Chapter 46 #2
Aleksei snaps at him in Russian, making Roshka look over his shoulder at his master. They have a moment of staring each other down. Aleksei breaks first and snaps a handful of words at Roshka in Russian that sound a lot like a bark.
I tickle his ears, then force his big head towards Aleksei, making him listen to his master instead of getting spoiled rotten.
Aleksei is looking at me, almost the same as he did his dog, not impressed.
“I know he is a weapon, but he’s the cutest, fluffiest, bestest boy too.”
“Don’t be soft with him. You need to be firmer.” Aleksei pours a glass of wine for me before doing the same to everyone.
“That’s your job, Aleksei. He is yours to command.”
“As are you,” he says, grinning wickedly.
“I guess I am,” I admit, and that makes his smile get even bigger. “Now, who’s going to tell me where we’re going?”
Kade holds a dish up, the offer to fill my plate pretty obvious. I nod before I reach around, going to grab another dish to share, but Santiago gives me a look that stops me in my tracks.
“You’re going to have to get used to us looking after you, Quinn. Maybe in time it will lessen, but right now I need to do this as a way of reining in my control.”
“Okay.” I sit back in my seat, giving the three of them the space to do what they need to. My plate gets filled to overflowing, each of them adding a serving to mine before they do their own.
Santiago waits until the food is served before he picks up his wineglass. “A toast to our beautiful mate and the formation of our pack.”
“And what name are we using?”
Both Aleksei and Santiago look at each other, neither of them budging, by the looks.
“Perhaps we use a hyphenated pack name?” Kade suggests, reaching over so his hand rubs over my shoulders.
“I have no issue with that,” I say, leaning my head against his arm.
Like they need to look after me, I’ve found myself continually yearning for their affection since we’ve packed. Touching them feels like a necessity. I suspect it’s because our bond is in the initial stages, our bodies knowing if we’re close as close can be, our bond will get stronger, more solid.
“Although, until we deal with Victor, I suspect it’s going to be Pack Petrov.” I start to eat and they follow suit.
The lack of anything from them confirms they’ve already spoken about this.
“What else did you talk about while I was sleeping the day away?” I ask, taking another bite. “This is delicious, by the way. Thank you.”
I get a similar response from each of them, confirmation they heard my thanks. It’s important to me, sharing thanks and receiving it. I love that they mirror my sentiment.
“Nothing is decided, bebe, and we would never do that. Our pack name is always going to be an issue because of who I am and who Aleksei is.”
I take another bite, and everyone is quiet as we eat until I answer. “Makes sense.”
When I turn, Aleksei is smirking as he chews, looking at Santiago. I put my fork down and wait for Santiago to start talking.
“It’s not the biggest issue we face.”
“Clearly not.”
Kade’s also grinning, which isn’t exactly like him; he’s usually more reserved. All it does it confirm Santiago is the one who’s either tasked with telling me something, or he insisted upon it.
“Don’t stop eating, bebe. Please.”
I pick up my fork and take a bite.
“We probably have four main issues we need to talk about and hopefully resolve tonight.”
“Only four?” I grin, teasing them.
When I get a soft noise of warning from him, my eyes drop, making the sound get louder. “Bebe.”
“I promise I’ll be good.”
Kade takes over when Santiago and I start staring instead of talking. “First one is obviously Victor.”
“Easy. I’m going to kill him.”
Aleksei lays his fork down and sits back in his chair, looking like a pompous dick. And now he’s got as much challenge in his eyes as Santiago did.
I match his pose, holding his gaze. “He is my father, Aleksei. I get to kill him. Of course, you can be with me the whole time, but I have everything I need, and I will be the one doing it.”
“You don’t need the stain associated with his death on your soul. You are my wife. I will carry that for you.”
“You are my husband, one of my Alphas, but I won’t let you do that. Not with this.”
“How would you kill him, then?” The color in his eyes darkens, but I know it’s not directed at me; it’s the subject matter.
I laugh under my breath but hold a finger up. “Let’s go back a step.” I shuffle around to face Kade properly. “Are you returning to Interpol?”
I ignore the sounds both Santiago and Aleksei make.
“It’s not impossible. It would be difficult, given you’re packed with two men heavily involved in the criminal underworld, but if you still wanted your career, Kade, we would make it happen.”
