Page 22 of Beneath the Flames
Lea shot Brie a worried glance.
“That’s Rytsar’s family crest on that flag!” Brie explained excitedly.
Understanding flashed in her friend’s eyes, but she still looked bereft. “Does that mean you’re not coming back?”
Brie looked at Sir to answer.
“Rest assured, Ms. Taylor, we will meet you at the next port,” Sir stated as he hurried Brie along.
The staff was quick and efficient as they helped transfer the four of them from the cruise ship to the boat through the same portal the cruise ship used for ferries. Brie could not hold back her tears of joy when she saw Rytsar standing on the deck of the boat, his arms spread wide.
“Radost moya!”
Sir took both children so Brie could run to Rytsar. She started to sob when he enveloped her in his powerful embrace.
“It has been too long,” he stated gruffly, his thick Russian accent tinged with emotion. “It feels like a lifetime ago…”
Brie nodded, burying her head against his chest.
“Come,moy droog,” Rytsar commanded, opening his arms to include Sir and the children in his immense embrace.
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Brie felt completely safe and at peace with the five of them together again.
It wasn’t until Antony started squirming uncomfortably that Rytsar finally let go of them all. Brie noticed him quickly swipe his eyes.
“Dyadya!” Hope called out, reaching desperately for him.
The burly Russian’s heart-warming smile touched Brie as he picked up her little girl and crushed her to him. “Oh, how I have missed you,moye solntse.”
Hope searched herdyadya’sface for a moment before grabbing his cheeks with her little hands and pressing her nose against his. It was endearing to see the big, intimidating sadist under the spell of their little daughter.
Brie studied Rytsar as he interacted with her daughter. She noted that his face was lined with exhaustion. Concerned, she laid her head against his muscular arm. “How long will you be with us?”
Rytsar frowned when he answered, “I cannot stay long, radost moya.”
Heartsick, Brie cried, “Why not?”
“When your Master told me you were struggling after Marquis Gray’s confession, nothing could keep me away.” While still holding Hope, he grabbed Brie behind the neck, kissing her forcibly on the forehead. “It is imperative I return to Russia, but I had to see you in the flesh. My soul needed to connect with yours.”
She felt the same need and wrapped her arms around Rytsar, never wanting to let him go.
Rytsar glanced at Antony and shook his head. “Sadly, time has not been my friend.Moy gordostis no longer an infant but a little boy.”
Brie gazed at their son, suddenly appreciating how much he had grown in the time since she’d last seen Rytsar. That whole period of her life had become a blur after the kidnapping.
But seeing Antony through Rytsar’s eyes revealed to her just how quickly time had slipped away.
“There is no time for sorrow,” Sir stated firmly. “We are together and must make the most of the little time we have.”
“Da!”Rytsar agreed, shaking off his melancholy. Still holding Hope, he took Antony from Sir. Bouncing both children in his arms, he growled enthusiastically, “I must get in all of mydyadyatime while I can.”
Brie stood next to Sir as the boat sped away from the cruise ship, following the coastline north.
“So, where are we headed?” Sir asked Rytsar.
He smirked in answer. “That is for me to know,moy droog.”
Sir furrowed his brows and reminded him, “I am not one of your subs.”
