Chapter 54 Sienna
SIENNA
The moment I entered the kitchen, the wrapped birthday presents in my arms tumbled to the floor.
“Shit.” I stared down at them, trying to figure out how to levitate them onto the counter with the power of my mind.
“Don’t worry! Everything is okay!” Sergey’s tone was heavy with panic as he ran over to me, bowl of cereal in hand. He swore and quickly set the cereal on the counter before scooping up the presents and guiding me to a chair. “There is no need to cry.”
“I’m not crying?”
“You did yesterday,” he muttered under his breath before re-claiming his breakfast and taking the seat beside me.
“Okay, that was not my fault. This one”—I pointed at Sveta—“made me watch that documentary.”
“I didn’t think something called The Mysterious Ocean would make you cry!” she protested.
“The gay whales found each other after being separated for three months! And they sang each other a song!” I fanned my face as the tears welled in my eyes again.
“No,” Sergey barked. “No more crying.”
“Ugh, I don’t cry! It’s the baby’s fault. Although…” I shot him a sly smile. “I might cry if I don’t get my morning coffee.” I batted my eyes, making Polina and Sveta laugh and Sergey grumble. But he still got up to make my coffee.
I poked the wrapped presents. They were a bit worse for the wear, but that had more to do with my subpar wrapping skills than my pregnancy-induced clumsiness. “These are Clementine’s birthday presents. I was hoping someone might be able to mail them for me?”
“I can do that,” Sveta said, smiling. “I need to go to the post office later today, anyway.”
“You’re the best, thank you. And feel free to send them via the most expensive method since her birthday is tomorrow and I might have procrastinated a bit. I would blame that on pregnancy brain, but that would be a lie.”
“I thought you were back on your ADHD meds,” Sergey said, handing me my coffee.
“Yeah, but they’re stimulants, not magic pills.” I drummed my fingers against the counter. “Did I take it this morning?”
Sergey shot me an exasperated expression. “Are you asking me? How would I know?”
I shrugged.
Polina snorted. “Give me your meds and I’ll make sure you take them every morning.
Also, Clementine will not mind if the presents are late.
But interestingly enough, you’re not the only one in the gift-giving mood.
” There was a glint in her eye as she popped into the pantry and emerged with a large gold box with a gold bow. “This is for you.”
“For me? It’s not my birthday.” I lifted off the lid and peered inside. “Umm?”
Inside the box was a gourd of some sort and two additional wrapped packages. I lifted out the vegetable first. It looked like a small green pumpkin.
“What is that?” Sergey asked.
“I have no idea…wait!” I gasped and did a quick search on my phone. “Yes! It’s an acorn squash!” I hopped off my chair and held it in front of my belly. “I’m twenty-five weeks, which means the baby is the size of an acorn squash.”
I cradled the little gourd in my arms, imagining holding my baby girl. I sniffled and swallowed, but this time, I couldn’t stop my tears from falling.
“Do something! The squash is upsetting her!” Sergey shouted, frantically waving his arms.
Polina, Sveta, and I locked eyes and simultaneously burst out laughing.
Sergey’s expression transformed from bewildered panic to a scowl. Polina wiped her eyes with another chuckle, saying, “Wow, I needed that.”
I grinned as I gently set my little Acorn Squash on the counter, pulled out the two packages from the box, and unwrapped them.
The first gift was a beautiful, pale-blue sweater so soft I couldn’t resist rubbing it against my cheek, but the second had my jaw dropping—it was a pale-blue onesie that perfectly matched the sweater.
I held up the onesie and a card fell onto the counter.
Keep our Acorn Squash safe while I’m gone. That includes taking care of yourself. — Dimitri
The prickly, defiant part of me bristled at Dimitri telling me what to do…but I also couldn’t stop myself from melting because he’d said our Acorn Squash.
I was choosing paint colors for Baby Girl’s nursery in CozyScape when an alert popped up on the Forum.
I’d been poking around there earlier, scanning the listings to see if anything stuck out.
I wasn’t planning on taking on any jobs right now, but I didn’t like being so out of the loop…
and I was bored. There were only so many home renovations I could do in CozyScape and in real life.
The real-life house was finally looking like an actual livable home.
I clicked over to the Forum. Several of my hacker friends—including Arta—had seen that I’d returned and sent messages welcoming me back. I assumed this alert was for a similar message, but I was wrong.
Atlas
I need to hire you to find someone for me
I tilted my head while my fingers hovered over my trackpad.
