18. Cora
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
cora
The knock startled me as I was halfway through organizing my camera gear. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and Conall hadn’t mentioned visitors. I hesitated before pressing the intercom.
“Yes?” I asked cautiously.
Last week, Finn and I had decided on an uneasy truce. He buzzed up if someone was coming to the apartment, but otherwise, he didn’t hover outside. The arrangement was exactly what I needed for my little excursions.
“It’s Natasha,” a confident voice replied, followed by a giggle and another voice chiming in, “And Hollis. And Ronnie! Open up!”
Confusion tugged at me. Who? How’d they get past Finn?
The intercom buzzed again, this time with a cheerful urgency.
“Maxim sent us!” one of them called. “Well, kind of. Just open the door. We’re not axe murderers, I promise.”
Against my better judgment—or perhaps because their energy was infectious—I opened the door to reveal three women who could not have been more different from one another.
The tall one with lush dark hair that cascaded down her back and grey eyes stepped forward, a broad smile on her face. “You must be Cora. I’m Natasha, Maxim’s cousin.” She had the air of someone who could charm someone into submission.
The one beside her, shorter with a carefree vibe, grinned. “I’m Hollis, Dimitri’s wife. Don’t worry, we’re not as intimidating as we look.”
“And I’m Ronnie,” said the youngest, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Also Maxim’s cousin and his biggest headache.”
They were all beautiful in their own way. Ronnie was delicate and petite, and the other women almost dwarfed her. Her hair and skin were nearly translucent, but her eyes were gray-blue like Natasha’s. She resembled a little fairy.
I blinked, taking them in. “Uh, hi. What are you all doing here?”
“Rescuing you,” Hollis said with a wink, brushing past me into the apartment. Natasha and Ronnie followed without hesitation.
“From what?” I asked, still standing in the doorway, baffled.“How’d you get past the guard dog?”
“Pff. Easy peasy,” Ronnie said as she let herself in. “Oooh. Is that a kitten?” She squealed as she saw Clyde.
Natasha started to laugh.
“Oh my God. Is Max having an absolute conniption? He is terrified of cats.”
I grinned back at them as I shut the door.
“He does seem unnaturally tense around the little guy,” I chuckled. “So you’re rescuing me?”
“Of course, you can’t just stay home the night before your wedding, for one,” Natasha said, her tone brisk. “Maxim told us you don’t have any girlfriends in the city.”
“Well, or anywhere,” Ronnie added bluntly. Natasha shot her a look and then returned to giving Clyde little kisses.
“Ronnie,” Hollis scolded gently, but then she turned to me with a soft smile. “We’re here to fix that. Girls’ night out. What do you say?”
I stared at them. I wasn’t used to this—people showing up, wanting to include me in their world. It felt foreign but also... nice.
“I don’t know,” I said hesitantly. “I’ve never really done anything like that.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Natasha said, taking my hands firmly in hers. “Trust me, by the end of tonight, you’ll be glad you did. We’re going to have so much fun.”
“We need drinks. Let’s raid the bar. Max has a car for us, and Finn is bringing us pizza,” Natasha scouted around the apartment.
Conall had a very nice liquor assortment, and before long, we were well on our way to whatever fresh hell the trio had planned. I was a little afraid to ask, but I did text my fiancé.
Me: What is this chaos?
Maxim: They say they have a plan but don’t trust them.
Me:
Maxim: jk - I’m sure you’ll have a good time.
Me: What are you doing? Strippers?
Irrationally, jealousy flared at the thought that he might touch another woman or another woman might touch him.
Maxim: Of course, not
Me: Good
“So, we were banned from clubs since our last time,” Natasha’s eyes shot to Ronnie. “We went to a club thing there were issues.”
“Hey,” Ronnie said indignantly. “That really wasn’t my fault that someone tried to kill me.”
Color me interested.
“I’d love to hear all about this,” I admitted.
“It’s boring,” Ronnie’s mouth set in a frown. She looked adorable, glaring at her sister with the froth of all that hair around her. Ronnie had a goth girl vibe going on that I sort of envied, and it really worked with her coloring. She grinned evilly. “I lived. The end. You could ask Max. He was there.”
“You can text him in the car,” Hollis said, looking at her phone. Out of the three of them, she was the quietest one. “Pizza is here. Finn texted.”
“You have Finn’s number?” My eyes widened.
“Shush. I just got it right now for exactly this. Dima would murder him if it were for anything else.”
“Seems to run in the family — the murdering.” The way the others looked nervously at each other, I knew I wasn’t far off.
The car ride was alive with chatter and laughter as Natasha, Ronnie, Hollis, and I exited the city. Ronnie was laughing so hard that she had to get out her inhaler after she started coughing. The others hadn’t been alarmed, but it had scared me when she began huffing and wheezing like she couldn’t breathe. Natasha had just calmly pulled Ronnie’s purse close, riffled through it, and found an inhaler.
After a few moments, she was fine, but I watched her warily for a few minutes.
