Page 84 of Gangster's Empire: Leeza & Havel

Leeza shook her head and reached for Klaus’s hand, taking it in hers and squeezing.

Noticing that Anne hadn’t arrived yet, Leeza asked Babi, “Is Anne coming?”

Babi frowned. “She said she would be here when I last saw her. She’s been acting strange lately.”

“Then I’m sure she’ll be here.” Leeza smiled warmly.

They continued to greet guests until the one Leeza had been hoping to see arrived. Vasiliy Stanovich, former mob boss and rival to the Koba organization. He was also Leeza’s father. She was nervous about his attendance, and his escort didn’t make her feel better. Surrounding him were Guard Dog security specialists Halil, Cooper, Terek, and Simion.

Despite Havel's cautionary measures and his assertion that Vasily was dangerous, Leeza was thrilled to see him and sank into his embrace when he opened his arms. His hug was warm and reassuring and she hoped that he would become a solid, loving presence in her life. Everything Krystoff Koba hadn’t been to her. He released her but kept his arm around her as he offered his hand to Havel.

Havel shook his hand, saying, “Thank you for coming.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Vasiliy replied, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Thank you for the escort. I appreciate the hospitality.”

“Any time,” Havel said, his expression pleasant, though there was a hardness to his voice.

Leeza wondered how long it would take until the two men relaxed around each other.

Leeza hadn’t had the chance to really get to know her birth father well yet, but the little she’d observed had shown her that he was a man of his word. A man of integrity. He’d never enjoyed the life he’d been born to, the first son of an elite crime family in Kiev, but he’d done his best to fill his father’s and grandfather’s shoes. It wasn’t until he realized his heart wasn’t in it, that he’d retired to the Polish countryside and sought a more private life.

Leeza admired him for it, though she knew the Bratva saw him as weak. It occurred to her that they might use the opportunity of her wedding as an excuse to take out a man they no longer trusted. She leaned into Havel and whispered her concern as Vasiliy moved aside.

Havel slid his hand down her back, cupping her ass and squeezing. He bent his head, his gravelly voice a rumble as he spoke in a low voice. “We sent the Bratva an invitation with the wrong date. By the time a representative arrives, we’ll be happily married and appropriately apologetic for our mistake.”

She’d grinned and kissed him, her hand smoothing his tie down his chest. She rarely got to see him all dressed up without his arsenal of weapons. He looked amazing in a dark grey tuxedo, tailored to show each slab of muscle. She’d bet all the stacks of cash in Havel’s safe Jozef had insisted Havel use his personal tailor. “Your attention to detail is amazing. Thank you, lásko.”

“Leeza, it’s good to see you again.”

Leeza turned toward the voice and found herself face-to-face with her… mother. She gasped and a wave of panic nearly overwhelmed her before she realized she wasn’t looking at her mother, but Dasha’s twin sister, Vasha.

“I, uh, it’s good to see you too.” Leeza struggled to compose herself as she accepted her stepmother’s greeting of a kiss on each cheek. Vasha was married to Vasiliy, and though they no longer lived together as husband and wife, they kept in touch.

As Vasha moved on to greet Havel, Leeza found herself facing her half-brother.

“Pavel, how are you?” She took his hands in hers and kissed him on the cheek.

He looked older than his twenty-three years, his strawberry blond hair already thinning and his stomach sticking out in a paunch. He was wearing a worn but expensive suit. Vasiliy had told her that after her attempt at taking over his business, Pavel’s interest in his father’s holdings finally peaked. Pavel turned his attention to one of the legitimate businesses, a bar in the heart of Kiev. Leeza hoped it worked out for him. She didn’t know him well and had little interest in him as a person, but he was her half-brother, and she didn’t wish him ill.

Once the rest of the guests arrived, Leeza was escorted to Zmatek’s kitchen by Saskia and Ayaan. Though Leeza had insisted on Ayaan receiving an invite to the wedding, both Havel and Ayaan had decided she would attend as Leeza’s personal bodyguard.

“You’ll be distracted throughout the day and need someone close,” Ayaan had argued. “And that person will be me.”

Leeza had given in gracefully, recognizing that Ayaan was the kind of person who simply couldn’t relax her guard. Hypervigilance was part of her psyche, probably instilled in her from her early days as a child soldier in her brother’s private army.

“You ready to do this?” Saskia asked from the door, which was open a crack so she could spy on the guests. Giggling, she added, “Klaus is flirting with Vasha who looks like she swallowed a lemon and your dad seems amused.”

Leeza smiled but sobered quickly. “She looks like mom, doesn’t she?”

“I believe that’s the idea behind identical twins,” Saskia said wryly. “She might look like mom, but she’s nothing like her. Vasha seems ready to faint from Klaus looking down her cleavage. Mom would’ve knocked his teeth out and dad would’ve taken him out to the Shed for some behavioral correction therapy.” As soon as the words left her lips, Saskia looked like she wanted to call them back. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that on your wedding day. Stupid tongue, always getting away from me.”

“It’s okay.” Leeza thought about it and added, “Really, I’m fine. Krystoff may not have been my birth father, but he did raise me. And mom was… well mom. I miss them, I hate them, and I love them. It hurts to talk about them, but it hurts more not to. You know what I mean?”

Saskia’s eyes filled with tears and she used the edge of her lace gloves to catch them before they could spill over her lashes and ruin her perfect smoky eye. “I do know what you mean.”

Seconds later, Havel pushed open the door, which smacked Saskia in the ass sending her hurtling toward Leeza who caught her before she could tumble to the floor.

“Sorry,” he said gruffly, helping Leeza right her sister.

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