Page 59 of Puck'N Enemy
A chuckle escapes me. “Thanks for your blessing but that’s not why I called you,” I say. “I need you to look into someone for me. His name is Pete Volkov.”
“Volkov, huh?” Mitchikov’s tone turns thoughtful. “Is he the guy Dylan worked for?”
“Yeah,” I reply. “He was in prison for a while but he’s out now. He wants Dylan back at his side. Just the other day, he sent his men to kidnap him. I was there to help him, so I was able to keep him safe.”
“But you can’t always stick by his side, can you?” Mitchikov says, guessing my problem.
“Yeah. I need your help finding out what you can about this guy,” I say in a desperate tone. “I can’t lose Dylan again. It’ll kill me if something happens to him.”
“Hey, hey, don’t say something like that,” Mitchikov says at once. “I’ll help you figure something out to deal with the Volkov guy. In the meantime, just relax and enjoy your time with your boyfriend.”
“I’ll owe you one for this, Pavel.”
“I haven’t done anything yet,” Mitchikov says in a low, grim tone. “How about we meet after practice today? I’m sure I’ll find something out by then.”
“Thank you,” I say, meaning the word from the bottom of my heart. Hanging up, I exhale slowly.
Mitchikov will definitely find something for me. I just need to stay patient.
Setting my phone down, I grab a pan from a cabinet under the counter and get to cooking breakfast.
It’s not long before the smell of sizzling bacon and frying eggs fills the kitchen. It’s a simple breakfast, but it grounds me, reminding me of the mornings I used to spend here with Dylan and Maddie.
“Logan, you’re cooking?” Maddie’s voice pipes up from the kitchen door.
Looking up, I see her hair is neatly brushed and put up in a high ponytail. She’s dressed in baggy denims, a glittery jacket, and her favorite pink sneakers. My baby sister looks like she’s ready to head out to school.
“No cereal this morning?” she says, moving toward the counter. “Looks like I’ll have to get Dylan to stay over every night to get something nice at breakfast.”
A chuckle escapes me. “Sit down, squirt. Breakfast’s almost ready.”
“Squirt?” Maddie gasps dramatically, plopping into a chair. “I’m practically a teenager now. You need to pick a new nickname for me.”
“Sure. How about ‘Menace’?” I tease, flipping a piece of bacon.
Before Maddie can retaliate, another figure appears in the doorway.
Dylan shuffles into the kitchen, looking sleepy. His hair is still mussed up and he’s wearing my old hoodie that’s way too big on him.
For a moment, I just stare. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen him looking so at home.
“Dylan, sit with me,” Maddie says, her eyes lighting up. “Logan’s making bacon.”
Dylan meets my gaze for a second. Then, he chuckles and grins at my sister. “Morning, Maddie. It’s incredible just how much taller you are now.”
“And cooler too,” Maddie adds, grinning back at him.
“Obviously,” Dylan says, smiling warmly. “You’ve definitely leveled up.”
Maddie giggles. “See, Logan? He gets it.”
I roll my eyes but can’t fight the smile tugging at my lips.
Dylan walks to the table and sits next to Maddie. She leans closer, whispering in an exaggeratedly loud voice, “Does Logan still snore when he sleeps?”
Dylan chuckles. “Yeah. Some things never change.”
“Ugh, I knew it!” Maddie laughs.
