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I wake up to my bedroom door being slowly opened. Mona’s red locks greet me, and I scoot up in bed. “Xava, your siblings are downstairs in the living room. I know it’s early, but they want to talk to you.” Mona’s speaking in a whisper yell, careful not to wake Ambros, who’s still sleeping beside me.
I nod, hoping she can see it. “Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I whisper yell back.
Mona shuts the door quietly, and I turn on the bedside lamp and scoot out of bed as delicately as I can. I don’t want to wake Ambros up.
I manage to get out of bed and head over to my closet, where I throw on some clothes in record time and mosey my way downstairs. Sure enough, my entire family is here, minus the wives and lone husband. Nazyr, Lom, Eset, and Ruslan are all sitting down with coffees or juices in their hands.
I walk in, and every single one of them looks at me.
Eset is the first to speak, seeming a bit more aggravated than usual. “How are you? Our brothers thought it was best to wait until this morning to tell me what happened. Idiots.”
“I’m fine. I was really lucky and didn’t get hurt besides this scraped knee.” I point to my knee, and almost everyone seems relieved.
“I don’t know how you managed that, but the kid could have been an awful shot,” Lom comments.
Nazyr snickers at Lom.
“What’s that about?”
“Oh, nothing. It looks like Ruslan didn’t just forget to tell Eset until this morning. Did he also fail to mention Ambros Galanis was on a date with our baby sister last night?”
“Sorry, what?” Eset practically chokes on her coffee.
“Ambros Galanis,” Lom repeats.
I don’t know what the sudden problem is, but I’m going to be quick to squash it. “If it wasn’t for Ambros tackling me to the ground, I think I would’ve gotten shot last night. Now, why in the hell are you all in a tizzy about me being on a date with Ambros?”
Ruslan clears his throat and motions for me to sit down. I take a seat next to Eset and look at our oldest brother. “Ambros comes from a family of dangerous men. The Galanis family… they’re heavily involved in the organized crime world like we are.”
“Okay, so are they mafia, like us?” I don’t know too much about this world, but I’m doing my best to learn.
“No, not really. They’re involved in another way.” It seems like Ruslan’s trying to figure out how to tell me what the Galanis family is known for, but he’s struggling to do it.
“Just tell her what they do, Ruslan. It’s not going to kill her,” Eset pipes up.
“They’re contract killers.”
Contract killers? Does he mean like assassins?
“They’re hitmen, Xava. They take contracts to kill people. Some of them are bad, some of them probably aren’t, but his family has been doing it for a long time. It’s what they’re known for, and they’re the best killers in the world. Ambros has never failed to complete a job,” Lom comes out with it and tells me everything I need to know.
“So… what you’re saying is that Ambros is dangerous?” I’m looking at all my siblings, trying to understand this.
“To other people, yes. I think he’s infatuated with you, and I’ve never heard rumors about Ambros harming a woman,” Nazyr speaks up, and Ruslan appears annoyed that Nazyr is speaking in Ambros’ defense.
“He’s a dangerous man, but he’s the kind of man you want in your corner.” Eset is looking right at me.
“What do you mean by that?”
“He’s the type of man who will go to war for you, as are every one of the men in this room. I know a couple of you have a problem with Ambros going out on dates with Xava, but she’s an excellent judge of character. If she doesn’t want to spend time with him, then she’ll stop. If she wants to keep spending time with him, then let her be happy. After all, none of you can sit here and act like you haven’t been considered dangerous and deadly.”
“Okay, that’s a lot of information to absorb… but I want to know something,” I state, making sure to look at everyone in the room. “Do we know who tried to have me killed?”
“I have it narrowed down to two people, yes, and I’m working on confirming who ordered the hit.” Ruslan’s voice grows deeper, and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that he’s going to make that person pay once he finds out. “I need you to stay here for a couple of days. I’ll let you know when you can stop laying low.”
“So, I’m hiding?”
“For the time being, yes, but I promise it will be worth it.” Ruslan has never looked more frightening to me. His jaw is clenched, and there’s this evilness in his eyes. I’m afraid for the person responsible because I know my brother isn’t going to show any mercy.
