Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Anya
End of Sixty Days
The area where family is permitted is empty save for me and my bags. Tiffany and Rory helped me carry my things and then left me with kind farewells before returning to their day-to-day activities. I’ve only been waiting for five minutes when the security door buzzes open.
I’m on my feet as soon as I recognize the shadow of the man I’ve been waiting sixty days to see again. My father doesn’t get a single word in before I throw myself into his arms. I crash into him so hard that he grunts but he catches me all the same, wrapping his arms around me in return.
“I missed you so much, Papochka.”
“I missed you too, dochen’ka,” he breathes, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
He smells exactly the same, and I don’t know why that makes me smile. Of course he should smell the same. Nothing happened to him while I was gone. He lived very similar days, just days without me. Judging by how close and how long he holds me, he felt my absence as much as I felt his.
When we finally part, I notice Uncle Lev behind him and feel a rush of happiness once again.
No hesitation stalls me in my next action.
For the first time in close to four years, I pull my uncle into a hug and squeeze him hard.
His large body freezes under my touch, but he quickly recovers from his shock and hugs me in return.
“You came to pick me up?” I ask, my question muffling into his button-down.
“I wasn’t allowed to see you off, or I would have come then, too,” he replies, voice gruff and sincere. Only Dad was allowed to bring me for my first day to make the transition smoother and for security reasons too, I assume.
“I’m so glad to see you,” I tell him, stepping out of our embrace. “How is Aunt Irina? And Nadya?”
“Both good,” he grunts. “Both waiting back at the house to see you again. Nadya picked flowers for you and sprayed them with nontoxic plant glitter—which is apparently a real thing. Don’t ask her why she thought to cover them in sparkles, just say they’re pretty.”
“Well, I’d never think to question glitter, Uncle,” I joke, smiling at my little cousin’s creative spirit. “I’m sure they’re lovely.”
Dad chuckles, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Do you want to get out of here, dochen’ka?”
“So much,” I breathe out excitedly. “I’ll miss it a little bit, I think. But not nearly as much as I miss my bedroom.” And my ballet studio. Something tells me I’m going to be doing more than yoga in there soon, and I can’t help but be eager for my time in my favorite space to come.
“She missed her bedroom more than she missed us, I wager,” Uncle Lev teases, leaning down to scoop up one of my bags.
I scoff at him, playfully swatting his arm. “My bedroom isn’t rude to my friends. I may have missed it more than you, at least.”
His eyes sparkle and he shakes his head, walking toward the exit to hold the door for us. “Two months away and she’s ready to confront me. Irina will be thrilled.”
“Nadya, too,” Dad adds, leading me out of the building, our arms interlocked. He has the rest of my stuff in his other arm, carrying the sacks of clothes like they weigh nothing.
Uncle Lev groans in front of us. “Yes, please remind me that both my wife and daughter like the little shit.”
“He’s done nothing to make you call him names,” I reprimand in a huff. “You’re too judgmental, Uncle.”
“I could be worse.”
A resigned laugh leaves me. I don’t doubt it.
When we’re half way to the parking lot, I feel a familiar sensation and turn my head to try and spot it.
A few yards away, I finally find it and my heartbeat picks up in speed.
I never mentioned to anyone that I had a suspicion someone was watching me, but I knew it was true.
And I knew the person responsible was a safe one.
“Hey, can you two give me a second? I have to say goodbye to one last person.” Before either of them can ask questions or deny my request, I break off from them.
Jogging across the front yard, I find him hidden amongst the trees in a small clearing. It’s on the property within the gate, but not somewhere any staff of patients seem to explore. Just a nondescript bit of land that seems to have become home to a man who can hide himself as well as a ghost.
“I thought I felt eyes on me,” I say by way of greeting, stopping in front of him. He made no move to disguise himself or hide as he saw me coming, so I have to imagine he’s not put off by me coming to see him. “Hello, Nico.”
“You thought you felt eyes on you and you didn’t tell your father or any of the staff?” He lifts an eyebrow, dropping his lit cigarette and crushing it under his boot. “And here I thought you were a clever one.”
“I felt eyes, I didn’t feel a threat,” I counter, tilting my head to the side to assess him. “I’m not sure why you’d think I’m clever. This is the first real conversation we’ve had.”
He shrugs. “You called me to protect you, that makes you clever.”
An incredulous laugh bursts from my lips. “I called you to ask you to keep an eye on Matteo. I didn’t ask you for this.”
His lips purse in disagreement. “You told me you were going to spend two months surrounded by strangers without your family guarding you. You asked me whether you spoke the words or not.”
“You care about me,” I say bluntly. It should be surprising, but it’s not. The man has spent two months watching me around the clock. So I know he cares, I just don’t know why. “I didn’t realize.”
“That’s presumptuous of you.”
“You watched over me for sixty days without pay or asking for anything in return. You care about me.”
“Fifty-nine days,” Nico corrects. “I had to attend Apollo’s wedding—boring as it was. My family would lose it if I didn’t see our future Capo get hitched. My team stayed behind to watch you for the twenty-four hours I was gone.”
“You still haven’t denied caring about me,” I point out stubbornly. “You flew back and forth on a plane and stayed in the woods for two months to watch over me. It couldn’t have been comfortable for you.”
