Page 61 of Triplets for the Russian Boss

Kostin

Ineed a stiff drink, or maybe a dozen, but should a man with kids be drinking that much? My father never seemed to care; but then again, I’d hardly call him a good example. He kept a woman on each arm and one under his desk, even when he was married.

I run my fingers through my hair, tempted to rip it out in big clumps. I already know that I can’t fly home to Bonnie tonight. I can’t look that woman in her eyes and tell her that I don’t know what she’s hiding.

A shiver runs through me at the realization that she felt the need to hide such an important thing from me. She doesn’t trust me, not even with my own kids. What kind of monster does she take me for? More so, what kind of a woman hides a man’s children from them?

I slam my fist into the dashboard of the rental car, cracking one of the air vents. I’ll wreck this entire car, if I stay in it much longer. I’ve put my foot through windshields, and my elbows through headrests plenty of times before.

I kick open the door, and it swings back at me on its stiff metal hinges. I have to kick it again to get out, and then I slam it so hard that the boom echoes between houses outside. I need to get out of here before someone calls the cops.

I’ll walk back into town, and I’ll let a tow truck come and get this rental. I’ll crash it, if I try to drive when my head is spinning so badly. I just can’t believe that Bonnie would hide such a thing from me.

My own children. Three identical boys. It’s a blessing, to be sure, but a curse that it’s with a woman who feels the need to keep them a secret.

I grit my teeth, keeping my fists balled tightly, as I walk as fast as my leather shoes will carry me down the pale, sun-cracked asphalt. I wish I could slow down my brain just a little, to be able to process what I just saw, but it’s going too fast for that. All I can do is walk, burning away my frustration with each frantic step.

Mind you, there’s no way I can burn off that much frustration so quickly. I know it’ll be at least an hour until I get to a hotel, but even that’s not enough. I’ve been in tough situations before, but nothing like this. I don’t even know what to think.

Should I be angry, excited, disappointed, or stunned? I’m a mix of just about everything under the sun, but none of that is going to make sense of what I just saw – three babies that definitely belong to me.

I’m already walking as fast as I can, rushing away from the house down the long narrow street. No cars pass me, and nobody looks out their window to check on the odd man in a suit racing down through the neighborhood, after abandoning his car at a house he doesn’t own.

I’m alone here, trapped in my head, with the entire empty world closing in around me. I’ve never had to deal with such powerful and conflicting emotions before. I never imagined myself as a father and, admittedly, I never wanted to. I was content with my life, perfectly happy railing random girls at nightclubs and making money in the worst ways possible.

Bonnie must’ve known that. Her intentions could be pure, to keep me away from a life I’m not suited for, but how would she know that? How would she know that those precious boys wouldn’t strike a chord in my heart and make me change my ways?

Fuck, well, I don’t even know that.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, drawing my attention. I take the call quickly, eager to get out of my head with any distraction that presents itself. “Hello,” I say.

“Hello boss, it’s Vladimir. We have a bit of a problem at the headquarters.”

“Oh great,” I say sarcastically, doing a full turn-around on my heel to head back to the car. “What’s the problem?”

“Nothing too big, but it involves Bonnie.”

“Spit it out,” I grumble.

“She’s locked herself in her room, and she refuses to come out. Apparently, she was in the backyard and a stray bullet came and hit a tree next to her. We figure it was a drive by from the 37th Street Bratva, since someone got the tag of the car on security footage.”

“Shit,” I hiss. “But she’s okay, right?”

“She’s unharmed, but she’s pissed.”

“I figure she would be,” I say, but I’m just relieved that she’s alive. Those assholes in the bratva have another thing coming, if they think they can put my Bonnie in danger. I’ll kill each and every one of them for this.

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