Page 99 of Shackled

“You’ve done it,” he murmurs, his voice filled with admiration and a hint of pride. “The transformation is happening. I got off the phone with Mikhail earlier, and he’s fucking thrilled with what’s unfolding down here.”

I smile. Good. And we’ve only just started. “We’ve done it,” I tell him. “And we have a lot of work yet to do, but we can do it.”

Life isn’t a fairy tale. We both know that, but neither of us were fairy-tale people to begin with.

The road ahead is littered with challenges, and we are already facing many of them. But there is a strength in our union that makes the fight worthwhile.

I sigh, feeling the weight of the day's battles lift slightly as I place my hand on my belly, a symbol of the new life we are nurturing together. I lay my head on his shoulder, finding solace in his unwavering support.

“Transformations are happening,” I say with a smile. “And out of all that’s happened and will… ours is my favorite.”

EPILOGUE

Lev

“I really think I want to do…neutrals. Something calming. You know? White, ivory, beige…” Isabella waves her hand around the room and places her hand on her belly. She tips her head to the side and turns to look at me. “What do you think, Daddy?”

Isabella struts around the room, a spring in her step that speaks volumes about her new role as the reigning queen of the LSD. Her heels click on the hardwood floors.

“Wow, that didn’t take you long.”

“Long?” she asks, her gaze curious. I love when she looks at me like that.

“I expected you to be a lot more focused on the Columbian contingent of our kingdom,” I say teasingly. I lean down and kiss her cheek. Even with those death-defying heels on, she’s still so much smaller than I am. Not that it holds her back in the least.

“Did you think running a cartel would take all day? Please, Lev. I have standards. Efficiency is everything.”

I smile at her. “How did the meeting with the council go?”

“Let’s just say they won’t be questioning my authority anytime soon,” she replies with a wink. “They learned the hard way that underestimating a woman is a very bad idea. Now, back to more important business. Neutrals, or color? What do you think?” She leans back and puts her hand on her abdomen with a flourish. “For the baby.”

“What do I think? I think you’re funny, laying your hand on your belly like that, as if you’re nine months along and ready to burst.” It’s only two weeks after we’ve come back to The Cove from Columbia, and she’s in full-on mama-to-be and queen-of-the-kingdom mode.

“I have a bump!” she protests, though her warm, dark eyes twinkle at me. “Honestly, Lev. You act as if it’s normal for me to have a belly like this.”

I brace my hands on either side of her slender frame and bend down to kiss her tiny belly. “You look like you had a burrito and maybe have a bit of indigestion.”

She bats me away but can’t help the grin that spreads across her face. “But I wasn’t even asking about my belly. Yet,” she amends. “What do you think about doing a nice, calm, neutral aesthetic?”

“Have you been talking to Polina again?”

“Of course,” she says with a sniff. “I never had a sister. I have years to make up for.” I was unprepared for how it would make me feel, seeing Isabella with my sister and mother. In some ways, I’ve taken it for granted, having a family like mine, something she never had. After all I’ve done to her, offering her the comfort of family and home seems like the least I could do.

I shrug. “I think you should do whatever the hell you want. I don’t care. You want to do rainbow-stripes or an underwater sea adventure or those cute little elephants, have at it.”

She snorts and purses her lips. “Cute little elephants?”

“You know,” I say, shrugging. “Those little cartoon ones they put on all the baby gift bags and shit.”

“Once again, we’ve hit another weirdly American thing. We don’t really do these elaborate theme things.”

I nod and shove my hands in my pocket. “Neutral it is. Do you have any Columbian traditions I do need to know about?”

She rests her hand on my arm. “I love that you’re asking.”

“I need to know these things. I mean, I could Google, but…”

“Much better to ask your wife. I like that theme.”

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