Page 83 of Past Due

“I slept. For nine hours.”

“No nightmares?”

“None.”

“Huh.” Zec looked at the bedroom. “Well, maybe love really is the answer.”

Besian made a face at Zec’s sentimental and teasing reply. “Something like that.”

“I’m glad you can talk to her,” Zec said, no longer teasing or making fun. “Having a partner like that...” He cleared his throat. “You’re a lucky man.”

“I am,” Besian agreed. Not for the first time, he wondered if Zec was getting lonely. As far as Besian knew, his friend had never had an actual relationship. That wasn’t to say Zec lived like a celibate monk. No, he fucked. A lot. Roughly. Violently. With women who catered to and enjoyed his unusual tastes. Not the kind of women you dated or married, obviously. The sort that Alina quietly arranged for a few hours and an exorbitant price.

“If you get your embassy paperwork handled tomorrow morning and the license signed and stamped after that, Luka has arranged for you to be married the next day, if you want.”

“I’ll talk to Marley.”

“I’m on my way to Moscow, but I can be back tomorrow night if I need to be. To stand with you as a witness,” Zec added. “If you want me there.”

“Of course, I want you there. You’re my best friend. Who else would I have standing with me when I marry Marley?”

Zec shrugged. “Luka.”

Besian chortled. “That shithead is lucky we’re family right now. The last place I want him is standing next to me when I make my vows to Marley.”

“And Marley? Who will she have next to her?”

“Not Aston,” he said quietly.

“There’s still time to get her here.”

He shook his head. “Marley told Aston to stay home. She doesn’t want her traveling alone while pregnant. It’s a long trip.”

“Rina?”

“Probably.”

“It’s a shit show back at the house,” Zec remarked. “Drita was still crying when I was packing up your room. Rina and Luka have been screaming at each other all day. He found out the guards who follow her around have known about the boyfriend the whole time.”

Besian wiped his hand down his face. “For fuck’s sake!”

“Rina was right about what she said. If Luka can’t control his house, he can’t control the family business. If there are leaks, we’re all at risk.”

“And what do you propose we should do about that?” Besian asked, already dreading the answer.

They shared a lingering stare. Eventually, Zec said, “It’s too bad Rina wasn’t born a man. She has the balls and the brains for it.”

Reminded of the Marley’s lecture under the olive trees, he suspected Zec was correct. “Rina wants to come to Houston to study.”

“Good. She should go as soon as possible. Luka can focus on the business, and Rina can learn to be more independent. Maybe if they spend some time apart, they’ll understand how important family is.”

“Or Rina will decide she never wants to come back,” Besian warned.

Zec shrugged. “That’s her decision to make.”

Sounds from the bedroom caught their attention, interrupting their discussion of Luka and Rina.

“That’s my cue to leave,” Zec decided and pivoted to the door. “Try to stay out of trouble until I get back.”

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