33. Peyton
PEYTON
“I’m so sorry, Peyton.” Scott rocked from side to side, patting his newborn daughter’s back as he swayed. “I had no idea you were in the picture.” He shook his head. “I really hate that we have to be so cautious.”
“It’s fine, Scott.” I waved off his concern even though my heart hadn’t gone back to its normal rhythm yet. “It’s not your fault. I should have stayed further back so you could take the pictures you want.”
“No more apologizing.” Mom entered the living room, setting her hands on her hips. “It’s been taken care of.”
“And it’s been five years.” I shrugged. “What are the chances they’re even looking for me, much less that they’d have seen me in that picture?”
“It was up less than five minutes.” Dad came up behind Mom and set his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sure everything is fine.”
Scott nodded, but his expression remained pensive. “I’m still sorry that I messed up.”
“Scott, you have a brand-new daughter to worry about. That’s what is important.” I reached up and smoothed the yellow blanket around the baby’s face. Her lips puckered, and she made sucking sounds but didn’t wake up.
“You’re right.” He stared down at his daughter. “Going to have plenty to worry about with two of them.”
My other sister, both my brothers, and my brothers’ significant others filled the space between the living room and kitchen.
We’d all come to Daphne and Scott’s house to welcome them home, on Daphne’s strict instructions that she did not need any time alone just yet. She wanted chaos and noise and family.
We had no trouble giving her all that and more.
Because this was how my family did things. They gave one hundred percent in everything, no questions asked.
“I packed the fridge.” Mom set her hands on top of Dad’s and leaned into his chest. “And everything is organized in the nursery. Make sure you call if you need anything, and we’ll check in daily, so no trying to make do on your own.” She looked pointedly at Daphne, who raised her hands.
Daphne and I shared the same green eyes and curves, and our smiles were similar enough that even if anyone had seen me in that picture, they’d probably think I was Daphne.
Except, she’d been standing beside Scott. I rubbed my head as a low ache formed behind my eyes. I really needed to stop obsessing about this.
My life had changed drastically since leaving New York. Faking my death hadn’t been easy there, but I’d been welcomed home with open arms.
And when I’d given birth to a baby boy several months later, everyone had rallied around me. In some ways, I couldn’t be happier. My son and I were safe and protected.
And yet, having our existence wiped off the face of the earth came with some disconcerting after effects. My son, Luka, couldn’t care less.
At four, he didn’t understand about social media and avoiding cameras.
We had plenty of pictures.
They were all just taken with old digital cameras. I had a job in another county, and I’d changed my name.
“Who’d have thought when you went to New York, you’d end up running from the Mafia?” Scott shook his head in a slow wag. He’d been the calmest about the whole thing, making the occasional joke to help alleviate the tension.
Daphne eased onto the couch beside me.
I gave her a quick once-over. “You okay? Need anything?”
“Fine.” She leaned back, resting her head on the back of the couch. “As far as I’m concerned, the hard part is over.”
“Because you have an incredible family who will make sure you get plenty of rest and don’t stay up all night on baby duty.” Scott winked at Daphne, who snorted and rolled her eyes dramatically before she giggled.
“He’s right.” I hugged her from the side, being careful not to jostle her. “We do have an incredible family.”
They’d helped me find some semblance of peace after the devastation of my romantic tryst. They had hounded me with questions, and I’d been as honest as possible. We were united in one thing. We would do whatever it took to protect our family.
Luka careened into the room, his smile wide and laughter exploding out in a deep belly chuckle. “No, Bella. No tickle.”
Bella, Daphne’s first child, ran after Luka with her hands outstretched in claws. “Tickle, Luka. Tickle, tickle.”
Luka screamed and scrambled into my lap, throwing his arms around my neck and laughing hysterically.
Bella’s legs locked, and she snapped to a stop so fast her sideways ponytail bobbled. “Oh, sister’s here. I hold her.” She held out both arms, then jumped up and down. “I hold her. I hold her. I hold her.”
“What did we say about you holding your sister?” Scott nodded toward the rocking chair, and Bella ran over.
I ran my fingertips along Luka’s ribs, drawing out his squealing laugh. This was what I’d been working so hard to protect.
Did I miss Viktor, Leo, and Misha? Every. Single. Day.
But I would not change anything as long as I got to keep Luka safe. I hadn’t seen them in five years. I didn’t dare look them up online. I knew myself too well.
If I saw them, I’d be even more tempted to regret my decision.
Better for all of us if I left it alone. Scott’s mishap today was the first in five years.
It would be fine. I had no doubts they’d moved on.
Three days later, standing in Mom and Dad’s kitchen with a cup of coffee as I tried to talk myself into going to work, a series of hard knocks banged on the front door.
