Page 53 of Brutal Bratva Boss

“Hi, little one.” I lean down and pick him up, walking over to the sofa in the corner of the room and sinking into the seat. I lay his little body on my closed knees and chuckle when he refuses to release the vice grip he has on my thumbs.

When he finally loosens his grip, I pull my thumbs free and bring my hands up to my face.

He watches as I slowly move both hands over my eyes until he disappears from view. I wait a few seconds and then quickly move my hands back out to the side. “Peek-a-boo!”

My son laughs furiously, waving his hands and kicking his feet against my stomach.

I will admit that when Kat first suggested the game, I thought she was mad. I am almost certain my father never did it with me, and for obvious reasons, I know Kat’s father never did it with her.

It seems almost preposterous for a grown man to play hide and seek when the only things covering him are two hands. But after I tried it a few times, I came to enjoy hearing the joyous laugh it elicits.

After a few more minutes of the simple game, I stop to brush some blond strands of hair out of his face, admiring not for the first time his rather unique eyes.

“You know, you have the kind of eyes that someone could lose themselves in, little one. They defy all reason. Just like your mother’s.”

My son babbles at me, kicking his legs again and shaking his little fists.

“My little Kostya.” I smile. “I love you more than you will ever know.”

We decided to call him Konstantin because he was the one constant we had through all the chaos during the time Kat carried him. He will be a great leader one day, hopefully following in his father’s footsteps if he so wishes, and we thought he should have a firm name fitting of that.

“One day when you’re older, I will tell you the story of how your mother and I met, and how she saved your life, the same way she saved mine.”

Every word of it is true. Kat saved me from a world of darkness I did not even realize I was a part of. She came breezing in with her dark hair and rosy lips and turned my world upside down. And even though I did not realize it at first, it was a hundred times better than it was before.

The night I shot Igor was by far the worst night of my life. I was sure I was going to lose Kat before we had even had a chance to start a life together. Not to mention, this little bundle of joy never would have entered the world.

After, I struggled with the implications of my actions. Even though Igor deserved what he got, I had still broken my word to Kat after I promised her that he would not die at my hands. Obviously, the situation warranted me doing it, but I was not sure how to process what I had been feeling.

Also, when some of our allies heard about everything that happened, they wanted to inflict pain on the other families who had rallied with Igor to send a message. Some of the things they were suggesting still make me sick to my stomach.

But Kat was there, supporting me every step of the way. She helped me come up with resolutions that meant our allies were happy and no one had to get seriously hurt. It might seem counterproductive when it comes to the Bratva, but Kat has helped me see there better and more diplomatic ways to get what I want and still send a message.

At first, my brothers did not agree, but after some time they started to come around. She and Kiril get on the best, I think because they are both diplomatic and tend to see all sides in many situations. Paval was harder to win over, but even he seems to be warming up to Kat. Having a nephew he can visit regularly does not hurt either.

Movement in my peripheral catches my attention as Kat comes into the room. She gives me a soft smile as she pulls her satin robe tighter around herself.

“Did I wake you?” I ask. “I thought I had turned the monitor off.”

Kat shakes her head. “No, you didn’t wake me. You did turn the monitor off, but I like listening to you with him. Almost as much as I like watching you with him.”

She comes to sit next to me and when Kostya sees her, he stretches his hands out towards her, his little fists opening and closing as he asks to be picked up.

Kat huffs a laugh as she lifts him out of my lap. “Hello, my little angel.”

Kostya squeals in delight, doing his best to grab some of the stray strands of hair around Kat’s face. She talks to him for a while, telling him how loved he is and how we will never let anything happen to him, and I stare in wonder at the amazing woman and miracle child that I get to call my own.

After a while, Kostya’s eyes start to droop, and when he snores softly, Kat carefully places him in his cot and we head back to bed to get some sleep before our morning officially starts.

***

The next few days are filled with our usual business. Our new normal is having regular meetings and dinners with close families to continue to strengthen our allies. While the biggest threat we faced is gone, that is not to say there won’t be others. I would prefer to be prepared if anything like this ever happens again, although I am really hoping it will not. I could not stand the stress of almost losing Kat twice.

Seeing that gun pressed against her temple reminded me how fragile and precious life really is—something we tend to forget in the Bratva. And for the last year, I have spent every waking moment reminding Kat how important she is and how big a part she plays in keeping me sane. Which she does with ease. In turn, she reminds me every day how much she loves me, always telling me how she would never leave me, and that we are in it for the long haul. This is important to me, considering how I wrestled with doubts for the first few months of our relationship.

Two weeks ago, we celebrated our anniversary, twelve months after the day we married for the second time. We both agreed we would rather that be the day we remembered as the day we pledged our lives to each other.

Little does Kat know, I have something special planned for us, because we did not get a chance to celebrate alone due to little Kostya. I love my son, but I also love my wife. And I miss her. In the last few weeks, Kostya has needed more attention as he has started moving around more, which means Kat and I have not had a decent night to ourselves.

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