Page 48 of Nikolai

A shadow moving catches my eye, and I notice Andrei, one of Vadim's soldiers standing nearby, waiting in the shadows. My attention shifts back to Vadim, but I find it hard to focus on him alone, with my mother standing close by. Vadim jerks Glory closer to him, and she struggles with her hands bound behind her back. Finally, Vadim places Glory in front of himself, using her as a shield. The fucking coward.

"Ivanna." My father says her name with disdain.

"Demetri," her eyes cut to me, her face a mask of cold hard steel. "Son."

"You lost the right to call me your son a long time ago," I grind my teeth. The sting of my words causes my mother to cast her eyes away momentarily. She has no shame. How can she continue to be so heartless?

"This isn't a Goddamn family reunion," Vadim spits. "I don't know how you got tipped off to my whereabouts, but the outcome is still the same. You are here."

"What is your endgame, Vadim? Did you think this poorly orchestrated attempt to overthrow me would succeed? Look around you." My father raises his weapon. "All your men are dead." He then looks at my mother. "And you."

"I've moved on to better things. Once you are out of the picture, we will merge the Petrov and Solov families, becoming the most powerful crime family in Russia." The absurdity of my mother's words do nothing but add fuel to the anger and hate I have for her. She would sell out and turn against her son—her flesh and blood to seek a power that will never be hers.

"Pathetic," Glory mutters, and Vadim applies more pressure against her neck. A drop of blood slides across the silver surface of the blade, and my father lurches forward. Without warning, Vadim points his gun at me. My nostrils flare, and if it weren't for Glory's safety, I would take the bullet just to get the chance to kill him myself.

"You take another step, and I'll slash her throat, and put a bullet in your son's head. Come to think of it," Vadim cocks his head. "I think you should watch him die first." Turning, Vadim orders Andrei, "Don't just stand there. Kill him."

"Wait!" My mother throws her hands up, turns, and faces Vadim. "That was not part of the plan."

"Fuck the plan. I can't have any Volkov standing in my way." Vadim's grip tightens on his gun.

"It was I who called Volkov," Andrei confesses.

Vadim sneers. His eyes become wild with rage as he shuffles backward, pulling Glory with him. "You'll not live to see another sunrise," he warns Andrei.

I keep my eyes glued to Vadim, waiting for an opportunity to present itself where I am no longer his target. "This is no longer my fight. I am and will always remain loyal to the family, but I will not play a part in the destruction of the empire your father built," Andrei declares before I hear footsteps walking away.

"Looks like I have to take matters into my own hands." Vadim cocks his gun.

"He's my son!" My mother pleads. Her cries cause an unexpected ache in my chest. "Vadim. Please." It sounds cliché, but what happens next plays out in slow motion. My mother steps in the line of fire, between me and the bullet meant for me. I watch it rip through her chest, propelling her small body backward. I catch my mother in my arms as she falls to the deck. My knees buckle as I go down with her.

"Stupid woman!" Vadim yells, then aims his gun at my father. Both of them at a standoff.

I don't speak as I look at my mother. What the hell was she thinking? Raising a shaky hand, she palms my cheek. "I'm sorry, Nikolai." She coughs, as blood flows from her mouth and seeps from the hole in her chest. I press my hand against her wound, knowing with the amount of blood she's losing, it will do no good. I look at her, and a million things are running through my head. I hate you, and why being a couple of them. Her eyes stay fixed on my face, but I can't find any words to say. Instead, I hold her until the life in her eyes disappears, and the woman who gave me life dies in my arms.

* * *

It's beenseveral weeks since my mother's death, and I'm still left grasping for answers. As I watched them lower her white casket draped with pink roses into the cold ground a few weeks ago, my chest felt heavy. Why now? All these years, she left me without the love of a mother. Then she goes and dies, giving her life to save mine. Now, I'm left hating myself because I can't let go of the anger I still feel toward her last act in life because she finally showed the love I so desperately sought all my life.

It's morning here in Russia, but just around the time, Leah would be in bed back in the States. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I call her. Leah's tired voice answers the phone. "Nikolai, is everything okay?"

"Yes, Malyshka. I just needed to hear your sweet voice," I sigh, and scrub my hand down my face.

"Still can't sleep?" she asks, and I hear her moving in the bed and wish I were beside her, holding her in my arms and smelling her sweet scent. "You know you can talk to me," she whispers, but I don't reply. My eyes close. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything," I tell her and rub my eyes that burn from lack of sleep.

"You've never really talked about your role in your family. Will you have to return to Russia full time one day?" I hear the worry in her voice.

"I am heir to the Volkov empire, and one day, when my father decides to step down, I will not hesitate to take the reins." I'm honest with her. My father has been selfless in giving me the space I asked for and honoring my wishes to step away for now, but there is no question in my mind that I will be ready when the time comes. "But, for now, my father is in full control, and I'm here to be at his side when needed. As for Russia, I can visit any time I wish, but my home and my future is in Polson." I don't miss Leah's sigh of relief at my confession.

"I miss you," I hear the smile in her voice, followed by a long yawn.

"Get some sleep. I'll talk to you again soon."

"Goodnight, Nikolai. I mean, good morning," she giggles. "I keep forgetting about the time difference."

"Goodnight, Malyshka."

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