Atlas was a client who had hired me last year to figure out what port of entry sex traffickers were using to bring girls into the country.
I knew very little about him except that he was wealthy enough to hire me and apparently cared enough about victims to spend money to protect them.
Hedgehog
It depends on who needs to be found
Atlas
What assurance do I have that you won’t turn on me?
I rolled my eyes.
Hedgehog
None besides my reputation.
Atlas
I’m a powerful man. You’ll suffer more than a mark on your reputation if you cross me
Hedgehog
Wow I’m shaking
If you included an angry face emoji, your threat would be even scarier
I leaned back in my seat and yawned. Years of working with rich assholes had rendered me immune to their dick-measuring and uninspired threats.
I didn’t tolerate being questioned like this by men, but Atlas had proven previously he wasn’t totally useless, so I was willing to stick it out… at least for a few more minutes.
Atlas
You’re not inspiring confidence in hiring you
Hedgehog
I’m not here to inspire confidence, I’m here to get shit done. You’re the one who needs to convince me that I should take your job.
Atlas
Convince you? Is the compensation not convincing enough?
Hedgehog
If you think I need your money, you haven’t done enough research
I snorted while I leaned back. This was fun. The past few months had left me feeling so powerless, but this was the reminder I needed that I was strong, capable, and even admired around the world for my skills. My life wasn’t confined to this house.
Atlas
Have you heard of the Souleater?
Oh, now we were getting somewhere. That was the mysterious anonymous listing with a hundred million dollar reward.
Hedgehog
I believe I’ve seen mention of him on this very forum. Did you post that job?
Atlas
Yes. Your help with the other job leads me to believe you might care about the safety of women.
Hedgehog
Is the Souleater a threat to women?
Atlas
More like a threat to humanity
Hedgehog
And you have confirmation that he is alive?
Atlas
There have been plenty of whispers
Hedgehog
You want me to take a job to find someone who may or may not be dead?
Atlas
Too much of a challenge for you?
My jaw dropped and cheeks heated. Well, well, well, Mr. Atlas. I didn’t recognize your game.
Hedgehog
You think you can bait me into taking this job?
Atlas
Of course not. I see you’re not interested. I’ll ask Phisherman instead
Fuck him for reading me like a book. Phisherman was an even bigger nemesis of mine than C0zyBrODeezNuts.
Hedgehog
I didn’t say I wasn’t interested. Just surprised at your lack of concrete information
I was already logging into the websites I used when I was in spy mode. The restlessness inside me settled as the home pages welcomed me. It felt like returning home to myself.
Atlas
If I had more information, I wouldn’t need to hire someone
Hedgehog
lol I guess that’s true. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it. If he can be found, I’ll find him.
Why are all these size comparisons vegetables? Does anyone actually like cauliflower? Anyway, it’s bitterly cold here. I hope you and baby Cauli are staying warm.
The cauliflower balanced precariously on top of my round belly as I snapped a mirror selfie, showing off my new pink sweater from Dimitri.
I sent the picture to the Mafia Girls Group Chat and was about to close out of my message app, but my eyes snagged on Dimitri’s name.
Other than my weekly gifts and the occasional texts, I hadn’t heard much from him.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I texted Dimitri the picture.
I had finally broken down and told Leona everything that had happened between Dimitri and me.
She’d offered to have him assassinated no less than three times, and I could only imagine her reaction to me texting my husband a cute baby belly picture.
But deep down, I wanted Dimitri to share this experience with me.
Even if he wasn’t here. Even if I was foolish to want it.
Ilya told me the eggplant emoji means penis. I punched him in the face.
I rolled my eyes at Dimitri’s ridiculousness as I headed to my office, eggplant cradled in my arms. I set it down on my desk next to my computer, and Vovchyk nudged it with his nose before sitting back, unimpressed.
“All I can say is I’m grateful Dimitri’s dick isn’t this size.”
Vovchyk snorted.
“Not that we’re ever going to have sex again,” I said quickly. “I’m just saying. Lucky for my vagina that didn’t go inside it. Except…holy shit. That’s going to have to come out of me?” I let out a little screech and covered my eyes with my hands. “Okay, nope. I simply cannot think about it.”
I grabbed a blanket and threw it over the eggplant.
There. Now it was near me as I continued my investigations into the Souleater, but I didn’t have to actually think about the implications of labor.
Vovchyk rested his snoot on my belly. I sighed and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Being a woman is such a joke sometimes.”