Chapter 24
“It’s hard for me to picture, if I’m being perfectly honest,” Anya says over breakfast. It’s only been a few days since Nikolai has been arrested. The FBI is involved. They took his handling rather personally. But, from everything that Horus has told us about his time inside so far, Nikolai has been anything but a gracious guest. He’s been fighting the guards. Allegedly he bit one of their ears off. He’s not going to make things easy on himself. But I’m also equally certain that he’s got men on the inside. Old contacts of his father’s that he’s going to rally to his side as well.
While the war might be officially over, there’s still a very long way to go.
I know that these chapters between Nikolai and I are far from finished.
We arrived back at Daniel’s compound just last night. Henry is still asleep this morning and I can’t even say that I blame him. According to Helena, he’s been asking about us every day to make sure that we are okay. He and Anya have been facetiming every night to listen to Helena read him his stories.
“What is hard about it?” I ask her as I pour myself a third cup of coffee. Handling all the businesses and things that I’ve needed to do in order to take over as head of Nikolai’s Bratva has not been easy on my sleep schedule.
“Picturing him in a jail cell. Wearing the uniform. Walking around like a caged zoo animal.” Anya admits softly.
That’s the only part that I’ve been struggling with recently. I know that he’s technically still her husband for now, but it’s hard to summon any amount of empathy for her when it comes to him. While Anya has never said that she expects anything of the sort from me either, he’s been my enemy for far longer than I’ve even known him. The fact that she once loved him, enough to marry him? That’s harder, for the simple fact that she’s now got a tangled mess of emotions locked up in her chest that she’s going to have to sort through.
“What’s harder for me is having a whole bunch of people to look after now.” I slide into the seat beside her, wincing slightly at the twinge in my still healing ribs as I steal a pastry off her plate. “I’ve always been a one man show. I did more than enough damage all by myself to not have to worry about the consequences of others… but now…”
“Now you have a Horus?” Anya teases.
“Yes. That.”
Anya finishes her food and pushes the plate away from her so that she can rest her arms on the table as Daniel’s bedroom door shuts over our heads. He and Helena will be joining us soon. Daniel and I have to discuss the change of many territory lines. We have businesses of Nikolai’s to split. Not because of the assets, but because this is all still new to me and he’s willing to help. Absorbing them into a conglomerate that the two of us ran together didn’t make sense economically, so this works better.
All for the ultimate goal, Henry’s future.
Neither one of us knows what Henry’s going to grow up to be. If he wants to be involved in our world or if he wants to take on something wholly different. Hell, maybe the kid will be a musician like his parents. The most important thing for both of us is that he has the choice to choose what he wants to be.
Something that none of the rest of us ever had.
“And you sold the houses this morning?” Anya asks.
“Yes. Horus is on a flight to Moscow right now so that he can finalize all the paperwork. I can’t imagine that I will have any desire to return to that place any time soon. Furthermore, I certainly don’t want to ever set foot into the building that he nearly killed my sister in… that mansion has absolutely nothing to offer me but bad memories and pain.”
Anya places her hand over my free one with an understanding nod.
“I put the house in Houston up for sale too,” I say. I didn’t ask her about that one, I just did it. “Granted, it’s going to take some time because to convert the basement from that dungeon of horrors into something else functional… or just fill it up with concrete. I don’t really care either way, but I’m never going there again.”
My voice hedges on irritation, but Anya pushes her fingers through mine in understanding. “I always hated that house anyway. It was a prison for me just as it was for you, even if it was in a very different way.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for. I never wanted to move here in the first place.”
“Well,” I continue. “I was kind of hoping that you might be willing to make another move? Something final?”
Anya arches a pretty brow. “Oh? What were you thinking?”
“Here. There’s an empty plot of land in this complex that Daniel said we were welcome to have if we wanted. I thought that maybe since we’re starting over, we could build a brand new base of operations here in Fort Worth… something new for the both of us.”
Anya’s eyes light up. “You want me to help design it?”
“Design it, decorate it, make it your own. I think we both deserve a place that actually feels like home. I don’t want to lose my sister again and now that Henry’s in our life, I want to do everything that we can to be there for him. No matter what that takes.”