“Not just the woods, we’ve been all around,” he corrects, arching a brow. “I didn’t go two months without showers, sleeping, and warm meals. I know how to go unnoticed in precarious situations.”
“Humble,” I joke, no disdain in my sarcasm. “Did I do something to deserve your watchful protection?”
Nico doesn’t blink. “Been looking out for you for a long time, it doesn’t mean anything. I just do it.”
“It means something to me,” I counter, arching a brow slowly. I don’t know what he means by looking out for me for a long time, but I have a feeling he won’t tell me if I ask. “And it would mean something to Matteo if you told him.”
“Matteo, my brother who you claim not to be dating,” he snarks, offering a rude smirk. “Why should I care what my actions mean to him?”
I frown, asking, “Do you act like you don’t care about people because it’s easier for you to go through life without attachments, or is it because you don’t want them to care about you in return?”
“Cute,” Nico quips, lip curling up in distaste. “But I’m not the one who signed up to be fixed by a team of shrinks. That was you, remember? So don’t try to psychoanalyze me, yeah?”
Sighing, I shake my head. “Can I thank you instead? I’m sure you don’t want to hear it, and you claim that you don’t care that Matteo would be thankful, but I won’t pretend that I’m not. You made sure I was safe and you did it expecting nothing in return for it.”
“You can thank me, it doesn’t affect me any.”
“Well, thank you, then. I’d like to stay in contact with you, if you’re up for it.” I don’t think I care whether or not he’s up for it. His devotion to my safety for eight straight weeks has earned him a friend even if he doesn’t want one.
His nose scrunches. “Why?”
“I’d like to be friends.” We’re already friends.
Again, he asks, “Why?”
I lift a shoulder, taking a step closer to him. “Maybe you’re too stubborn to admit that you care for me, or for anyone else. But I care for you. Matteo is your brother, and he means so much to me. You matter to him, so you matter to me.”
“I’m a shit friend,” he says in a huff. “You shouldn’t waste your time trying to be mine.”
“You’re not a very good liar.”
Affronted by the comment, he looks like he’s about to argue with me, but I stop him in his tracks.
My arms fall around him and I embrace the stubborn man tightly before letting him go.
Rising up on my toes, my lips peck softly against his cheek, and I step back to smile at the baffled expression on his face.
“I’ll text you soon.”
“I could block your number.”
“You won’t.”
“You sure you don’t need sixty more days?” he asks, calling out sharply as I start to walk away. “Because I’m pretty sure you’re fucking mad, girl.”
“What’s life without a little madness?” I counter, turning over my shoulder to wave goodbye.
Uncle Lev and my dad are closer than when I left them, staring at me and beyond me with a sort of disbelief and discomfort in their eyes. No anger swimming around in their gazes, though.
“Did you know he was here?” Dad asks, voice sounding strained.
“Honestly, no. I thought someone might be,” I admit. “A Moretti or one of your men. I felt very looked after while I was here, even though I had no proof that I was. I just felt safe, you know?”
Uncle Lev grumbles under his breath, but it’s loud enough for me to hear. “I like him more than the other one.”
“You like Nico better than Matteo?” I ask, throwing my hands up annoyed.
“Nico, the one who kills people for enjoyment, is less offensive to you than Matteo? The one who’s been nothing but kind to me and our family?
The one who could very well be a second father to the twins—your blood—with how much he dotes on them? ”
“What’s wrong with killing people for enjoyment?” he challenges, arching a brow. “You seem to like the boy enough, you kissed him.”
“On the cheek!” I defend, face turning scarlet. “I was saying thank you.”
“I’d sooner see you marry him than Matteo,” he continues stubbornly, unlocking the SUV as we approach it.
“He’d sooner marry you,” I point out, huffing as Dad opens my door. We all pile in, and I add, “He doesn’t like girls.”
“Where’d you hear that?” Uncle Lev asks, starting the car and waiting for me to put on my seatbelt in the back.
“Matteo has mentioned it,” I say with a tone that silently adds obviously. “Nico isn’t hiding who he is. It’s not a secret. And so he’s definitely not marrying me.”
“But Matteo might?” he grouches.
“I’m going to ignore you now.” I sniff, turning my attention to Dad. “Have you been talking with Dante more? Matteo said you have. Do you trust him more now?”
Dad’s nose crinkles. “You talk about me with Matteo?”
“Probably as much as you talk about me with Dante,” I reply, shrugging. “You come up. You’re my dad.” And I love you, I think silently.
“Ah.”
“So…” I press, leaning forward. “Are you friendly with Dante or what?”
“We’re not unfriendly.”
I fold my arms, leaning back in my seat, almost pouting. “You two should hang out.”
Uncle Lev laughs, the sound coming out in a sharp bark. “Are you playing matchmaker between a Pakhan and a Capo, plemyannitsa?”
“I was trying to be more stealthy about it originally.” Shrugging, I look at his eyes in the review mirror. “But now I think I should just push them together and make them become buddies. Life is too short for subtlety.”
My dad turns around to look at me, blinking in confusion.
“Should we have invited Nico to dinner, do you think? To thank him?”
They share a look with one another, baffled by my change in topic.
“I think he’d feel more appreciated if we didn’t torture him with a family dinner,” Lev says eventually and I snort.
“That’s probably true.”
Since I want to be a good friend, I won’t text him an invitation.
For now.