“That’s probably Scott. He’s supposed to come pick up their laundry today.” Mom flipped pancakes onto a plate for Luka.
“I’ll let him in.” Despite being part of the family for years, Scott still felt it necessary to knock. I turned and crossed the room, gripped the doorknob, and pulled the door open.
My knees went weak at the sight of three very large, very angry–very not Scott–men glaring at me.
“Leo. Viktor. Misha.” I whispered their names and took a step back, my legs giving way until I crashed into Dad’s recliner.
My brothers’ footsteps pounded down the hallway from the kitchen to the living room. Tommy cut in front of me. “What are you doing here?”
I swallowed the boulder lodged in my throat and tried to speak. No was the only word that came to mind. They were here. Why were they here?
“Hello, Peyton.” Leo’s voice slashed through the ringing in my ears.
Viktor took a step into the room, shoving past Tommy.
They were thinner than I remembered, with haggard expressions and lifeless eyes.
Especially Misha. The weight of his stare stopped my heart.
“Get out.” Tommy grabbed Leo’s arm.
Leo flung him off, sending Tommy stumbling back.
“Stop.” I didn’t have enough breath to do more than whisper the word.
“How could you?” The hurt in Viktor’s face almost took away the fury that rolled off him in waves.
Leo bared his teeth at Tommy when all my brothers, by blood and by marriage, tried to come between us. “How could you do that to us?”
Oh, God. They were here. My body alternated between shock and joy, and the result left me shaking.
“Do you have any idea what we did when we thought Anton killed you?” Leo’s tone dropped. He scanned the room, and as though he found my entire family less than a threat, he continued. “We slaughtered every one of them. Every fucking one.” His teeth clamped together, a sure sign of his anger.
“Look what you did to us.” Viktor swept a hand toward his face, then Leo and Misha.
The motion forced me to look past the anger and into the hurt. It forced me to see the sunken faces and realize that Misha had yet to speak.
I’d thought them hard men when we first met. When I realized who they really were, it had proven my point.
But in all my time with them, I’d never seen them like this.
None of them wore their suit jackets, and the button-up shirts I’d come to love no longer hugged their shoulders.
They’d lost weight and muscle and gained a hardness that reminded me of the sharp edge of a knife. One wrong move and it was all over.
“You need to leave. Now.” Dad cut in front of me. “You are a threat to our daughter, and you are not welcome here.”
“Dad, it’s okay.” I ducked around him, putting myself directly in front of all three men. “They won’t hurt me. No matter how upset they are, they’re not a threat.”
“Peyton.” Dad tried to pull me back.
I shook my head at him, but even with my heart leaping from my throat as they stared down at me with hands fisted, I refused to believe they would ever lay a hand on me in anger.
And as much as I wanted to leap into their arms and hold them tight, I kept myself just out of arm’s reach.
“I’m sorry I left the way I did. You have to understand why I did it.
I could not be part of your world. It was too dangerous, and as long as you thought I was alive, Anton would not let it go.
I would always be waiting for him to come after me. ”
“So you convinced us you were dead and let us eliminate an entire branch of men. Anton included.” Leo dipped his chin to look me in the eye.
“You’re just like the rest of them. You have no spine to fight for what you want but walk away as soon as things get hard.
Did we not prove the lengths we would go to protect you? ”
Yes, they had. That wasn’t the problem.
Viktor put a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Leo, stop. We all know we failed to keep her safe. All our promises meant nothing when we could not stop Anton from taking her in the first place. She was not wrong to be scared.”
Damn it. My eyes watered, and I sniffed back tears. They’d been through so much. Viktor lost the love of his life when rivals killed her. Leo lost his when she walked away, like I did.
And Misha…
I met his broken, hollow gaze. Misha had perhaps suffered more than all of them. He had not looked away from me since the door opened. He didn’t break eye contact now, either.
I’d thought I could handle this, but the brokenness in his eyes ripped my heart in two. He stood with his fists clenched at his sides, a thick beard covering his face.
I’d never seen eyes as empty as his. “I hate this.” I took one step forward. “I hate that your pain was as all-consuming as mine has been. I thought you would grieve and move on.”
Misha flinched, his head twitching to the side, but he still held my gaze. “We have grieved.” Every word seemed to pain him.
Luka’s laughter rang out.
My eyes fluttered shut, and I couldn’t help the silent prayer begging Mom to keep Luka in the kitchen.
I should have known better. Luka was wily as a fox and as eager to be in the middle of the action as the three men in front of me.
He tore into the room with his usual gusto, his laughter the only bright sound in this dreadful moment.