ALICE Ch 395

“Wait. Wait,” Glynda says, getting to her feet and standing between the amazon and Alice. Riley’s beside her, and Annette stands as well. “Just wait.”

“We’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt anybody,” Riley agrees. “Adella was right. Glynda was right. I was wrong. Annette was wrong. OK? You win. All right? You win.”

Irina is serene. “I know,” she replies.

There’s a beep and a click. Everyone turns to see the door open. Aki comes through, followed by Julieta, Lotte, and Ingrid.

Irina frowns and taps her phone against her thigh. “Who invited you?”

Glynda gasps and goes white at the sight of Lotte’s battered state. Lotte’s gaze, directed at Irina, is distinctly unfriendly. The atmosphere changes sharply when Aki draws a gun and points it at Irina’s face.

“I have fifteen bullets, but I only need one,” Aki says, all steely cool. “You’re very rich, Irina. But you can’t take it with you. Maybe you can handle the Japanese police. I’ve already notified them. Maybe you can handle the international media; they’ll be interested. But can your money stop a bullet?”

Irina isn’t smiling now. She lifts two fingers, and the amazons getting ready to rush Aki hesitate.

“Let’s go,” Aki says.

“This won’t change anything,” Irina says.

Glynda notices Irina’s fingers moving. She reaches forward and snatches the phone away, but she’s already sent a text—in Russian. “What does this say?” she demands, grabbing the neck of Irina’s dress.

FF1

A door bangs open like a gunshot, and Adella stops with her hand on the railing, listening to the heavy footsteps approaching. She moves to the middle of the staircase as the amazon jogs into view, stopping at the sight of her.

The moment is long and awkward, in part because the amazon stares at Adella’s outfit, which boasts a small but noticeable stain from precum, a result of grinding on Irina. She might not be the nicest person, but a younger Adella would not have thought twice about filling up a condom inside Irina in some club bathroom.

Adella turns her cocky smile up to 11. “Are you lost?”

FF1

Irina smiles at the phone in Glynda’s hand. “It says that FUTA will be under my ownership soon. Alice Wilde and Valeria Flores will be my drivers. Some other teams will have a good year, and some will not. In the end, one of my drivers will be world champion. There will be many parties like tonight, and you will keep it all running for me, Glynda. You will have a real pit crew, at least. And I would want my world champion to be my daughter-in-law,” she adds to Alice. “Everything will be so much easier when we are family. Then my success is your success, and you will begin to understand how things really are.”

“We are going to leave now,” Aki announces.