Page 59 of The Umarova Crime Family

I’ve learned over the past few months how I shouldn’t be too trusting, and it’s something I don’t want to be. Being too trusting gets you in sticky situations. When I think about Ruslan and how Artos betrayed him, it boils my blood. He trusted Artos to be a good man, a trusted ally, and instead, he went against my family, but more importantly, my brother. Since things have gone down with my stepfather, I’ve had the cruel reality of seeing things in a much different light. I wasn’t the type of man who held onto everyone’s word before, but I’ve turned into a man where people have to prove their trust to me. If they can’t prove that they can be trustworthy, then I don’t trust them. Not one bit.

I drive Emily and me from the private airport to Ruslan and Amelia’s new condo. My brother and Amelia know I’m coming today, but Emily wanted to surprise her cousin. Amelia knew that Emily had landed a new job in Atlanta, and she wasn’t sure if her boss was going to give her time off for the wedding. Emily and I both knew she’d never miss Amelia’s big day, but I don’t think she extended the same news to Amelia. In fact, I think Emily’s trying to surprise her cousin. Not only is she going to be here for the wedding, but she’s here a few days early so she can spend some time with her.

Emily and I make it to the condominium complex where Ruslan and Amelia live with baby Karim, and I park our vehicle. Once we’re parked, the two of us get out of the car and head for the elevators. The ride up to their floor is seamless, and when we get to the top, we’re let out at a small foyer sort of area. There isn’t much here, but the space is about ten feet by ten feet, and their doorway is centered in the middle of it. I head up to their door and fish out the key Ruslan gave me from my pocket. Once I unlock it, we both head inside, and Emily’s smiling from ear to ear.

I know how excited she’s been to see Amelia again, and I’m tickled to death that she’s so excited. I love seeing Emily happy. It gives me a sense of pride that warms my chest, especially when I have a direct hand in her happiness.

We head inside down one of the hallways, and I find my brother. He turns around, and a smile immediately spreads across his lips, but the moment his eyes land on Emily, he cocks his brows.

“Don’t tell Amelia. I want this to be a surprise,” Emily tells Ruslan as she comes over and scoops his son out of Ruslan’s arms. The bottle warmer dings, and she fetches the bottle like she knows exactly what she’s doing and proceeds to feed Karim. “Gosh, you’ve gotten so big in these short few weeks, little one,” she tells him, and I’m caught staring at Emily ever so intently. She looks good with a baby, and she knows exactly what she needs to be doing too.

“Are you all right with Karim?” Ruslan asks Emily, and she almost looks annoyed at my brother’s question.

“Obviously, go do whatever you two need to.” She waves us off and walks into the living room with Karim. Meanwhile, Ruslan’s taking me into his office.

Ruslan and I both take a seat once we’re inside, and I lean back against the leather couch. “How are things in Atlanta?”

“They’re going great. I actually wanted to speak to you about coming back home. Atlanta’s nice, but I’m growing bored of the view.” I swallow hard as I tell my brother because I’m not sure what his reaction is going to be.

“Bored of the view or bored of Emily?” Ruslan’s question is something out of the blue, something I really never expected from him. I debate what the hell I should say to that, but what am I supposed to say? Fuck. What he said is pissing me off, though. I know he thinks I’m a man whore, but I actually give a flying fuck about Emily.

“Emily is of no concern to you,” I finally tell him, or rather, I hiss at him. I even glare at my brother. A silent warning that I’m not playing around. “I want to come back to Grozny because it’s where I belong. Our business with the Steele family has gone on without a hitch, and it’s time for me to come back, brother. It’s been longer than we needed, actually.”

“Noted about Emily,” Ruslan can’t hide the shit-eating grin pulling at his lips. “In another retrospect, I think it’s about time you come home as well. Everything with the Steele family has been flawless, and I don’t expect there to be any hiccups coming up soon. If there ever is, we can make a personal trip out to Atlanta to rectify the situation.”

I nod, happy with my brother’s decision. “Perfect. When do you want me back in Grozny permanently?”

Ruslan leans back a bit against the couch and mulls over what I’ve asked him. “I’d say within the next two months, but if it happens to be sooner, then great.”

“Okay, I’ll get things wrapped up and let you know when everything is settled,” I tell my brother, but as I’m speaking to him, the distinctive sounds of footsteps against the floor cause me to turn and look through the doorway. Sure enough, Eset and Nazyr are headed in our direction. Once Eset sees me, she rushes down the rest of the hallway and darts into the office, then wraps her arms around me as quickly as possible. “Oh, I’ve missed you!” she exclaims, and I hold her tightly against me. Eset is really the light of our family. Over the last few months, she’s shown how badass she is, but she’s the one who keeps us grounded and reminds us that our family is everything.

“I’ve missed you too, little one,” I tell her, and she lets me go, then takes a seat beside me.

Nazyr comes into the office and shuts the door behind him, giving us some semblance of privacy. “It’s good to see you, brother,” Nazyr tells me before he takes a seat in one of the armchairs sitting across from us.

“Likewise,” I state.

“I noticed Emily’s here, too,” Eset prods, and Ruslan cackles.

“Best not ask him about Emily.”

Eset raises both of her brows. “Oh, really? Why is that? Someone getting a little possessive?”

“I’d say, but it’d be best we don’t talk about it. It could bother Lom,” Ruslan presses his lips together as he finishes, and Eset gets a good laugh out of it. They both damn well know I give a shit about Emily. I think I’m horrible at hiding it, so I’m doing my best here to remain as stoic as possible.

“Since you’re here, have you heard anything about Artos?” Ruslan looks over at Nazyr, who barely takes a moment before he shakes his head.

“He’s in the wind, but he won’t be for long. I know we all have our allies looking out for him. It’s only a matter of time before he’s caught,” Nazyr grumbles, and Ruslan clears his throat.

“Correction, before that scum is caught,” Ruslan adds, and I’m not surprised in the least bit. If anyone has a right to be angry about anything, it’s Ruslan. Artos turned on him, and Artos was one of the people responsible for him being tortured. When we get our hands on him, there will be no turning back.

There’s a bit of silence before Ruslan takes the conversation in another direction. “All right. I know he’s going to turn up eventually, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not angry. I hate that he’s still out there.”

“We’re going to find him, brother. I don’t have one doubt in my mind that we will,” Eset speaks up, trying to be the positivity our brother needs right now.

“Have you found any information on Kirill’s child?” Ruslan asks Eset.

Kirill had a daughter who was supposedly taken as leverage for his betrayal. “No, not yet. We all know my father took the child, but I have reason to believe Artos might have her now.” Eset promised Kirill before he was killed that she’d find his daughter, and it proves that even though our sister is cutthroat, she has a damn good heart.

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