Chapter Twenty-Eight
The floor of our sunroom thumps along with the blaring music. It’slike a foghorn in the way it pierces my eardrum, and I’m only standing in the doorway, far away from the speakers. The room is dark, only lit by some strategically placed black lights. My mother outdid herself with this party. It’s a rave in every way, minus the drugs. I hope.
A horde of teenagers move onto the dance floor as the song changes to something even louder. My niece stands in the middle of them, laughing and dancing. Turning away from the sunroom, I move back to the quieter side of the party. Or, as Lilianna calls it, the old man”s side.
My eyes immediately find Vivienne. She’s tucked under Mikhail’s arm, her head resting on his shoulder. Dmitri stands to the right of her, his hand on her lower back. I take a moment to soak her in. She’s wearing a black sequined dress. It’s long, the fabric hiding the heels I put on her earlier. The dress dips beneath her cleavage, giving everyone a generous look at what belongs to me and my brothers. Not that the three of us mind how she dresses. We know how to protect what’s ours.
I’m about to step towards her when my mother falls into my line of sight.
“I need to talk to you,” she says.
“That’s never good.”
My mother looks at me. I can see the worries spilling over. She pulls on my arm until the two of us are in a quiet corner away from everyone else.
“What is it?”
“Vivienne is planning to go home. She doesn’t love you.”
“I know,” I reply.
My mother scrunches her face. “You know?”
“I know she believes she doesn’t love us. But she just hasn’t figured it out yet.”
“Yet? Boy, did I drop you on your head? She’s not going to change her mind. She does not love you or your brothers.”
“Yes, she does. Give her time; she’ll come around.”
“That’s not how the word no works, Kazimir. I’m worried about the three of you. You’re going to get hurt.”
I give my mother a kiss on her cheek. “We’ll be fine, Mama. Trust me, Vivienne will be staying.”
Because I don’t plan on taking no as an answer. If she leaves, I’ll just drag her ass back here until she learns this is where she belongs.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
I chuckle. Nope. Not even a little bit. When it comes to Vivienne, I don’t think, I just act and hope it’s the right thing to do.
“I’ll see you later,” I tell her before turning away from her.
Her worries are understandable. She’s my mother, and she wants what is best for me. But without a doubt, in the world, I know Vivienne is best for my brothers and me. If soulmates exist, Vivienne McBride is ours. I feel lighter with every step I take towards her. With my princess around, everything in my world is right. She’s the queen of the Volkov darkness. The holder of our hearts and everything else that makes us… us.
“Is Lilianna okay?” Vivienne asks as I walk up.
I don’t know if it’s the party or something else, but all day, Vivienne has been a nervous ball of energy. She doesn’t think my brothers and I have noticed. But I definitely have. I just need to figure out why.
“She’s fine. On the dance floor with her friends.”
Vivienne nods but doesn’t fully relax.
“Don’t like parties, princess?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then, what is it? Because you’re not being your normal self.”
Vivienne shrugs. “I’m fine.”
“Liar,” Dmitri replies. “What is wrong?”
“Nothing,” Vivienne snaps. “I’m just having an off day.”
I don’t buy it. Neither does Dmitri or Mikhail, but the three of us let it drop. Vivienne is used to being single and on her own. She’s not going to react well if we start demanding all of her secrets.
“Is Nikolai coming?” I ask, turning to Mikhail.
“He said he’d be here, but he’d be a little late.”
“Who is Nikolai?”
“Our cousin,” Dmitri replies to Vivienne. “He introduced us to Thomas. He might be able to help us understand some of the other transactions on Thomas’ computer.”
“Oh,” Vivienne replies. “Okay.”
“You can meet him a little later. Besides Mama Volkov and Lilianna, he’s the only other family we have left. My father raised him with us,” Mikhail continues.
“With you two,” I correct.
Nikolai is only two years younger than Mikhail. But he’s eight years older than me. I think I was six when Nikolai moved in with us. He’s a decent man, but I don’t know him as well as Mikhail and Dmitri do.
“No offense, but taking in a kid doesn’t sound like something your father would do.”
The three of us nod, chuckling in agreement. “You’re right. If he hadn’t been my father’s blood, I’m not sure he would have taken him in,” I say.
“Should we check on Lilianna again?” Vivienne asks, changing the subject.
“Why are you so worried about her tonight, love? Is there something you need to tell us?”
My mother’s words from earlier hover in the back of my mind. Is that what is wrong with Vivienne? Is she planning to leave tonight and take Lilianna with her? The thought feels wrong the moment it settles in my mind. Vivienne loves us. I know she does. It’s in the way she surrenders her body to our every whim, in the way she’s clutching Mikhail’s arm side like he’s the only thing keeping her upright.
“No,” Vivienne replies, her voice tight with an undercurrent of trepidation.
Glancing at my brothers, I know none of us believe her. I open my mouth to call me out, but I’m interrupted before I can.
“Who is she?” A hoarse voice says.
I turn to find old man Petrov. He looks worse than he did the last time we saw him. His weathered face is pale and sweaty. Czar leans heavily on his wooden cane.
“Old man Petrov. I didn’t think we invited you to this party.”
“Your mother invites the entire country,” he spits. “Now, my answer question.”
My hackles rise at his disrespectful tone. I fully turn toward him, blocking Vivienne from his view.
“Who do you think you are to make demands of us, Czar? We’re your kings, not the other way around.”
“I didn’t ask about you three. I asked about her.”
I feel my brothers step up to my side.
