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Fucking hell. I don’t know what I should do right now. Do I tell her, or do I stay quiet until I know more? Maybe I should wait until I have more information before I say anything. If I speak too early, it might only stress her out. If I wait until Ludvik comes back to me with more information, it could be better. I can only imagine what would happen if I told her about what her aunt’s been doing, and it turned out the only decent thing she did was find an actual family for Emily’s daughter. The last thing I want to do is stress her out when there’s no need for it.
***
The rest of the day flew by. We spent the majority of the time with Ruslan, Amelia, and baby Karim. We went out to some of the places we love the most, and I took Emily to a small art gallery Eset took me to about a year ago. I’ve never been a man who’s appreciated art, but my sister struck a chord in me. She explained how every piece of artwork is beautiful in its own way and how the artist’s goal is to embody the emotion they’re feeling in their work. Truthfully, if my sister wasn’t an artist, I don’t think I’d be invested in any of this shit, but I love my sister, so I’ve found a reason to at least try and understand what she loves more than anything else in this world.
Now, the girls are getting started on dinner together, so Ruslan and I are alone in his office with the door shut. “There’s a predicament I want your opinion on.”
“Mmm, that hardly ever happens. What’s up?” Ruslan asks as he takes a seat in the armchair and places his vodka down.
“I had Ludvik look into some things for me. One of which was Amelia’s mother. She’s threatening to blackmail Emily, and while I don’t want to go straight into the details, I need your input, and the only way for me to get it is by telling you everything.”
“All right, go on then.”
“I’ll keep things simple. Emily had a child when she was a teenager. She grew up in a very rural town with very conservative views. She trusted her aunt to help her place the child in a private adoption. Now, Emily’s aunt is trying to blackmail her into putting money in her commissary account while she’s still there, but things aren’t adding up for me. They’re only making less and less sense when I think about it all.”
“Okay, so I already know what you’re about to tell me is going to get messier.”
“Naturally so.” I pause for a moment and continue onward. “Ludvik found out Amelia’s mother is getting released sooner than any of us expected. Apparently, she’s a reformed woman who found God while on the inside, and her behavior has been so exceptional that they’re giving her a ‘well-deserved’ second chance.” I’m completely sarcastic, and Ruslan rolls his eyes.
“If she wasn’t Amelia’s mother, I would’ve put a bullet through her fucking head by now, but as badly as I want to end her life, I know she’s my wife’s mother.”
“She’s been horrible to Amelia. What’s stopping you?”
“She’s still Amelia’s mother, and I don’t know if my wife would ever forgive me for killing her.” It seems to me like Ruslan has debated this time and time again.
“Well, I don’t know what to say to that. There’s more to what I’m saying, and as you said, it gets messier. Lucy has ties to Julio Ramirez. Apparently, that’s her beau.”
My brother furrows his brows and takes a sip of his vodka. “Then why didn’t he pay her bail? Is this information just coming out of the blue?”
“I never had anyone look into her this deeply, so I wouldn’t say it’s coming out of the blue. I will say it’s shocking, but it’s clearing a few things up for me. She must have had a good lawyer working on her case while we’ve all been living our lives. I’m certain Julio paid for that lawyer, and that’s why she’s getting released early. Now, let me get back to the thick of it. It’s about the child Emily had as a teenager that her aunt supposedly helped her with an adoption. However, Ludvik made me well aware that Lucy has been bringing Julio babies for ‘private adoptions’ for years.”
“She’s helping him to traffic children.”
“Babies, but yes.”
“You think it’s possible she trafficked Emily’s child?”
“That’s the tough part. I want to think she was decent, but we’ve seen time and time again how she isn’t. I’m sure she trafficked Emily’s child, and I’m not sure if I should tell Emily yet.” Now I finally take a sip of my own vodka and let my brother mull over it.
“What’s stopping you?”
“If I’m wrong, I don’t want to cause her any emotional distress, especially when it’s not needed.”
“You’re probably not wrong. That’s the tricky part. You’re probably right.” Ruslan sighs and takes another sip of his drink.
I don’t want to stress Emily out, but I have to tell her. I don’t think I should tell her while we’re here in Grozny. In fact, I think I need to tell her once we’re back home in Atlanta. I don’t want this trip to be ruined. She needed a break, and I plan on giving it to her.
“Life is fucked sometimes,” I grumble.
“It’s fucked and complicated,” Ruslan agrees.
A light knock comes on the door. “Dinner’s about ready!” Emily’s joyful voice comes through the other side of the door.
“We’ll be out in a minute,” Ruslan tells her.
After a couple of minutes, we go out and head into the dining area. Amelia and Emily made a complete spread. Homemade fried chicken with potato salad, coleslaw, and corn on the cob. The entire group of us chat with each other, and as the night goes on, I can tell Emily’s getting sad that we’re leaving. I am too. I can’t wait to finally come back here permanently.
As dinner ends, the two of us retreat back to our bedroom. Emily strips out of her attire and changes into pajamas, but I sneak a peek at the lace she has on underneath. I push back the satin strap to her camisole and slide it over the edge of her shoulder. “I want nothing more than to ravage you tonight, but we have to get up early to catch our flight.”
