Page 10 of Caged

Until, Ivan dragged him in.

“In Vegas, there is a powerful man who is running things there. Stay away from him.” He flips open the dossier and pulls out a full page photo. “This is the one you’re looking for. His right hand man.”

As Ivan jabs the picture on my lap, I can see the nicotine stains on his thick fingers.

“His name is Nikolai. He took my diamonds. Kill him, torture him, I don’t care. Just bring them back at any cost.”

FOUR

NIKOLAI

The echo of a smile pulls at the corner of my lip as I watch Elena climb the wooden ladder of the slide.

It’s hard to show happiness today. Every year that slips past is one more of mourning. As Elena grows older, her memories fade.

But mine are crystal clear.

Dark curls and bright eyes. Soft lips and a taut stomach ripe with life.

The way Katerina’s fingers wove into my hair when she would tug me close for a fierce kiss.

She was my warrior.

My source of light in this life.

She died as she lived, violently.

I still see her in Elena’s glance. The way she chews on her lip or cocks her mouth when she concentrates.

Jax is a bittersweet reminder, too.

He looks so similar to his sister. The first year working with him made an ache in my chest that she wasn’t there to know him.

The cruelty of her leaving so soon.

Love that she never got to feel.

It hurts more today than most.

“Hard to believe it’s been five years.” Mikhail looks out of place in his dark suit and black balaclava covering his face.

He sits next to me on the park bench and hands me an iced coffee.

“Is there vodka in this?” I nearly spit it out, but it does taste good.

“For the pain.” He idly rubs his jaw through his mask. “May one day it fade.” He holds up his cup to the wind before shifting the fabric away from his mouth far enough for the straw.

“Gonna lose that wrap when it happens?” I lean against the warm wood back and drape my elbow over it.

The alcohol wasn’t a bad idea. It’s mixed stiff and doesn’t take long to lend a little numbness to my thoughts.

“No. It’s who I am now.” Mikhail watches Elena run to the plastic pirate ship on the playground where she climbs behind the oversized wheel and spins it. “We may have fled the past, but it sticks with us.”

His jacket snugs around his biceps when he props his arm near mine. “I wish we could end this war. For her sake.” He gestures with his drink before taking another sip. “She doesn’t deserve any more pain.”

I grunt in agreement.

She lost her mother when I lost my wife. Elena may have been young when it happened, but she still wakes up asking for her.

---