“Five years ago. She didn’t know who I was and meeting up again was happenstance. She’s not a gold digger or one of those hanger-ons. If it was up to her, she’d remain anonymous and handle things herself.”
“Yeah, you’re not going to let that happen, right?” Semyon asks.
“They’re already in my house. I have a moving company handling the rest later this week.”
“That a boy.” Artyom pats my back.
“You know how difficult this life is to live when you grow up in it. She’s... overwhelmed and fighting me every step of the way. I haven’t told Dad because we need to get our shit together first.” I rub the back of my neck.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” Semyon says.
“I’ll risk it. Rylee is not just a baby mama. This is the one. After that night, I knew it, but I didn't have a name to find her.” I shake my head. “I tried to forget about her, but no one ever felt as right.”
“We’ve got your back, baby brother.” Artyom smiles. “We’ve all experienced that scary moment of reckoning, when life no longer revolves solely around us and the family business. If you say she’s the one, we believe you.”
“What do you need from us?” Semyon asks.
“A buffer and distraction to give me more time with them.”
“Why are we distracting people?” Pavel asks, arriving with his amiable smile and sharp eyes.
“To give Lenk more time to connect with his family.”
“Family?” Pavel’s eyes round. I laugh, grateful for their support. “Start at the top and catch me up.”
Ten minutes later, we’re seated in a semi-circle.
“We agree. Kathy is a problem. The question, is what to do about her?” Artyom asks.
“I think I scared her off. But she’s as slippery as an eel.” I run a hand over my face, wishing I were home with Rylee and Jaycee.
“I say we track her the same way she did to us,” Vas suggests.
“It might give us an idea of who she’s reporting to or working with,” Pavel says.
“Let’s make a call,” Vas pulls out his cell phone, and some of my apprehension eases. With all of us attacking the problem, there’s far less room for error.