“She’s my future wife,” Mikhail speaks. “Our future wife.”
Czar looks like he’s been slapped. His jaw falls open. It takes him precisely one second before he starts screaming. Russian curses and insults fall from his lips.
“What about Nadia?” he yells.
“Who the hell is Nadia?” Vivienne asks, pushing in between Dmitri and me.
Czar looks at her, and I feel like carving his eyes out just for the way he’s gaping at my girl. When they dip lower than needed, I step forward.
“Stop looking at her,” I growl, giving him one chance to back off.
He meets my eyes. “One of you will marry Nadia. The three of you can’t share a wife. That’s fucking insane.”
“The three of us will do as we please.”
“It’s wrong.”
“Says who?” Mikhail says.
He steps into Czar’s face. But the pigheaded old man doesn’t back down. He points to his granddaughter behind him.
“Why is Nadia not good enough? You were supposed to marry her, Mikhail.”
Vivienne hisses. Her hands ball into fists. I grab hold of her wrist and pull it to my lips. My hand rolls down her inner forearm. Shaking my head, I lay a soft kiss on her hand.
“I told you already, Czar. I’m not going to marry her.”
“You said you would never marry anyone, but here you are.”
“So?”
“So? So? We had an agreement, and I won”t see it fall apart for some hired whore!”
Mikhail punches old man Petrov. I hear the audible crack of his cheekbone. The old man falls to the floor. His eyes swell rapidly. Czar isn’t fazed by the hit. He lays on the floor laughing.
“What are you going to do to me, Volkov? Kill me? Get in line.”
“I don’t need to kill you. Cancer already is. But you will not speak about Vivienne like that.”
“Vivienne,” Czar repeats. “Pretty—for a whore.”
“Petrov,” I growl.
Dmitri reaches for his cane. He picks it up, stepping closer to Czar. In a swift move, Dmitri smacks old man Petrov across the face with his own cane.
“He might not kill you. But I fucking will. Stop talking.”
“Dmitri,” Vivienne says. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not,” Dmitri snaps. “It’s not okay. No one disrespects our queen and lives to tell the tale.”
The party is at a standstill. Every one of the guests watches the spectacle.
“What the fuck is going on?” My mother hisses. “Take it outside, boys. You’re ruining the party.”
Dmitri ignores her. He’s too focused on his mission to stop now. His stony gray eyes are trained on Czar.
“Get up and go home, Petrov. Save your own life.”
“Answer me this. Why is my granddaughter not good enough? Is it because she’s Russian? Are you like your father and only care for the exotics?” Czar chuckles. “Though, I wouldn’t say American is really exotic. Kind of boring, actually. Wait, wasn’t your mother American? Is that why you like her?”
Czar gets the reaction he wants. Dmitri pulls out his gun and shoots him right between the eyes. His granddaughter screams out a sob. Her knee-jerk reaction to seeing her family member killed right before her eyes.
Mikhail walks over to her. “Nadia, listen, I need you to take a message back to your mother. Tell her that if she takes over or whichever woman your family elects, she will have our support. We’ll open a few businesses in the district and give your family a percentage. But only if a woman takes over. Understand?”
The young woman nods, tears streaming down her face. Her hands shake as she wipes them away. “Y-yes. I understand.”
“Then, go,” Mikhail says, shooing her away.
Nadia takes one last look at her grandfather’s body before leaving the room. I motion for a few guards.
“Handle the body.”
“Shows over everyone,” Dmitri shouts. “Get back to the party.”
“What the hell was that about?” Mikhail asks as the DJ turns the music back on.
“He wanted to die,” Dmitri said. “I just gave him what he wanted.”
“I don’t care that you killed him. Did you have to do it in the middle of my daughter’s party, though?”
“Right. Sorry about that.”
“The three of you need to apologize to Lilianna,” Vivienne says. “But also tell her it was the dead guy’s fault.”
The four of us start looking around the room. I scan the dance floor I left her on for her silhouette, but I can’t see her.
“Can anyone see her?” Vivienne asks.
“No.”
“Fuck.”
She takes off towards the dance floor. She dives into the shadows, pushing and pulling kids around to look for my niece. Her alarm sets off a siren in my head. What is going on?
I scan both sides of the room and still don’t find her. There’s a sinking feeling in my gut. Something isn’t right.
Grabbing the first kid I see next to me, I hold him by the collar. “Where is Lilianna?”
His eyes are wide with fear. He’s so close to pissing pants I can smell it on him.
“Where is she?”
“Uh, I- I don’t know.”
“Useless,” I say, tossing him back to the ground.
Vivienne grabs my arm. “I know where she is.”
She’s rushing us out of the room, taking her heels off as we go. Mikhail and Dmitri follow the two of us out.
“Where is she?” I ask. “Why are we running?”
“I have to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It can’t happen again. Not to her. I need to make sure she’s okay.”
What is she talking about? What can’t happen again? A million more questions speed through my head like a runaway train. Does whatever is going on have anything to do with why she’s been strange tonight?
I don’t get a moment to ask a damn one. We sprint up the stairs to Lilianna’s room. My brothers and I have no clue what is really going on. We just know that our woman is upset, and when she’s upset, we’re upset.
Vivienne twists the doorknob, but it’s locked. She starts banging on the door, but there’s not a sound to be heard on the other side.
“Break it down,” Vivienne says. “Now. Break it down.”
Mikhail does as she asks. Ramming his shoulder through it until he splinters into pieces. The four of us come to a halt.
“Nikolai?”