Page 2 of The Brigadier

The little boy seemed so small, so forlorn. He had on a backpack and was carrying a teddy bear that seemed almost as big as he was. While he had to be three or maybe four, he was still sucking his thumb. His eyes suddenly brimmed with tears, but he remained quiet.

My heart was aching already yet there was building anger. Who would just drop off a child on anyone’s doorstep, let alone an extremely dangerous man’s?

I took a step forward, momentarily ignoring the letter in a sealed envelope Danny was holding out. Instead, I knelt in front of the little man. He was well dressed in little jeans, a clean shirt, and a jean jacket given it was chilly outside. He blinked when I crouched down to his size. I had no clue about children. I’d never spent time around them. I didn’t have any. I didn’t want any.

“What’s your name?” I asked, trying my best to keep the rage and huskiness from my tone.

He just stared at me with the same color blue eyes as mine. I could finally smell the kid’s fear. Hell, I couldn’t blame him. I was pretty certain I looked terrifying to the boy with my knuckle and forearm tattoos given my dress shirt sleeves were rolled past my elbows. Plus, I’d unbuttoned it by several buttons, which allowed the very dark vines of ink crawling along both sides of my neck to show.

“You can’t tell me your name? I’m Nikolay.”

He said nothing.

Sighing, I rose to my feet, giving Danny a look. He opened his eyes wider. This was confusing as fuck.

I took the envelope finally, peeling the flap, uncertain I wanted to know the contents. But I had to. Whoever had been stupid enough to invade my space and security, and managed to escape from my men easily, deserved for me to at least figure out why she’d been so bold.

“Do you want me to check the cameras?” he asked.

“In a couple minutes, yeah.”

The letter was short and turned my blood to ice.

Nik,

I know you probably didn’t want to hear from me ever again, but I had no choice. Some bad people are after me and I’m leaving the country. The last thing I need is baggage and a child would only get hurt in this mess I’ve found myself in. Please don’t hate me for not telling you about your son and keeping him from you. Given the way we broke up, I didn’t think you wanted a reminder of our disaster. Please know, I do careabout Damien but it’s best I leave him with you. Tell him from time to time his mommy does love him.

Take care.

Ginger

This wasn’t just a blast from the past. This was my personal nightmare.

As I stared down at the adorable little boy, I knew my premonition had been right.

My world had just changed.

Now I feared it would be for the worse.

No little boy should grow up in this life. Ever.

CHAPTER 2

Six months later

Nikolay

“Good God. I haven’t heard from you in what, five years?”

My half-brother laughed. “Seven, but who’s counting, and I did try and call you. It’s funny how you’re just too busy to pick up the phone for family. I guess that Pakhan of yours is keeping you at his beck and call.” Vissarian was very much opposite of me, a true playboy even if he’d been married to the same woman for years. He’d gone to school in California and stayed, not only opening several legitimate businesses over the years but some that were completely unscrupulous.

Plus, he was considered a notorious crime lord.

Why should that bother me? We’d been cut from the same cloth. He had his world. I had mine.

We’d spent a few years living together. He was older, heading to college when I was nine or so. I honestly wasn’t certain I’dhear from the guy again. Our last conversation hadn’t ended on a positive note. We could argue with the best of them.

“Very funny. I have a highly paid job,” I reminded him. That included not only being the captain of the notorious New York Pakhan, but also owning several businesses outright myself. Several were smaller ones in Brighton Beach where I owned my house, an area of Brooklyn where Russian immigrants had settled decades before.

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