Page 97 of Immaculate Corruption (Romanoff Bratva)

“He was kidnapped,” Dima corrects. “You only had him because someone took him from us. I’m asking politely—one more time before I change my tone—for you to hand him back to his mother.”

Jody’s lips purse and after a quick squeeze of her husband’s hand, she steps towards where Dima and I stand.

“Jo…” Nick sighs mournfully.

But Jody keeps coming. I step forward, meeting her in the middle of the room.

Gingerly, I reach out and brush Lukas’s hair. He turns to me at once. I wiggle my nose and make a little face at him—one he loves—and he giggles. He reaches for me. He touches my cheek.

At the brush of contact, the tears that have been welling in my eyes finally break through the floodgates and pour down. I swipe them away, but they are falling too fast to stop.

He remembers me. This isn’t too broken to be fixed.

This can be saved. All of us can.

Jody releases him to me, shifting his weight onto my hip, and I clutch him to my body like my life depends on it. I kiss his round cheek and his nose and his hair. I bury my face against his little body and feel his heart beat.

Dima moves next to me, his gun now holstered, and holds us both.

“He has your nose,” Jody whispers, her voice breaking. She nods to Dima. “And your… well, not quite a smile.”

My chest is bursting with gratitude and relief, but I hurt for the Watkins. They didn’t deserve this pain.

I called them monsters, but they are angels. Especially now that they’ve returned Lukas to me.

The next few minutes are a blur. I apologize several times before we leave for breaking into their house. Jody is more forgiving than any normal person would be.

She sends us home with a few of the things they’d bought for Lukas. Little outfits, a favorite toy, and the blanket he was wrapped in when they first saw him.

Jody kisses Lukas on the cheek as we leave, tears streaming down her own cheeks. She waves from the porch as we drive away.

34

Dima

On the flight home, Arya won’t let go of Lukas. But even in her arms, he’s unsettled. Anxious. Squirmy and upset.

“Maybe he doesn’t remember me,” she says softly. “Maybe he misses Jody and Nick. Or Brigitte.”

I grip her shoulder. “He’s just not used to the pressure change in his ears.”

“Maybe, but…” She shakes her head. “I can’t help but wonder if we did the right thing.”

I snap my attention to her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… I don’t know. I’m glad Lukas is with us. It’s all I wanted. I’m ecstatic. But is it… is it what’s best for him? Am I what’s best for him?”

Tears prick at the corner of Arya’s eyes. I reach over and slide Lukas out of her arms and settle him in the crook of my arm. He looks up at me with a puzzled expression. When I put a bottle in his mouth, he’s so busy trying to figure out what’s going on and where Arya went that he opens his mouth and begins to eat.

After a few seconds, his eyes flutter, and soon, they are closed. He’s relaxed.

“Being with his parents is what’s best for him,” I say firmly. I reach out and grab Arya’s hand with mine. “Being with us is what matters.”

Arya doesn’t respond, but she squeezes my hand back. That’ll have to be enough.

Lukas finishes his bottle and drifts off to sleep. Arya lays her head on my shoulder. And for one blissful minute, I can let myself forget everything going on tens of thousands of feet below. I can let myself believe that we have our son and life will be perfect now. Uncomplicated.

Of course, that isn’t true. Ilyasov is waiting down below. And the Trials. And an unknown future.

---