Page 4 of Ruby Menace

Fury and pain war within me as I try to take this in. He wants to speak to her alone. Whatever they have to say to each other isn’t intended for my ears. Not that I can understand any of it anyway.

Perhaps he doesn’t want to simply speak to her. What if what they’re saying is about rekindling the marriage that she’s hoping to revive now? What if I’m just in the way? I fight down a little choking sob, and with one last apologetic look at Stepan, I get up and leave the room.

Shit.

You should have left on your own, Tee.

It’s true. I should have just stood up and left the moment they started talking to each other. They’re husband and wife. And they obviously have a lot of catching up to do.

Maybe I was wrong to be so hasty to drop the idea of helping the FBI. Maybe I should be biding my time, waiting for him to do something incriminating so I can tell them and then get the hell out of here. Maybe I should do all of those things, and then build a new life for me and my baby. If I’m smart, it’s what I’ll do. It was my plan anyway. Except my whirlwind romance with Kirill made me change my mind.

But at least I know what to do now.

Without looking back, I walk away to find Roxie.

Chapter Two

Kirill

She’s back.

I thought all of this shit was behind me.

“You may have had a place here once, Zoya, but it’s gone.” I cross my arms over my chest. “You are no longer wanted.”

“How can you say that, Kirill?” Her voice is shrill. “All these years I was raising your child. All the sacrifices that I made for him. For us.”

“If I had known about him, there would have been no sacrifices.” I look at the boy, who looks terrified. Something tugs at me. This is not a conversation he should be hearing. Yet, Zoya seems to have no trouble with putting him through this.

“I couldn’t tell you. You know that, surely?” Zoya stands and moves toward me. “It wasn’t safe.”

“You knew this world before we ever married. Your family is Bratva. You were groomed for this life. I never hid anything from you.”

“It’s true, you never did. And I should have appreciated you more.” She puts a hand on my arm. “I was wrong to put you through everything I did, milaya moya. I should have had faith that you can protect me.”

I pull my arm away. “You should have had faith years ago. It’s too late now.”

“Is it?” She’s trying to touch me again. I step back. “I don’t think it’s ever too late for a husband and wife to remember their vows. Especially when there is a child involved. Your son, Kirill.”

I take in a deep breath looking over at the boy again. “Stepan,” I say to him. He stares at me with unblinking dark eyes. Tousled dark hair. Angular features. Features similar to mine. I don’t see much of her in him, though. “None of this is your fault. Do you understand?”

He looks over at his mother, then back at me, and then nods. It’s not convincing. I feel another strange pang. Is this what fatherhood feels like? Am I feeling like I should be protecting him from all this? That I should be taking care of his mother too?

Blyad!

Having her back brings too many complications; I should have cut our ties completely, but I didn’t. And now it’s too late to do that. The plans I’d made to start a family with Tiana – that’s where I’d expected my legacy to begin. And yet, now there is this. I keep looking at the boy and every time I do, he looks a little more like me.

“Kirill,” Zoya is tugging at my attention once more, “I know you have your reservations. But we need to talk about this.”

Blyad!

I heave out a breath. She’s right. This conversation is unavoidable. But that doesn’t mean it has to happen now.

“Later.” I set my jaw. “This isn’t the time. There are matters I must deal with.”

“You mean like your little suka?” Zoya scoffs. “The one who ran like a rabbit the minute you threw her out?”

“I never threw her out,” I snap. “I asked her to leave.”

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