Chapter 18
Sebastian
Katerina’s glare burns into me from across the table. I’ve been avoiding her and Dom all evening. I almost skipped family dinner altogether but knew Mom would be upset.
Mom chooses this moment to stand and usher us to the sitting room. I glance around the crowd, trying to find a cover. Sofia’s small eyes bore into me, making her the perfect target.
“Hey, Sofia. How’re you doing today?” I ask as I beeline towards her.
“Uncle Bash, I want to play with my dolls.” She marches past me, pauses, then grabs my hand. “I guess you can come with me.”
I let her lead me to her mother’s bag and help her collect her dolls. As soon as I place them on the ground, an arm links through mine. A muscular, female arm.
“Sofia, why don’t you play with your grandmother. We need a word with Uncle Bash.” Katerina’s pulling me into Dad’s office before I can argue.
When we enter, I’m surprised to see all my brothers and their wives. Glancing around the room, I note that everyone except Dom and his wife seem unaware of the reason for the gathering.
“Dom, leave it alone,” I demand, facing my brother.
“You know we can’t do that.” He tilts his head slightly, giving away that his wife is the one who orchestrated this.
“What’s going on?” Margot asks as she pulls her hair from her son’s grip. She glances at Cecilia, but Cecilia just shrugs.
“I’ve gathered us to discuss something alarming that has come to my attention.” I roll my eyes at Dom’s dramatics.
“It’s not alarming. It’s also not anyone else’s business,” I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest.
Katerina glares at me. “It is alarming! And it is our business! That poor girl,” Katerina snaps at me, which piques the interest of many in the room.
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on so I can get back to my girls?” Roman grumbles, already done with the conversation.
“Your youngest brother has been stalking a girl for SIX YEARS! We need to intervene. This is insanity.” Done with the blasé mood in the room, Katerina erupts with this information.
It elicits different reactions from all in the room.
Cecilia looks horrified and turns to her husband for comfort, who looks angry at me.
I guess having daughters has made him more protective over women, because this is not the same Roman who stalked his wife for a few months.
Margot laughs, but it’s hysterical, on the verge of insanity. And Matthias just grins.
“Who is she?” Roman demands.
“His neighbor. She’s just a normal girl. But seeing as our hacker is the culprit, we couldn’t use him to find more information on her.” Dom runs his fingers through his hair as he explains to our family.
“She’s not a normal girl. She’s extraordinary. Perfect,” I counter, needing them to know she’s so much more than any of them could imagine.
“So, that’s why you moved to the suburbs? To get closer to her?” I’m surprised it’s Matthias who connected the dots seeing as he isn’t the brains of the family.
Before I can answer though, another voice pipes up. “That’s insane. You moved to stalk a girl! You Montclair brothers are psycho when it comes to your women.” Margot’s amusement is laced in her words.
“You don’t understand. None of you do. Lizzy is everything I could ever want in a woman. She’s brilliant. Probably smarter than I am. She cares for her animals. She’s kind and curious. Does puzzles. We even run together.” I need them to get it. This isn’t creepy. It’s romantic.
“How do you run together if she’s never met you?” Katerina’s eyes narrow, and when I look away, she scoffs. “You fucking follow her like a goddamn creep, don’t you?”
“Wait, she’s never met you? I don’t understand. It’s been six years.” Cecilia chooses now to speak up, and it hurts to hear the accusation in her usually sweet tone.
“She doesn’t even know him! He’s been watching her for years. He has cameras in her house, and I’m sure that’s not the worst of it.” Katerina’s never been angry with me before, not even when I interrupted her and Dom in the hallway that one time.
“Calm down, tiger,” Dom murmurs to his furious wife as he pulls her to his side. I’m pretty sure it’s to stop her from throttling me.
“Actually, I talked to her on Friday. Then ran with her yesterday. By her side! Talking to her! I think…” I muster my courage. “I think I’m going to ask her on a date.”
“No. You’re going to leave this girl alone. You’re going to move back to the city and let her live peacefully.” Roman uses his father tone that gets his unruly daughters to listen. But fuck him because I’m not his child.
“You hypocrite! You did everything under the sun to Cecilia. And look how happy she is with you.” I need the reassurance that she can be happy with me. That Lizzy can forgive me.
“I knew Roman when he was doing all that. And he was doing a lot of it to protect me. That’s why I can forgive him,” Cecilia explains softly.
“But that’s what I’m doing. The shoveling!
The running! The phone! The men! The cameras!
They’re all to protect her. To keep her safe.
It’s all for her. That’s why I was staying away.
But not anymore. Katerina was right. I need to put myself out there and trust that I can protect her from Syndicate affairs. ”
“That’s not what I said!” my sister-in-law grumbles.
