Page 68 of Nanny for the Bratva Daddies

“It didn’t matter! You were all in the way, a rising threat to the power he wanted, so he removed you. And them. More power to him, more territory and business and then you became a cautionary tale. Even those most loyal can end up under his heel.”

I step away, my balance unsure. Racing thoughts jumble over one another in my mind as the long-missing puzzle pieces slot together with painful snaps. All this time, I thought my missing backup was to blame for my capture, that Ivan abandoned me because he thought me weak and careless.

Instead, it was Ivan’s plan all along.

“You’re telling me,” I begin hoarsely. “That I killed all those people and spent ten years getting tortured to the point that I almost lost my sight; all because Ivan was on a power trip?”

Henricks nods quickly, wiping at his swollen face.

“And you used my story to boost your way up into this cushy job after killing my family?”

Henricks pauses and his eyes dart back to Fyodor, then he laughs weakly. “I mean…listen, Ivan is a powerful man. He wanted to reward me and I was poor. I wanted to be promoted. We all were forced to do terrible things and I?—”

I whip out my pistol and shoot him square between the eyes, ending his babbling excuses. His jaw drops and his head falls forward, then he slumps to the side.

Dead.

I can’t lower my gun. My fist trembles and the urge to unload the entire clip into him rises. He killed my family. He killed them after I was set up and sent away, and one bullet isn’t enough.

Then Fyodor’s hand lands on my arm, and my world swims when I glance at him.

“Let’s go,” is all he says. His voice is calm. Grounding.

It’s all I need to will my legs into working and I hurry after him as we escape the way we came.

The names Timmon and Mary Drugov are woven in gold ink across the smooth marble surface of the gravestone, their date of death just beneath. My parents.

They died because I was blinded by loyalty to a bad man and unable to protect them. A man willing to betray even those most loyal to him in order to get ahead.

It doesn’t feel real. For years, I carried the shame of disappointing my Pakhan and couldn’t understand how Fyodor could look past such a thing in order to help me. I was—and am—forever grateful, but learning that the shame was misplaced…it hurts. It secures my belief that Fyodor is a good man, and I will do what I can to make my parents proud.

Darkness closes in around me, and the only light comes from the glare of the car headlights and the single candle I lit on top of the gravestone. I stare at the flame until my eyes burn and the pressure within my chest finally starts to crack.

Tears well in the corners of my eyes. Removing my glasses, I pinch the bridge of my nose to try and keep them at bay, but it doesn’t work. Grief roars like a lion in my chest and, unable to keep myself up, I crumble down to my haunches and sob.

“Sorry, Ma.”

26

NAOMI

Without the shadow of my mother hanging over my shoulder, things are looking up. Life is becoming easier with each passing day.

Summer is fast approaching and with it comes piles of excitement from Dariya. She’s eager for the break—and time away from her tutor—but Fyodor has also tossed around the idea of taking a vacation.

Maybe somewhere tropical. Dariya’s never been anywhere like that, and as soon as it was mentioned, it became a done deal in her eyes. It’s all she’s been talking about for the past week. We’ve poured over brochures and scoured the internet for the best places to stay with the hottest sun and biggest swimming pool. It’s utterly heartwarming to see Dariya so full of life, and luckily, it’s not just her.

Daniil has a lighter air about him, a determination that he refuses to share with me. It appeared not long after he and Fyodor took a trip together one night. Daniil had returned and crawled into bed next to me without a word. We cuddled until the sun rose over the trees. His grip was so tight it was almost painful, but I reveled in the closeness.

He never said a word about why. Ever since that night, a new fire has been burning under him.

I can only assume that’s a good thing.

Fyodor is also working alongside Zasha to acquire a few of his businesses. With the world still thinking that Zasha is dead, no one thinks twice about Fyodor snapping up what appears to be unclaimed business and territory. From the outside, he’s making savvy business decisions for the good of his family.

For those of us inside the walls, however, we see the real reason.

Fyodor decided that securing these businesses and taking over the land was the best way to protect some of Zasha’s assets. Until we know who tried to kill him, it’s too risky to reveal his survival, especially if the culprit exists within his own family. Fyodor will keep an eye on the pushback, if any, arises from his acquisition of these places while screening each and every single man and woman he absorbs from Zasha’s family.

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