Page 189 of Emerald Malice

I lower my shirt. “You don’t have to worry about me, Natalia. I can take care of myself.”

“So can I, you know?” Her eyes meet mine for a moment before she tears them away again. “I know that hasn’t always been the case, but?—”

“You’re stronger than you look. Yes, I know.” This time, she does smile. The sadness doesn’t quite leave her eyes, though. “How was the doctor’s appointment?”

“It went well. The baby is fine.” She gazes out towards the house. “What are you going to do, Andrey? Now that your father’s back, I mean.”

“The only thing I can do: fight.”

She nods as though she expected the answer. “You have Nikolai to deal with, too.”

“I’ll have to deal with Slavik first.”

Much as it pains me to admit, I need to make sure my own house is secure before I deal with Nikolai. I won’t be able to defeat him if Slavik is trying to undermine me at every turn.

“Nikolai told me… He said that you ratted out his parents to the FBI and went back on the truce you’d negotiated with them?”

“That was Slavik.”

She nods sadly. “That’s what I told him. I knew you’d never go back on your word. But he seemed to think that you were the one who had everything to gain.”

“That’s how it looked to me, too. For months after Slavik left, I wondered why he would do all of that and then leave the Bratva to me. Still, I was foolish enough to believe that I’d never see him again. I should have known that my father never does anything without insurance.”

Her eyebrows knit together. “You think he always meant to come back?”

“I think he wanted to make provisions for a return in case it didn’t work out in Russia.”

“So… he didn’t leave for the quiet life then?”

I snort. “He doesn’t know the fucking meaning of ‘the quiet life.’ Slavik thought he could shore up power in Russia. He tried hard for years, as far as my intel suggested. But it’s a different world over there. He was a small fish in a very large pond.”

“I bet his ego couldn’t take that.”

I smile darkly. “No. Didn’t dim his light too much, though. He’s confident that my men will defect to him when he declares his intentions.”

Her eyes widen with alarm. “Is that likely?”

“I’m sure a few will.” I drag a hand through my hair. “There’s nothing I can do about that.”

“But that means you’re vulnerable. That means there are people you trust who could betray you.”

Unable to stop myself, I turn to her, cupping her face and drawing her eyes to mine. “Like I said, lastochka, don’t you worry about me.”

She flinches out of my reach and laces her fingers together. “Misha wants to be a part of the Bratva,” she says, the words leaving her lips reluctantly.

I sigh and my hand falls limply to my lap. It burns and tingles from the little contact. “I’m aware.”

“You’ll train him?”

“When he’s ready.”

“He’s not just a soldier, Andrey. He’s not just another pawn to be sacrificed. He’s?—”

“I know, little bird. He will choose his own path. And he will have a home and a family here if that’s what he wants.”

We’re both skirting dangerously close to the secret we’re both trying to hide from each other. There’s a tangible goodbye in the air, a sense of finality that wavers unwillingly between us.

“I’m sorry for not showing up for you, Natalia,” I tell her suddenly.

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