Chapter Thirty
In which there is deeply needed dessert.
Caroline…
How the hell did Johann get into my office?
My knees are water, and it takes me a minute to straighten up. I wobble to the door, ripping it open. Isaak's head shoots up. "Are you all right, Mrs. Morozova?"
"Did you see that man?" I look in both directions around the hall.
"What man?" He puts his hand inside his jacket, by his holster.
"He just came out of my office," I rub the back of my neck, feeling insane. "Tallish? Black ponytail, kind of pale? Nice suit."
"I am sorry," he says carefully. "But I haven't seen anyone leave your office since your meeting with your assistant manager."
Am I crazy? No, I'm not. I had a conversation with that asshole.
"Wait, this is simple." I turn around and head over to my security monitors, six of them, lining the wall.
I turn them on and use the remote to playback the footage from the security camera positioned right across the hall from my door.
I watch the numbers, frowning. It was just a minute or two since he left.
The only movement is Rafail heading down the hall, probably his turn to stretch his legs, and use the bathroom.
Isaak strolls back and forth, looking calm.
Then, it loops, Rafail walking down the hall again. This bastard looped my footage? How? It goes to an off-site server! I eye my monitor board. Johann could have done it from here, but it still doesn't explain how he got into my office in the first place.
I remember what he said about Liria. I have to see her.
Grabbing my suit jacket, I speedwalk out of the office. "I have to go, right now," I tell a puzzled Isaak. "To Liria's. Now. Can you call Rafail to meet us at the car?"
There are frown lines carved into his face, but he nods politely, ushering me down the steps to the lobby.
Hurry, hurry, come on, hurry! Why is this taking so long?
"I can't imagine you would want any of them to suffer because of you," he'd said.
Pulling my phone out of my bag, I call Liria. "Caro!" she says happily. "What's up?"
"Are you at home?"
Her tone turns cautious. "Yes, why don't you come over? You sound a little intense right now."
"Oh." An awkward laugh bursts from me. "I was just thinking about you, and…" I put my hand on my forehead. It feels hot, like I'm feverish. "Wanted to chat."
"Then get your shapely ass over here!" Liria is almost always cheerful. Nothing bad could have happened if she's cheerful.
"Be there in ten minutes. Do you want me to order those pistachio cream puffs from Blissful Bakery?"
She's struggling with that. "I want the cream puffs but not if you can't get them delivered."
"Sounds fair," I croak. I'm not going to tell her about Johann. He's talking out of his ass. The whole showing up and leaving unseen from my office thing is unnerving, but so is fucking with the Morozov Bratva. He can't be that stupid.
***
A half hour later, we're covered in powdered sugar, eating the last of the cream puffs. "Alexsey will never forgive me if he finds out we ate all of these and didn't save one."
"Then we destroy the evidence," I say thickly, swallowing my mouthful of pistachio cream.
She points her last cream puff at me. "That is an excellent idea.
" We hear a faint wail from upstairs and I hurry up the stairs behind her.
Vasily and Anya are just getting big enough to haul themselves up by holding on to the slats on their crib.
They look at us with their teary eyes and red cheeks and I crumble.
"Oh, you poor sweethearts!" I reach for Vasily and he bats my face with his little paw. "Come downstairs, we'll take care of you." He bats my nose again, which I take as a "yes."
I play with Anya as Liria nurses Vasily first. "My lactation coach tried to teach me how to nurse both babies at the same time, keeping them in a football hold." She does not look inspired by her coach's suggestion.
"Yeah, that's the very definition of double breasted," I say. She stares at me for a second before howling with laughter. Anya does not look impressed by her mother's merriment. "It wasn't that funny, fam."
"No, that was really funny," she wheezes. "Nursing humor. Who knew it was a thing?"
"I really don't think it is, Lir." I take Vasily, burping him while Liria feeds Anya. Kissing the top of his head, I swoon a little. The sweet smell of Baby. The perfume companies could make bank if they could re-create it. "How's Violet doing?"
"She's in the first stages of a morning sickness that can make its appearance at any time of the day or night," she says sympathetically.
"Roman was hovering around her like a lovesick hummingbird, the last time I saw them," I chuckle.
Liria smiles down at Anya. "I think he's even more excited than she is. He wanted to rip off the exterior wall of the nursery and send up all this giant, fancy furniture by crane."
"Oh, my god," I cackle. "I hope Violet talked him out of that plan." Studying her for a while, I note that the little furrow that's always between her brows is gone, she's relaxed, the happy Liria I remember from Boston. "You're happy, fam. Right?"
She looks up at me a little, surprised smile curving her lips. "O bozhe moy, yes! I'm so happy. Who would have thought it when I was dragged here?"
"I remember wanting to set Alexsey on fire a couple of times at first," I admit with a grin. "The man did redeem himself."
"Spectacularly."
We play with Vasily and Anya for a while, dancing with them while they cover us in drool. Alexsey comes home while we're waltzing to "A Tale as Old as Time."
"Aw, damn," he groans, pulling off his tie. "Are we really diving into Disney tunes this early?"
"Accept the Disney." I put Anya in his arms. "It's going to be a very big part of your life for the next ten years."
"Kill me." He looks so bleak, until he looks at Liria and his whole face lights up.
Watching them dance together, arms around the babies, tears sting my eyes. I will do anything to keep Liria this happy. Nothing bad can touch her ever again.
***
When Nikandr gets home that night, he looks exhausted.
He flew from Boston to Minneapolis and home again for back-to-back meetings.
He's rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt and while he paces, telling a bit about his day, I enjoy his Forearm Porn.
Thick muscles and the veins roping his powerful arms.
I'm horrible. I'm as bad as a teenage boy. A crazy man broke into my office and all I can think about is how hot my husband is.
Nikandr pauses to take a gulp of his vodka, his eyes scanning the New York skyline outside our windows.
Ours.
When did the penthouse become ours?
Because it feels like home when Nikandr is here.
"Hey, I need to talk to you about this afternoon." I hate adding Johann on top of the funeral pyre that is his professional life right now, but it's time. "So, when I went back to the office after lunch -"
His phone rings and he gives me a quick, apologetic smile.
"One moment, love." My heart dances with happiness at the word until I see his face darken, like a storm sweeping over the ocean.
"They what? Is there nothing these stupid bastards can hold on to?
I'll be right there." Nik looks up at me, distracted.
"I'm sorry, what happened today?" He's already shrugging on his suit jacket.
"Is whatever you're going to handle bad?" I ask, heart sinking.
"Bad enough." He picks up his phone, sending a text to Vasilisa.
"It's not a big deal." I walk over, going up on tiptoe to give him a kiss. "Go handle what you need to, okay? I'll be here."
Tomorrow's fine, I think. I'll tell him tomorrow.
***
O bozhe moy - Oh, my god in Russian