“What do you mean by shoveling and the phone and everything else you said? What all have you done?” Margot’s voice is skeptical.
“I shovel her driveway every morning. She’s not from around here, so she’s not used to the snow.
I taught her how to drive in the snow years ago, and she’s gotten really good.
I no longer worry about her on the road.
And I’ve sort of managed her phone from afar.
But it’s to help her. I tailor her search engines, ads, and social media apps to show her things to help her.
I even check her house often to ensure everything is working well.
And on Friday when her date wouldn’t take no for an answer, I stepped in and took her home.
To her home. Then I left her alone. And she brought me banana bread.
Then, suggested we run together. Side by side this time.
She recognized me from our runs! I run behind her to make sure she’s safe, and she knew that, and that’s why she trusted me to bring her home.
I love her. And thanks to Katerina and Dom’s advice, I’m going after her. ”
“You’re tricking her!” Roman accuses me, earning him a nod of agreement from Katerina.
“I personally think we should let him be. He’s not hurting this woman. And we’ve all done questionable things for our women.” I throw Matthias a grateful look, silently thanking him for defending me.
“Let’s vote to decide whether we step in or if we leave them be,” Dom demands.
“No! We’re not voting on my love life!” What in the fuck is going on? They’re overstepping, and it’s pissing me off.
“This is why it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” Matthias throws out.
“I’m not asking for permission! They only found out because they came to my house uninvited.”
“Enough.” Dom silences the room. “All in favor of intervening, raise your hand.”
I swear if they interfere with Lizzy, I’ll ruin all of their lives. I’m fully capable of it. Look at what I’ve done to Chris Davis and the others.
Katerina’s hand immediately rises into the air. Roman’s follows, joining her in my demise. But then the room stills.
Margot and Matthias stare at me with a twinkle in their eyes. Margot begins whistling, looking around the room, obviously showing her solidarity with me. When Katerina gasps, Margot rolls her eyes.
“Come on, this is Bash. He deserves happiness. And if he’s been hung up on this girl for six years, I doubt anything we say or do will stop him.
Plus, he’s talking to her now.” When Katerina still looks unconvinced, she continues.
“If Matty hadn’t kidnapped me, I wouldn’t have my family.
It may have been an unconventional start, but it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I wouldn’t change a thing. So, we’re voting to leave Bash alone. Looks like your husband agrees.”
It seems only then that Katerina realizes Dom’s hand isn’t raised alongside her. He wiggles under her glare but stays firm.
“Bash isn’t going to hurt this woman. And it sounds like she’s benefited from this relationship.
Plus, it’s not like he’s forcing her to marry him.
Or that she’s crazy and will stab him.” Dom’s smirk and Katerina’s rosy cheeks have me believing his vote is less in favor of me and more to fight with his wife.
Their foreplay is so fucking peculiar, but if it helps me, then so be it.
“What about you?” Roman asks his wife.
“It’s the same as Margot. Bash wouldn’t hurt a woman. And I love my Montclair brother. I couldn’t take that away from a girl who’s obviously earned his love. As long as he promises to keep her safe and not to hurt her, then he has my support.” Cecilia eyes me, and I immediately nod.
“I’ll never hurt her, nor let anyone else. I’ve been protecting her for six years. This is only the start to a lifetime together.” Fantasies of a life built with Lizzy flash through my mind, filling my heart with warmth.
“If she chooses to leave, you have to let her.” Cecilia’s words are a splash of cold water to my soul.
I stand in silence for a moment, debating. If she were to leave me, I’d be empty. There’d be nothing left for me. But if she didn’t want me, I would never force her.
“If she doesn’t want to be with me, I’ll stay back and let her be. But I won’t ever stop protecting her.” That’s the best I can agree to, and it seems to settle them.
“Okay, then it’s settled. Two to five, we won’t interfere. But we will be keeping an eye on you.” Katerina seems slightly calmer than she did before, so that makes me feel better.
I nod, and we return to the sitting room. When Mom grins at me, I have the feeling that she can tell something’s different about me. That she can sense I’m happier. But I don’t confide in her about Lizzy. Not yet.
…
As I pull into my driveway, a basket on my doorstep catches my eye. Placing my car in park, I reach for the gun tucked into my pants and free it. But the smell of blueberries as I approach has me holstering the firearm.
I don’t need to pull back the towel on top to know my angel has baked me another delicacy. From the smell of it, blueberry muffins. Despite being full from dinner, my stomach rumbles.
Quickly, I scoop up the basket and unlock my door, ready to taste the treat from my angel. Maybe, if I’m lucky, she hasn’t gone to sleep yet, and I can watch her while I eat.