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Our mother gave me this whole story about how she essentially adopted her out to distant cousins who reside in the Czech Republic. She said that’s where Xava lives and that Xava is in danger. I have no doubt my supposed sister is in danger, but I’m not certain the threat my mother was telling me about is real in the first place. If anything, I think my mother wanted to get to Xava, so she had her insurance policy as close as she could for when shit went down with us.
I shake my head and prepare myself to let Mona down. “No, I’m afraid not. There were some pressing matters I left behind when we left for our holiday. My brother was aware of what time our flight would be landing, so I’d better go over and check in. I promise I won’t be too long. Take a nice, long hot bath, and by the time you’re finished with that, I’ll be on my way back home.”
I’m doing my best to assure her. I think we’ve both really come to realize we love spending time with one another. Being in Sweden made me see that, and being away from her is difficult, even if it’s only for a few minutes. It’s crazy to me because I never thought I’d want to be around a woman this much. I used to be the kind of man who would kick women out of his bed the morning after, and now I can’t imagine living any part of my life without her.
“Okay, just go and get back to me,” Mona tells me as we walk out of the girls’ bedroom. They’re both in their respective crib and bed as she flicks off the light. On the flight back, they both kept falling asleep, so we knew they were exhausted from all the fun we had over the last week.
We head into the hallway and shut the door closed behind us. “I will. I’ll be back as soon as I can, all right?”
“Sounds good. Go and get back to me,” Mona says the last bit again, and I linger on her words. I’ve never been told to get back to anyone, but I really like it.
I pull Mona against me and press my lips against hers. Snaking a hand around her back, I hold onto her firmly as I deepen the kiss. She moans against my mouth and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling herself further against me. I want to keep kissing her, but if I do, I know I’ll never get out of here.
I tear myself away from her lips and smirk down at her. Mona’s slightly pouting, knowing sometimes she can get away with whatever it is she wants if she does this. I take a step back. “I need to go, Med. I’ll be back soon.” I kiss her once more on the forehead before I turn and head down the stairwell. I walk right out the front door, and Paulo’s standing next to my vehicle. We both get inside and head over to Ruslan’s condo.
As Paulo drives, I’m wondering what my brother was able to find out within this last week. Did he find Xava? Is what our mother said accurate? Does Xava know anything about us, or has she been completely in the dark all along as well? Every time I finish asking myself a question, another one pops up. Then, we’re in Ruslan’s parking garage. Once Paulo parks the vehicle, we both get out of the car and then head up to Ruslan’s condo.
I walk right into the condo, and Ruslan’s sitting on his couch while Karim is next to him. They’re intensely watching some sort of cartoon on the TV. “Brother, I didn’t expect to see you this late tonight. I thought you’d come by in the morning?”
Family life must have calmed my brother down. Before, he would’ve wanted me to be here the night I got back so he could go over everything I missed. I’m not going to lie. I like that my brother is calming down in some ways. It’s just showing me that I’ll eventually be able to do the same.
I release a soft chuckle. “No, I figured you’d want to see me tonight, so I got Mona and the girls settled. Did you have time to go over things with me now, or do you want me to come back in the morning?”
“We might as well discuss it now. It will save you a trip tomorrow, and I’m sure you want to take the day to get back into the swing of things after being away,” Ruslan states, rising from the couch.
Amelia walks into the living area and immediately heads over to sit next to Karim, who’s completely in awe of the cartoon playing in front of him. Ruslan and I head through his house until we’re in his office, and I shut the door behind us.
“I half expected you to call me sometime when you were away,” Ruslan admits as he takes a seat behind his desk.
I sit down in the armchair on the other side of his desk. “I told Mona I wouldn’t be working, so I didn’t want to break that promise. The trip was really for us to connect as a couple and to spend time with the girls.”
“And did it do that?”
“Yes, in a way I never thought possible. I’ve come to realize that being with Mona is everything I never knew I wanted. You know, I used to blow through women, but Mona changed my life. I don’t know if it was because of the situation she came from or what, but there was this deep desire within me to protect her. I think that desire led me down another path with her. One which opened me up to love.”
“You love her?”
This is my first time ever admitting this to my brother. I nod without an ounce of hesitation. “I do, more than I ever thought I was going to.”
“Wow. Mona has really changed who you are as a person.”
Ruslan isn’t wrong. Mona’s really caused me to take a good hard look at my life and where I want to be in a few years. When I really thought about what I wanted for the future, I knew it wasn’t to be alone. Add in the fact we already had some sort of connection, and things sort of fell into place. “I think all she’s done is make me a bit more serious.”
Ruslan is quiet for a moment but ultimately nods. “You’re not wrong. Since you’ve been with her, you’ve been acting more like an adult and less like a boy.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment.” I laugh, and Ruslan ends up laughing as well.
“Brother, it is one. Please don’t take it another way,” Ruslan tells me with an amused tone in his voice.
“Don’t worry, I’m not. I did want to talk to you about what our mother said about Xava. Have you found anything else out about her?”
Ruslan leans back in his office chair. “Yes. Surprisingly, everything our mother said about Xava was indeed true. Unfortunately, I can’t find any sort of threat against her or Eset. Sure, Eset was followed with Meryem in the park, but I really believe those were our mother’s men trying to take her out. Xava must’ve been an insurance policy for our mother. That’s what I believe.”
Our mother told us so many lies throughout the years, so I understand why Ruslan is thinking the way he is right now. Part of me wanted to believe the last thing my mother said to me wasn’t a lie, but deep down, I knew better. I knew that she wasn’t telling me the whole truth. She was only giving me a partial truth in a desperate attempt to save her own life. Little did she know the damage was already done.
“What’s the plan with Xava?”
“I’ve invited her here to Grozny to meet us. As of right now, she isn’t aware of who we are. She only thinks we’re distant cousins, but when we can see her face-to-face, we’ll end up telling her who we really are.”
