Page 84 of Killer Love

He’s standing next to Stefan Petrovin, after all, one of the most notorious mobsters in Russia besides my father.

I look at the man on Stefan’s left. His other son, Nikita. Hans’ baby brother. I barely recognized him at first. Back in school, he was four-eyed and lanky. Not so much anymore.

He briefly bows his head in acknowledgment, reading me with shadowed eyes as I read him.

Stefan nods to my mother with sincerity and he takes her hands. “I am sorry for your loss, Nina.”

“And the same to you, Stefan,” she says.

He offers his hand to Yuri and my brother shows him the same respect.

The slaying of Hans Petrovin had the opposite effect than Gio intended. He wanted us to fight and tear our country apart while he profited from the pieces. Instead, Russia stands strong and united.

There’s nothing like a common enemy to bring two families together.

Stefan turns to me. “We will start looking today,” he says.

I nod and shake his hand. “Thank you.”

He offers a happy smile to Lucian sitting on my arm, highlighting the wrinkles around his old eyes, before turning back to his car. Markov escorts him away with his hand still in his pocket. I suppose one can’t be too trusting at all anymore.

Nikita lingers behind and smiles at Lucian. “Cute kid,” he says.

“Thanks,” I say.

“Must take after his mother,” he adds through a shit-eating smirk.

I grit my teeth as he walks off to catch up with them. You can take the boy out of the school yard, as they say…

“Nina.”

I turn to Sofia to find her standing in front of my mother.

“I am so sorry,” she whispers with guilty, shaking eyes. “This… If I hadn’t have—”

“Stop,” my mother says. “You didn’t do this, Sofia.”

My heart aches for them as I hold my son a little tighter.

“But I…” Sofia’s voice falls. She blames herself for this, for all of it, and nothing I’ve said so far has been able to convince her otherwise. “I’m sorry for the pain I’ve brought on your family.”

My mother shakes her head. “Sofia, I loved my husband more than life itself, but he was not without his foolishness. He saw the evil that condemned Zappia women like you and he pretended it didn’t exist. Even I did. But Luka... he never could. Not since the moment he saw you, and I see the way he looks at you now. I’ve never seen my son love so completely. Given our family’s deeds, I often worried that my sons were incapable of that.” She reaches out and takes Sofia’s hands. “No, Sofia. You haven’t brought pain on my family. You brought us life. And with Lucian, you gave us a future. You will always have a place in my home. Remember that.”

Sofia’s lip trembles as she nods. “I will.”

My mother takes a step back, keeping her tight grip on Sofia. “Come with me. I have something to show you.”

I follow behind them across the lot, limping on my wounded leg as I move. Words stand out on tombstones as we pass by them. Fathers and mothers. Sons and daughters.

Brothers and sisters.

My mother stops at the end of the line of stones. Sofia looks down and tears spill from her eyes as she reads the name.

Rosalie.

“We all deserve a place to mourn,” my mother says. “Now, she will always be close to you.”

Sofia sobs. “Thank you.”

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