And it’s true. I’d be saying something similar to both Aleksei and Santiago if they were in his shoes. I’d move mountains for them, if it meant they got to achieve their dreams. I also know they’d do similar.
“I don’t want to be hasty. Me being on their books, even if I say I’m taking extended personal leave, might give us an advantage. So, as of yet, I don’t know.”
“Say you decided to stay…in the system, could any of us be forced to testify against each other?”
“It depends on the circumstance, what country we register our Pack originating from, and the crime being investigated.”
“I have a good lawyer, anyway. My main concern is, I don’t want to jeopardize your career by telling you things that might incriminate you, or me, if I was ever subpoenaed.”
“I would deny it, anyway.”
“But I know you, Kade. That’s not who you are.” I stop talking mid thought as I realize what I should have figured out by now. “You joined Interpol because of your sister, didn’t you?”
“I did. I’m sorry again for not being honest with you from the start.
I was so set on not dragging you into the awful side of life because you already see a lot of crap with your job.
I didn’t want to add to your stress in any way, and I thought my job would do that. And also, possibly put you at risk.”
Kade stops talking, his eyes moving into the distance for a few moments before he returns them to my face. There’s decision and sadness in them. “I found the man responsible for giving her the drugs, Quinny.”
Aleksei sits up straight, like someone shocked him with a live wire.
Kade laughs. It’s hollow, and the sound makes my chest hurt. “And maybe, one day, I’ll introduce my parents to the man who killed him.” He shuts his eyes briefly, and when he reopens them, he looks at Aleksei. “I’d rather introduce Aleksei as my packmate, though.”
I fly out of my seat, wrapping my arms around Kade and squeezing the living shit out of him while whispering into his ear. “Oh my god, Kade. Why didn’t you say something? I’m so sorry. So sorry, honey.”
He holds me tight, and I feel him breathing against me. It’s sad, for sure, but he’s not falling apart. If anything, he’s relieved he finally has closure.
“She would have loved you. Another time, Quinny, another place, I want to tell you about my sister properly.”
“I want that too.”
“And don’t think I’m not giving this the attention it needs, but our night of sharing isn’t over. We will give her the time she needs, but we have to keep moving forward. Will you please explain why you asked about me staying on at Interpol?”
With a tender kiss on my forehead, he pushes me back into my seat but keeps holding my hand. I look over at the others, and their empathy rolls in gentle waves through our bond.
“Mainly because I know you’re not a liar.
Which sounds odd, given the massive lie about your job.
All things considered, I know you pretty well, and you tend to avoid lying.
So, if we remove you from the discussion, it’s not an issue, and in turn, there’s no conflict for you to sort through or feel guilty over. ”
“Makes sense, Quinny, but first and foremost, I’m yours. And while I think there’s a lot of advantage to me keeping my toe in the water, if I’m after a rewarding career, I’m sure working with either Aleksei or Santiago is going to give me job satisfaction too.”
“Our lives might be inherently connected, but I still want everyone to have choices.”
He smiles. “I chose you. It’s my measure on everything now.”
I swing back to face the table, a little subdued because of Kade’s revelation, but finding out Sergey was somehow involved with his sister's death stirs my determination to go on.
“Back to Victor, then. I’m going to poison him with thallium.
It’s colorless, odorless, tasteless, which is neither here nor there.
I selected thallium because it’s slow-acting and incredibly painful.
The symptoms are going to confuse any doctor he goes to.
Past the point of ingestion, he’s metaphorically fucked. ”
“It also hasn’t been manufactured since the eighties, so the register is out of date.
But like you would both know, anything is available for the right price.
That’s what I had couriered, and it’s now safely tucked in my handbag, but let’s all agree it stays there.
No one needs to touch it. I also have the antidote, in case I get any of it on myself. ”
It’s a bit of a mic drop moment. Except I’m not finished, and they’re not happy, given the rumbles they make and the scowls directed my way.
“Full disclosure, I had the poison couriered to Russia because I was going to use it on Sergey.”
“For marrying you?” Aleksei asks. The smile on his face lets me know he’s not upset I wanted to kill his brother.
And then it’s my moment of regret. A heavy weight settles on my chest as I share more. “My reason for killing your brother goes back further than that, Aleksei. I wasn’t aware he had you as a brother. If I had been when I was planning everything, I would have made you pay with your life too.”
“Explain to me, maya. You say back to when, but when is that? The original agreement between Victor and my father, Ivan?”