Page 78 of Shattered Empire (Shattered World)

“How did you—” Andrei was interrupted by Dima calling Kenzi’s name. Mark was on vidcom for her.

“Be back.” She got up from her seat and moved to the back of the plane.

Andrei and I sat in silence for a few moments, neither of us knowing what to say. This was the first time we had been alone together.

I tapped my fingers against the seat’s armrest.

Fuck, I was nervous.

I never got nervous.

Then again, I never imagined I had any immediate family other than Kirill. Andrei had decided to accompany me back to Seattle with Dima and Kenzi. He said he wanted to help, and the moment I had graciously accepted his offer, he was on the phone with hisSovietnik, making plans to have men sent from Russia to assist.

I thought he was also looking to connect.

Not that either of us knew how to do that. It was pretty obvious where I had inherited my lack of social skills from.

“Ivan says you arePakhanof the SeattleBratva.” Andrei broke the silence. I shifted my gaze from the open scenic window to find his gray eyes staring at me intently. It was like looking in a mirror. “I know Tomas Ivankov well. He is a good man. A good leader.”

I dipped my head. “He is,” I agreed, unsure of what else to say. Andrei licked his lips anxiously, his own fingertips tapping silently against his knee.

More silence.

Fuck, I didn’t know how to do this. People. Connections. That was Vas’s thing, not mine. He was amiable and charming. Before Ava, the only people who saw my humorous and talkative side were my brothers.

The men of my inner sanctum.

The ones I would give my life for without a second thought.

Tomas had taught me to only show my true self around those I trusted most. The men and women under my command weren’t my friends. I may have considered them family and would be cordial with them, but over time, they would think of me more as a comrade and less of as their leader. It meant they could come to believe they could skirt the laws I laid out.

It might have seemed cold and uncaring, but the line I had to draw in the sand asPakhankept everyone safe.

Not through fear, but through respect.

“Your mother…” He trailed off, unsure of how to express what he wanted to know. I smiled at him.

“She was warm and caring,” I told him. Even when Kirill had her drugged, she managed to shift the haze aside whenever it came to me. “When she smiled, it was like the whole world lit up. Her laugh was like—”

“Sunshine on a cloudy day,” he remembered wistfully.

I nodded. “It was rare, but yes, exactly that.”

“Did she ever speak of me?” There was hope in his eyes, and I hated to be the one to extinguish that. So I lied.

“A few times.” I cleared my throat. “But it was often vague. I grew up believing Kirill to be my father, and I think that was what kept us safe from him. For a time.”

“If that bastard wasn’t dead, I’d kill him again,” Andrei snarled. “To think my own brother betrayed me from the beginning.”

“You couldn’t have known the depth of his hatred,” I assured him. “He obviously had help.”

“I shouldn’t have let myself be so blinded by grief,” he admitted, his shoulders drooping slightly. “Maybe then I would have seen his treachery. I would have been able to save you and her.”

“I wouldn’t be the man I am today if you had. We can’t change the cards fate has dealt us, but we can learn to master what we are given. My life was hard. Always looking over my shoulder. Waiting for the moment I would slip up and that would be the end.” I paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I often was cold and hungry. But I learned to fight. To survive. And that was what I was doing when Tomas found me. Just fighting to survive. He gave me the chance to be a part of a family that cared. That had my back. Tomas will always be my father. The one who gave me every opportunity.”

Andrei’s face fell as I talked. He thought it was too late to be my father. Tomas had been there every step of the way for me as I grew from a boy to a man. He was my father in every way, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t room for another family.

Swallowing back the lump in my throat, I continued. “And the one greatest thing he taught me is that family is whoever we say it is, and we can always have more than one.”

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