Page 60 of The Umarova Crime Family

“Why do you even keep looking? The girl doesn’t matter to us,” Nazyr tells her, and Eset whips her head in his direction so fast that I think her head’s going to pop off and roll on the floor.

“I made a promise to a dying man. A man who knew what was coming and a man who undoubtedly had no choice when he was told to go against us. We all know Kirill betrayed us. There’s no denying it, but his reasoning why he did is very important. I believe what Kirill said, and I think most of you do too.” Eset pauses for a second but glares at Nazyr with determination. “The only way they were able to get Kirill to go against the family was by taking his daughter. Otherwise, he was completely faithful and loyal to us. I think Artos has the girl, and I’m betting on killing two birds with one stone.”

“I don’t know why you’re even bothering to find her, Eset. It’s a waste of time.” Nazyr is making his opinion known, but it’s not exactly a good one. He’s showing us all how cold-hearted and careless he can be. Now, it isn’t bad to be either of those things in our family’s profession, but there are times when we need to lead with what beats in our chest, too.

“I think it’s good of Eset to not let our family’s lifestyle alter her character. She made a dying man a promise, and she’s doing everything she can to follow through with it,” I state, speaking up for our sister. Eset gives me a half-smile in thanks, but her attention quickly shifts back to Nazyr.

“You’re searching for a needle in a haystack,” he tries to defend himself, but it won’t matter.

“Then so be it,” Eset states plain as day.

She is a rarity in this world. On the one hand, she is brutal and relentless, and on the other hand, she is caring and heartfelt. She may be my younger sister, but I want to protect who she is as a person. I don’t want her true nature to be lost in this world, and it’s so possible. More possible than I think she even realizes.

“Has anyone spoken to our mother recently?” Ruslan asks the group of us.

When it comes to our mother, things are very tense.

No one says a damn thing, and Ruslan speaks up again. “As I thought. She made her choice when she chose Anzor.”

I don’t think any of us believe we’re ever going to mend our relationships with our mother. In fact, I have to be honest when I say that I was surprised that Nazyr and Eset even sided with us. I assumed they were going to choose their father, but I’m glad they saw him for what he was—a big fucking joke.

“How are things going in Atlanta, brother?” Eset changes the subject, and I’m going to keep my reply strictly work-related. I know my sister is nosy and digging for some information, but I’m not foolish enough to fall for it.

Chapter Nine

Emily

It’s been a day since Lom and I arrived in Grozny. Amelia was tickled pink when I surprised her, and we made plans to have some much-needed girl time today. The men have been off doing whatever it is that they even do in the first place, and I haven’t seen much of Lom’s sister Eset. She works with them, so it wouldn’t be surprising to me if she’s off handling some things for their business.

Amelia and I are sitting in her living room, drinking some wine, and catching up. We haven’t dived into anything too deep as of yet, but there’s something I really need to tell Amelia. My stomach tightens up at the mere thought of bringing it up, and sweat trickles down my back.

Amelia has her hair tied up in a tight messy bun, and she’s wearing an oversized shirt with plain black leggings. We’ve not dressed up fancy or anything close to it, and that’s what I’ve always loved about my cousin. She’s never made me feel like I’m not enough. I just wish I could say the same about my parents. I was preached to the entire time growing up about how I needed to look presentable at all times because you never knew what kind of opportunities or doors would open for you. If my mother saw how laid back and “trashy” we looked right now, she’d probably have a stroke. We don’t even look trashy at all. We’re just two people who are relaxing and having a good time.

“Why are you getting quiet all of a sudden? It’s so weird.” Amelia throws her head back and laughs in an attempt to break the ice.

“It’s because I don’t know how to bring this up to you.” What I’m saying is very plain, but I’m terrified about what Amelia might think of me after I say all of this.

Amelia furrows her brows a bit, and after I don’t speak, she does. “You know you can tell me anything, right? We’re family, and I’d never judge you, be ashamed of you, be pissed, or whatever else you might be thinking about how I’d react in that head of yours.”

I swallow hard as Amelia’s words sink in. “Okay. Um, I’m going to come right out with it then. Your mother called me from jail and asked that I come to visit her. Or… she didn’t exactly ask. She told me I needed to go see her, and it’s because she helped me with something many years ago.”

“So, she’s using your past against you.” Amelia comes straight out with it, and she’s not wrong in the least bit.

“It’s exactly what she’s doing.”

“Okay, so what could she possibly have on you?” Amelia pulls her legs under her from where she sits on the couch and glances over at Karim’s baby monitor for a split second. He just went down for a nap not too long ago.

I can’t believe I’m about to tell Amelia this, but here I go. “I had a baby when I was a teenager, and your mom helped me place her with a family for adoption. It was a private adoption, and now she’s using it against me, so I’ll put money in her commissary account. Otherwise, she’s going to tell my parents.”

Amelia’s mouth falls open from the shock of what I’ve told her. “I’m so sorry for this reaction. I just… I never thought you, of all people, would be… God, I’m going to put my foot in my mouth.”

“You’re probably thinking that I don’t fit the type of person who would give up their baby, given how I was raised and all, right?”

“Kinda, sorta, yeah,” Amelia admits, and I already knew it.

I grew up in rural Alabama and went to church three days a week. Of course, she’d think that way. “I knew I wasn’t prepared to take care of a baby, and I knew I wouldn’t have been able to go to college and make a name for myself. I knew that keeping my daughter would mean I’d be stuck in that small town for the rest of my life, and I couldn’t bear the thought of it. Not only that, but I couldn’t be selfish enough to keep her and give her a mediocre life. Not when someone else who was ready for a baby could give her so much more. After she was born, I thought about keeping her. It wasn’t long before I came to my senses, but I thought that I might be able to. It was nice to dream about a life where everything could’ve worked out, but she was better off with people who were prepared to care for a baby. Not with a teenage mother who didn’t even have a job.”

Amelia shakes her head and presses her lips together. “I can’t even imagine having to make that decision, especially after having a baby of my own now. I’m so sorry you had to go through that, and I’m so sorry you ever had to make the choices you did.”

---