Chapter 24 – Artur #2
I sent him the coordinates and told him to be as discreet about the operation as possible. Even Anatoli was in the dark about my plan B because I didn’t trust him either.
A part of me was glad he wasn’t in on Sergei’s treachery. It would’ve been such a shame to waste him.
He approached me, his palm on my shoulder. “I don’t know how you pulled this off, but thank you, brother. You saved my life. For that, I owe you one.”
My response was a subtle nod.
“Listen, I uh…I had no idea Sergei was going to sell us out,” he added, his voice tinged with a hint of regret.
“It’s a good thing I saw it coming then.” I tapped his shoulder and walked away.
From the warehouse, I drove straight to the safehouse, my mind reeling with the possibilities of my wife’s reaction. She wasn’t expecting me, and I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face.
I’d missed her so much. More than I ever cared to admit. But now that the war was over, I was going to make sure I spent every moment of my life with her.
My grip tightened around the steering wheel as I drove all night, my car speeding through the city like a missile. I arrived at the cabin in the early hours of the morning before sunrise.
I pulled over outside the building, the guards on high alert, bowing as I walked past them.
“Boss.” Dimitry approached me, a faint grin tugging at the corners of his lips. “Good to have you back, sir.”
I shook his hand. “Where’s my wife?”
“Asleep in the bedroom.”
I moved past him and into the building. The other guards greeted me as I rushed up the stairs. The closer I drew to her room, the more cautious I became. I didn’t want to make any noise that would wake her up.
The door opened after a gentle creak, revealing the dark interior. She was supposed to be asleep. Yet it was dark in here, and Celine liked to sleep with the lights on.
Strange.
I walked in stealthily, heading straight to the bed. However, the closer I drew, the more I realized the bed was empty. The sheets were a tangled mess, indicating that someone had been lying there not long ago.
The source of light in this dark room was the full moon streaming in through the open window.
I took one step at a time as I moved through the shadows, questioning if I was in the wrong room. But I knew I wasn’t, because I caught the scent of her perfume in the air. Where was she? In the bathroom?
When I halted beside her bed, I heard the sound of a gun cocking behind me.
“Who are you?”
It was her voice.
She couldn’t recognize me in the dark, especially with my black outfit.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” she added, her voice laced with the familiar growl of a dangerous individual. “Don’t make me ask a second time. Who are you?”
I raised my hands in the air where she could see them and then turned around gently. She was standing at a corner, the gun held up in front of her, ready to pull that trigger.
“You asked me to return in one piece. Well, here I am,” I said calmly, spreading out my arms.
Her breath hitched, and she rushed to turn on the lights. The excitement in her eyes when she saw me clearly warmed my heart. Her hands trembled as she set the gun on a table and covered her mouth.
“Are you just gonna stand there?” I teased.
Before I could finish talking, she ran into my arms and hugged me tightly. She didn’t let go. No. Instead, she held on as if she wanted to be sure she wasn’t dreaming.
“Are you really here?” she whispered amidst sobs.
“Yes, I am.” I stroked her hair backward, my other hand wrapped around her waist. “I promised you I was gonna come back, didn’t I?”
She lifted her head and met my gaze, her hand finding my cheek. “Turns out you always keep your promises.”
I responded with a genuine smile.
“Is it over now?” she whispered, searching my eyes for the truth before I spilled them.
I nodded.
She let out a soft sigh of relief. “And Rocco?”
I drew a deep breath. “Let’s just say he took a trip to the world below.”
“Hmm. I’m pretty sure he and the devil have a lot to discuss.”
I laughed.
That was the first genuine laugh I’d had in a long time. Her eyes sparkled, just like mine, as we held each other's gaze.
“Beautiful,” I said, watching the gorgeous grin on her lips. “You’re beautiful.”
Her cheeks flushed, eyelashes battering at me.
I reached out and placed a hand on her belly. “How’s our little girl?”
She threw her arms around my neck. “What makes you so sure it’s a girl?”
“Wanna bet?”
She laughed, refusing to look away. “Our baby girl’s fine.”
“And you?”
She hesitated, her smile retained. “Never better.”
The Bratva believed I’d grown soft because of her. They were wrong. All of them. She didn’t make me weak. She made me stronger, more human. She taught me how to view the world through a different lens, one that wasn’t broken.
In my opinion, every ruthless monster out there would be a better version of themselves if they had a woman like Celine in their lives. Not to soften them. But strike a balance between good and evil. Light and darkness.
Men like me understood only one language in this world: violence. It was nice to learn something other than what we were taught growing up.
Her influence rubbed off on me just as much as mine rubbed off on her. The same way she awakened the humanity in me was how I awakened the survivor in her.
She was no longer that timid, weak girl who was kidnapped and brought to the mansion. She was different. Wiser. Stronger. More mindful of her surroundings.
I was impressed by how she had me at gunpoint, thinking I was an intruder. That only meant that she was alert enough to have sensed something creeping into her room.
Once again, she proved that she was capable of defending herself. And our unborn child.
I couldn’t be prouder of the woman she’d become.
Bold.
Smart.
Fearless.
Dangerous.