznetsov?”

“Yes,” both Genka and her sister said together.

Genka again focused on Toni, took another drag from her cigarette. Toni hated the cigarette smell, but she wasn’t about to say that. God knew, she’d put up with worse over the years for her family; she could do the same for the team paying her so much money.

“See, they don’t tell you truth, little American,” Genka said, reaching for the bottle of vodka on the table and pouring herself another shot. “First off, those bears can all speak English as well as me, no matter how stupid they may act around you. In Russia, we all learn English at some point in school. Also, you think you are waiting to meet with man in charge. But Yuri Asanov is not in charge.”