Page 75 of Mafie Trials

I look at him, then at Laney, who looks like she’s doing everything she can not to laugh at the whole situation while her hand is casually wrapped around her little cat shaped weapon.

“Ivan, I invited you here to spend time with your son on the holiday. You clearly have celebrated too hard and are in need of a reminder of your place. In this room, we are a family. If you piss them off, it’s not my job to save your ass. Now go home and sleep it off. I expect to see you in my office tomorrow afternoon.”

Lev reluctantly lets go of Ivan’s hair but not without a firm shove. When his father stands to his full height, he sways a little and Boris snaps his fingers. Two people come from out of nowhere to assist Ivan as he hollers profanities at us as he exits. The moment he’s gone, the tension in the room visibly decreases.

“I am sorry, Lev. I truly just wanted us to be able to spend time together as a family,” Boris apologizes.

I’m not sure how he expected this to go, but I never saw it ending well. Honestly, this outcome is probably one of the best cases. However, I wouldn’t have minded seeing the man bleed to death from my blade.

Maybe one day.

“It’s alright, I’ve accepted that he’s not part of my family anymore. At least not the one I’ve chosen for myself,” Lev says while coming over to grab my hand. He sits down and everyone follows.

“Is my father planning on coming?” Damien asks.

“No, he said he had an important delivery he needed to ensure and some payments to check up on.” Boris sips his whiskey but doesn’t seem like he’s really in the room with us anymore. I’m not sure if he’s disappointed or pissed off at the moment.

I see the anxiety release from Damien with that news and conversations begin to flow between all of us. Boris eventually comes around and joins in. All too soon we are stuffed, laughing, and celebrating just like I remember my family once did.

The food tasted amazing, my mouth still watering over just how good it was. I couldn't fit another bite inside of me if I tried. Boris dismisses himself, then Laney comes around the table to give me a hug.

“I plan to take a long bubble bath and maybe even video chat with Nessa about her day. Night girl.” Laney squeezes me tight from behind and I squeeze her back.

“Night, Firecracker.”

And now it’s just the four of us.

“Sit with me, Princess?” Alexi asks, moving back to make room for me in his lap. His hand goes to my hair as he holds me, stroking gently. The silence in the room only grows though and I see Lev and Damien eyeing Alexi like they are trying to silently communicate something.

“Alright,” I say, knowing they have been wanting to say something for a while now and my anxiety is through the roof over what it could be. “Please just say what you’ve been trying to say. I can’t take the suspense any longer.”

Damien lights up with a grin moving to my side and Lev chuckles.

“You’re just now gonna call us out, huh?” Lev asks as he moves to sit on the other side of us. I shove him playfully.

“Yeah, I thought I’d give you guys a short break from the sass as part of my gift to you, but the timer has run out. Now I’m back.”

They shake their heads, but their smiles tell me they love it. They adore the sass and everything that comes with it.

“Show her, Lev,” Alexi encourages while he moves his hand to rub circles on my bare back. Lev pulls a piece of paper from his pocket.

“I’ve noticed you’ve been looking at tattoos lately and well, we came up with this for you. You can change it up however you want but when you’re ready, I’ll tattoo it for you if you’d like.”

He hands me a sketch and my breath catches. The focal point is a skull surrounded by smoke and shadows with a large crown on its head. Roses and geometric clovers surround it with three large throwing blades that make up the background. It’s honestly amazing, and I find myself truly speechless.

“You don’t have to get it as a tattoo if you don’t want to,” Lev hurries to say.

“We can turn it into digital art easily and put it in a frame,” Damien offers, taking my silence as something it’s not.

I look up at Alexi. He’s smiling, knowing exactly what I’m thinking.

“You want it now, don’t you, Princess?”

“Do you feel up to it now?” I ask Lev. He takes my hand in his.

“Anything for you.” He kisses the back of my hand. “Let’s set up in the marble room. Damien, grab the kit from my room. Alexi, get the room cleaned and ready for us. Our girl is gonna need snacks andlotsof distractions.”

Lev turns back to me, pulling me to my feet. I follow him while the other two go in the opposite direction.

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