Finn sat in the front seat with the driver, visibly on edge, but the four of us were wrapped up in our world of chaos. We had a follow car with a ridiculous group of another four other bodyguards, which seemed unwarranted, but Natasha said they were non-negotiable. She had pizza boxes stacked beside her, and the faint scent of tequila still lingered from the earlier shots.
“Where are we going?” I asked, leaning forward and taking another slice of pizza. “And why are we leaving Manhattan?”
“You’ll see,” Natasha said with a mysterious smile.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing illegal,” Hollis added, then paused. “Well, probably not illegal.”
“Why don’t I believe you,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s legal-ish,” Ronnie chimed in. “You’re going to love it. Trust us.”
“I’m not sure I have much of a choice,” I replied, though I couldn’t help but smile at their infectious energy.
When we crossed the bridge into Jersey, I wondered what they had planned. Eventually, the car pulled into a brightly lit go-kart venue surrounded by high fences and neon lights.
“A go-kart track?” I asked, my surprise evident.
“Not just any go-kart track,” Natasha said, hopping out of the car. “Max rented the whole place for us. No crowds, no lines. Just us and the track. Supposedly, you can drive about 40 miles an hour on the track. Should be fun.”
“I can’t believe Maxim signed off on this,” Finn said as we walked toward the entrance.“You eejits are scattered.”
Ronnie’s nose wrinkled as she peered at him.
“Drunk. He’s saying we’re drunk,” I clarified.
“Don’t be a party pooper, Finnster.”
“Don’t worry about him, Ronnie.” Natasha slung an arm over her sister’s shoulder, and Ronnie grabbed my hand. “We’re going to have so much fun. Oh, and Max wasn’t happy about the whole thing,” Natasha replied with a mischievous grin. “We told him it was for his peace of mind. You know, fewer strangers, tighter security. It was for him, really.”
Ronnie snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure he bought that.”
“We did say that we could hire some male strippers instead,” Hollis said wickedly, taking my other arm. “Come on. Let’s drive some cars.”
Inside, the staff handed out helmets and directed us toward the track.I wondered if I should tell them I’d never driven a car, but I figured winging it seemed like a good plan.
“I’ve never done this before,” I admitted as I adjusted the strap on my helmet, settling on a vague half-truth.
“Well, you’re in for a treat,” Hollis said, her eyes sparkling excitedly. “But fair warning—I’m competitive.”
“So am I,” Natasha added, cracking her knuckles. “Don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re the bride.”
“Noted,” I said with a laugh.
Strapping into her kart, Ronnie said, “You guys can fight for second place. I’m winning this.”
“She is kind of a bad driver,” Natasha admitted. “Eli even says she’s terrible.”
The first race was pure chaos. Natasha took the lead early, weaving expertly around the curves, while Hollis and I battled it out for last place. True to her word, Ronnie zipped through the course like she was born to it, laughing maniacally every time she overtook one of us.
“Watch out, rookie!” Natasha yelled as she sped past me, her kart nearly clipping mine.
“Oh, it’s on now!” I shouted back, gripping the wheel tighter and leaning into the next turn.The whole driving thing wasn’t that hard. I kind of liked it.
Hollis, hot on my tail, shouted, “No fair! I was about to pass her!”
By the time the race ended, my cheeks hurt from smiling. Ronnie took first place, of course, with Natasha close behind. Hollis and I finished neck and neck, arguing good-naturedly over who crossed the line first.
“Let’s call it a tie,” Hollis said, clapping me on the back. “You held your own out there. That bump game of yours was on point.”
Between races, we sat at a small table near the track, devouring slices of pizza and gulping down water. The atmosphere was electric, filled with teasing banter and the occasional outburst of laughter.
“So, Cora,” Natasha said, leaning back in her chair, “what’s it like marrying into our chaos?”
I smiled, wiping my hands on a napkin. “A little overwhelming, honestly, but also, it’s kind of amazing. My brother moved me to Ireland when I was young, and I never made friends there. I’ve been on my own. I felt like it, anyway. I’ve never had anything like this before,” I admitted.
“Well, get used to it,” Hollis said warmly. “You’ve got us now. No backing out.”
Ronnie raised her water bottle in a mock toast. “To Cora. Welcome to the madhouse.”
I laughed, clinking my bottle against hers. “Happy to be here.”
“When I met Dimitri, my daughter and I didn’t have any family either. I know how you feel,” Hollis said softly.
Throughout the evening, she’d confided some of her story of how she’d met Maxim’s brother — how he’d saved her when she was trafficked. My heart nearly beat from my chest when she explained everything that had happened. I knew she was safe now, but it sounded so scary.
“Thanks, Hollis. I had family, but sometimes they felt farther than the ocean separating us, if that makes sense.”
“It does.”
By the time we wrapped up, the track lights were dimming, signaling the end of the night. As we piled back into the car, exhausted but exhilarated, I couldn’t help but feel a warmth in my chest.
For the first time in years, I felt like I belonged—not just to Maxim but to these incredible women who had welcomed me into their world without hesitation.
Tomorrow would bring the wedding, the vows, and the whirlwind of a new life. But tonight? Tonight, I was just Cora—laughing, racing, and loving every minute.