Anya squeals in happiness and throws her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. I stiffen on reflex, but swallow back my sense of discomfort at the unexpected touch.. It will take a long time before I get used to every accidental touch and gesture but for her I’m going to make the effort as much as I possibly can. She deserves nothing less. I hug her back, wrapping an arm around her.
“You’re going to make me drop my breakfast.”
“Fuck your breakfast!” Anya laughs, as she hugs me tighter.
“Such a mouth on you!” I laugh back.
She pulls away from me, looking dead in my eyes. “Did you just laugh?”
“That does happen from time to time, but don’t make a thing out of it.”
“No, I liked it, do it again.”
“What, on command? I’m not a dog, Anya.”
Something in her gaze darkens. “You wouldn’t crawl for me?”
I smirk. “I think that you are the one that will be doing the crawling, princess.”
Our conversation is interrupted by Helena in the door, throwing a slipper directly at my head. I barely have time to dodge it.
“Do you two have to do that in front of our food?!” Helena relents as she places a protective hand on her swollen belly.
“Somebody is grouchy this morning,” I tease.
“I didn’t get any sleep. Between the pair of you making wild animal noises and then the constant kicking of this little one.” Helena waggles her finger in Anya’s direction.
Anya blushes. “Sorry, Helena.”
“It’s gross enough that you’re fucking my brother, but to have to hear it? I now know things about him that I really did not need to know.” Helena continues.
“Oh, come off it.” I answer and throw the slipper right back at her head, but much softer than she threw it at me.
Daniel snatches it out of the air before it can get anywhere near her and shakes his head at the both of us. “Children, play nice. We have a very busy day today.” He leans over to kiss Anya’s cheek in a good morning greeting.
“Well, I know what I’m going to be doing today,” Anya starts. “But what are you two men going to be doing?”
Daniel arches a brow. “What are you planning? Should we be worried?”
Anya grins. “I’m going to convince Helena to show me her favorite builders and interior designers so I can start planning my house!”
“Ah, you told her about it then?” Daniel grins.
Helena brightens. “So, you agreed?! You will stay?! Oh, I will be so happy to help you with anything that you need! I can’t wait! We are going to be neighbors?!”
“Well, whatever you two have planned - don’t forget that we are all expected to attend Henry’s recital tonight. He was brave enough to return to school yesterday and we will all be there to support him.”
I laugh at Daniel’s no nonsense fatherly attitude. “Relax, we want to be there for Henry.”
“He’s not too pleased that there are now guards at his school so just also be aware of that as well.” Daniel sighs and pours himself a cup of black coffee.
I sit back, finishing my pastry while the girls are starting to make invisible drawings on the top of the table, plotting out exactly how they are going to make the layout of our new home and the various places that they will need to go shopping once the floors are in and whatnot. I know that Daniel and I will both have to install security measures and all that, but everything feels like it’s moving in the right direction.
I never imagined that I would be this blessed.
Not one day in my life did I think that things would turn out this way. After Lilian, I certainly wasn’t foolish enough to start picturing myself with a family. No, those sorts of dreams died with her. Yet now we are all sitting here, my own little found family working together for a better future for us and all of those who work for us. Better leadership and connection than we were born into, that much is for absolute certain.
I reach forward and place my hand on Anya’s thigh. On reflex alone she places her hand on top of mine, lacing her fingers through mine without ever missing a beat in her conversation. Comfortable and normal in such a short time. Something in my chest warms at the very fact that she feels so close to me.
Who would have thought that somebody like me, a born and trained assassin, would be sitting around a breakfast table with one of the most influential mafiosos in the world while planning what to wear to a child’s piano recital. I listen absently as Daniel reminds us that afterwards we have to take him for burgers and milkshakes He suggests that the girls shouldn’t eat anywhere heavy for lunch.
“If the baby wants to eat, Daniel, then I’m going to take the baby to eat!” Helena answers.
Daniel grins but doesn’t comment any further.
The calm knowledge settles over me that there’s nowhere else I would ever rather be.