Page 15 of Arrow to my Heart

My jaw nearly drops.

“Boris,” I say slowly. “Did you buy this for me?”

He nods as if that is perfectly normal. I grew up in a world full of money, and not even then was it normal to buy furniture for other people.

“But why? I annoy the frick out of you.”

“Frick?” He looks at me, puzzled. Then shakes his head as if to dismiss whatever he was about to say about my creative swear words.

“Your rambling might annoy me, but we can all see how much you care for the people I love. I can tell how you would protect them all with your life. For that, the least I can do is ensure you have a comfortable place to sleep.”

Well dang. I’m kinda speechless.

“Thank you,” I say softly, laying my hand on his arm. “It means a lot to me.”

“You are welcome.” He lays a hand over mine. “You are part of this family too. It is time we all started moving forward.”

I don’t know what he means by that, but I know he’s right. I need to start moving forward with these men and my life. I can’t just stay put because things got hard.

Chapter 8

Laney still refuses to talk to me about the things that are bothering her. She helps me all day and night but won’t let me speak about the tension in the air, and it is close to driving me crazy.

A knock sounds at the door, and I look up from reading to see Boris standing there.

“Hey, kid,” he says, appearing uncomfortable. “We are about to head out for the big meeting. I just wanted to check on you.”

“I’m good.”

He stands there staring before walking in a few steps.

“Look, I know you hate me, but I am…adapting. I am also apologizing to those whom I may not have done the best with. I would like to apologize to you.”

Setting the bookmark in my page, I close the book and place it on the nightstand before giving Boris my full attention.

“I do not hate you,” I say, gesturing for him to sit in the chair by my bed. He takes a seat, although awkwardly. It’s rare to see Boris uncomfortable. I try not to get too excited about the fact that I am the one causing the discomfort. The sheer amount of times he looked down his nose at me while handing me what I wanted makes me want to let him sweat it out.

Albeit, that’s not the kind of man I am. I don’t hold grudges, and I’ll certainly clear the air if he is giving me the opportunity to do so.

“Like I said, I do not hate you. I am disappointed that you never came to save your sister. I was hurt to think you were out there living in your ivory tower while we were always on the run.” I shake my head as I gaze down at my hands.

“When she got sick, I kept thinking ‘this is it, this is the moment he will swoop in and take care of us’. Looking back, I realize that was just the pipe dream of a child. Yet, when I first came to you, the only thing I was capable of thinking was why you never showed up. I let it fester, but I would like to not hold on to that anymore.”

Boris’ mouth opens and then closes. He looks around the room, and I can tell he’s trying not to say something.

“If you want to move forward, maybe you should tell me what you’re thinking?” I suggest.

Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath and leans back in the chair. “I tried to save you. Both of you. So many times.”

Now it’s my turn for my jaw to drop. “What do you mean?”

Boris rolls his lips before nodding to himself as if he is having a conversation in his head about this right now. “Marta was mysister. My father sent her away because she would not agree to an arranged marriage that benefited him. She found a childhood love and they ran away together. When my father fell ill, so did her husband. They died on the same day, which was about a year before she saved you.”

He sits forward, making eye contact with me while I try to process this new information. Ma was always honest with me, but she often asked me not to ask her about the past because she didn’t want to have to lie in order to protect me. So, I respected her wishes and never asked.

“The man she married was your father’s step-brother. She knew they were treating you poorly and asked me to send a few men to cause a distraction. I did, and that was how your father got shot that night.”

Memories of that night come slamming back into me as everything lines up perfectly. It finally all makes sense. How she knew about me, and why she loved me as if I was her own.

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