Page 32 of Shiner's Light

As we step back into the main room, I shove the thoughts away before I can sink further down the rabbit hole and focus on the here and now.

“Prez,” I call, greeting with a jerk of my chin while meeting his gaze and head in his direction.

Blow is sitting at a table with Rodion, Nines, Lucky, and Sniper. Behind them, at another table, Rodion’s daughter, Sonia, is sitting with Storm and Meadow. Several of my brothers and Rodion’s men are standing or sitting close by. The tension in the air strife as I pull out a chair, sit, and pull Olive onto my lap. There’s no way I’m letting her sit anywhere else.

“Milo good?” Lucky is the first to ask.

“He’s asleep.” I lift the monitor with a wave, set it on the table, and look at the screen. “I don’t know how long he’ll stay asleep, and I intend to go get him the moment he wakes up.”

“You mind if Chelsea goes and sits with him?”

The concern and apprehension in Lucky’s voice can’t be missed. “I don’t have a problem if she wants to go be with him.” That woman would kill for Milo, and we all know it. She is hell on wheels. For them to take my son, they had to take her. I saw the bruises on her face. I just hope the baby she’s carrying wasn’t harmed. “She and the baby okay?”

“She’s pissed, brother, upset and thinks she could have done something else,” Lucky remarks, releasing a heavy breath. “I’ll go let her know and be right back. I had to threaten to tie her ass to the bed if she didn’t stay there and rest. Maybe she’ll actually relax if she’s with Milo.”

“Tell her I’ll talk to her in a bit and that I appreciate her looking out for Milo.” I nod, understanding where he’s coming from. He’s worried about Chelsea the same way I’m worried about Milo. Returning my attention to the remainder of the men at the table, I don’t miss the fact Rodion’s eyes are on Olive. He’s not hiding the grief in his eyes, and I want to know what he’s playing at here. “Rodion, it’s time you explained how you knew where my kid was and what the fuck you’re doing here.”

Rodion’s gaze shifts to me, hardens, and he straightens further in his chair. “I sent men to look in on my daughters after receiving the call from Blow, and after the reports of finding out Sasha had a son and Olive had run away from here, I came to see to things myself. To assure myself that Olive was okay and to see to Sasha and the trouble she’s causing.”

“Tell them everything, Father,” Sonia utters, holding her head high and looking directly at Olive. “They need to know.”

Rodion sighs and shoots Sonia a dirty look. “When I met Vera, she was seeing my brother, Alexei.”

“She was his slave,” Sonia states, correcting her father.

“She was a slave,” Olive whispers.

“Yes,” Rodion confirms. “My brother was a bit insane and out of control. He tormented Vera, and when I found out about this, I took her away and brought her here to live safe away from him. What neither of us knew was she was already pregnant.” He pauses for a brief moment, focusing on Olive. “I stayed long enough to see to Vera’s pregnancy and claimed the child as my own to protect her from Alexei. During the time Vera and I spent together, I fell for her as she did for me. I would have married her, but it was too dangerous. I was to marry someone else, and she agreed she’d be okay with it. That she would be my mistress. My wife knew of the arrangement. I didn’t hide this from her. Our marriage was a business arrangement, as it were, but we did care for each other. We made a deal of our own. I traveled back and forth, spending time that I could between both places without raising questions with Alexei.”

“That’s a hell of an arrangement,” Sniper remarks.

“It was,” Rodion agreed. “And because of it, Vera and I managed to spend time together. We had Sasha, who I loved as my own, and then we had Olive.” Nodding in my woman’s direction, he gives a small yet sad smile. “Not long after, Alexei started questioning my movements, and I had to be more careful to keep him from finding Vera. If he were to know her whereabouts, he’d have killed her and the girls.”

“Why?” Olive murmurs the question, her voice quiet and barely heard.

I tighten my arms around her, pulling her even closer.

“Alexei wasn’t thrilled when our father bypassed him and handed the business to me when he retired. Shortly after he did this, we found him dead, and I know it was Alexei who did this. My brother is a jealous man. He doesn’t like for anyone to get in his way. He loves to destroy those around him any way he can.”

“We have reason to believe Sasha knows Alexei is her father and has been in contact with him,” Sonia puts in, jumping to the point of this story.

“How do you figure?” Nines asks, cocking a brow.

“When Vera died, Sasha took custody of Olive. I didn’t know she’d passed until I returned a month later. Sasha never contacted me to let me know of this,” Rodion states, his features shifting between grief and anger. “I allowed Sasha to convince me it was best to let her and Olive stay here in the US rather than bring the both of you back with me to Russia. I reluctantly agreed because it would be rather difficult to keep two girls a secret from Alexei.”

“So, you just left us without anything?”

I could hear the confusion in Olive’s voice. The way her bottom lip quivers ever so slightly and her body trembles.

“I sent money to Sasha and called her at first. Each time I tried to speak with you, she came up with some reason or another until she finally said the two of you didn’t want anything to do with me. She gave an explanation that she was done talking to me and making excuses for the daughter who didn’t want to speak to him. I relented, though I still sent money to an account each month to help support the two of you.”

“She acted as if she didn’t have any money,” Olive murmurs, shaking her head. “Sasha said we were alone in this after Mom died. That we weren’t wanted.”

“Let’s skip to the part about Alexei,” Sonia mutters. “We can get back to the heartfelt stuff later.”

“You can chill the fuck out and let Olive have her explanations. She deserves to know what’s going on,” I snarl, shooting the woman a glare. She’s starting to piss me off with her interruptions.

“She does deserve to know, but who knows what will happen at any time when it comes to Alexei and Sasha,” Sonia snaps back.

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