Page 30 of Scarred (Russian Sinners 2)

“How are plans coming along to take Malcome down?” I asked. I felt safe under Nikolai’s protection but there was still a lingering fear deep down within me that he’d find a way to have me within his clutches. If he got a hold of me now, the pain he’d dish out would be worse beyond my imaginings.

“It is still too early,” my brother replied without a worry in his voice. “As soon as Nikolai is back, we will discuss items to focus on. I went through files Ilya gave me and there might be some transactions that are worth checking into. Nik believes he has some illegal dealings but we’ll have to find them first and document all the evidence. Don’t worry, Livie. We will put him away.”

I realized he had already given Nikolai a nickname and couldn’t help but smile. Hopefully, Nikolai wouldn’t hate it. Oliver was the only one that ever called me Livie. It was a nickname he had given me when we were children. He loved having nicknames for people he considered part of his circle. I guess Nikolai, or should I say Nik, already made it into his circle without even trying.

“I know,” I replied with certainty. If anyone could do it, Nikolai and my brother could.

“Livie,” my brother was slightly hesitant.

“Yes?”

“Has Malcome ever discussed business around you?” he asked. He didn’t like asking me about Malcome and my time around that man. Likewise, I didn’t like talking about it but I knew this was important.

“No,” I replied with a heavy sigh. Malcome was too smart and too sly to do that. “Never. He wouldn’t even take a business call around me. He was too smart for that.”

I was almost halfway around the house and a magnificent pool stretched in front of me. It was a perfect area of tranquility.

“That’s okay,” he retorted, his confidence not hindered. “We’ll get him though. I am sure of it.”

A loud squeal echoed behind me and I turned around to see Tasha running towards me.

“What’s that?” My brother asked. “Sounds like an animal.”

This time I chuckled. “It is Nikolai’s niece, Tasha. I’ll let you go. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you.”

“Love you too, Sis.” The call ended just as Tasha stopped inches from me. I was lucky she didn’t plow into me.

“Hey there,” I greeted her with a smile. She looked so happy and carefree, her eyes shining and her hair a slight mess.

“Hi, were you talking to my uncle?” she asked curiously. “What did he say? When is he coming back? How much do you like him?”

“Whoa,” I exclaimed at all her questions. “That is a lot of questions. I was talking to my brother, and I love my brother very much.”

I stifled my smile at her disappointed look. What was it with this little girl and her obsession with romance?

“Do you call Uncle Nikolai every day?” she tried again.

“No, I don’t.” I decided it was better to keep the topic of her uncle at the minimum. I barely knew him and just met him yesterday. Or was it two days ago with this time difference? Like that made it better! “Who do you call every day? Tell me what you love to do please.”

That got her going. She loved to dance, sing, run, play, dance again… she did not like learning. She kept talking and talking, then she dragged me to an open lawn space to show me how she likes to dance. I laughed, free and happy for the first time in almost a month.

“Do you like to dance?” Her eyes were glimmering and her blonde hair reflected golden tones in the sun.

“I do,” I admitted. “My girlfriends and I usually go dancing together. But my favorite thing to do is painting.”

“Do you have a lot of girlfriends?” she asked. “I only hang out with my tutors, and people here. The cook’s daughter is my friend but she is older.”

“No, I don’t have a lot of friends.” I detected a slight envy in her voice when she asked me the question. “I have a brother, my mother, and two girlfriends that I am close to and love them very much. Anastasia and I grew up together because our moms were best friends. We met Scarlett in high school and we became very close. Sometimes it takes a while to find good friends, but the search is worth it.”

“I loved my mom too,” her eyes clouded with sadness. I wrapped my arms around her, hating to see her sad after her initial happiness. “Bad guy killed her.”

I exhaled sharply at hearing that. Her mother was killed? Her face was buried in my stomach, as if she didn’t want me to see how it upset her.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured softly, placing my hand on her head. She was too young to have had to endure such pain. “I also like jumping into the pool and making a loud splash,” I added, hoping to cheer her up. It worked.

“Me too!” She exclaimed. “Want to go do it?”

Within five minutes, we eagerly changed into our swimsuits and giggled all the way to the pool area. True to my word, I jumped into a cannon ball, causing a loud splash. As soon as I came up for air, my gaze searched Tasha.

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