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My tablet on the bench alerts me to someone ringing my doorbell. I shake out my arms and remove a glove.
“Just a sec, Gray,” I say after tapping the screen to see who’s at the door. "I'm in the gym." I disengage the alarm and lock.
This warehouse is next to the one my offices are in. I didn’t want to be far from my work, and I got a decent deal on the two buildings. The main floor is partially my gym, garage, and personal armory. I hit the treadmill, leaving the music playing so I don’t hear my brother give me shit for using my wrist. To say he was shocked when he showed up and I was in a cast is an understatement. I’ve kept my distance from him and Ryan these last few months because I don’t want them to get any blowback from what I’m doing.
“Don’t you relax?” Gray growls behind me. I meet his stare in the mirror in front of me and watch him pet Murtaugh’s head. My big Bouvier des Flandres is the brother to his dog, Riggs. I had both trained professionally, but only Murtaugh has the specialized training for me.
“This is relaxing.” I laugh as I hit the mode for my cool down. “I’ll be done here in a bit, and we can go upstairs. What’s up? Why aren’t you with your wife?”
“She’s working late because her brother leaves early every other Friday.” It takes a lot for me not to trip. I know why he takes off early, he must have a new sub if he’s still taking off. “Erika was wondering if we could get together for dinner this weekend. She’s going to invite Ryan and Jasmin too, along with Leif.”
“I can’t. I have plans.” The cycle stops, and I jump off and grab a towel. I look at my watch. I don’t know when Franci will be arriving, but I need to get my brother out of here before she does. Only my babushka still knows about Franci, and I need to keep it that way.
I move away, and he follows along. We step into the vintage freight elevator. Gray grabs the wooden gate and pulls it down before I hit the up button. Whatever is on his mind isn’t going to go away fast, and I need him gone as soon as possible.
“Let your wife know I can make time during the week, but my weekends are busy right now.” I need to hurry this visit along. “I’m going to get in the shower. You can let yourself out.” Maybe that will get him out of here.
As I walk by the open kitchen with the long bar, I see that the slow cooker is on the keep warm setting. I try to make home-cooked meals when she’s home from college. I continue through to my bedroom, sure that Gray will leave. I look down at my phone that I left on my nightstand and see a text from my other brother. I’ve been ignoring him since he was here to help Gray take care of Duncan after he kidnapped Erika. Unlike I am with Gray, I avoid Andrei. For some reason they both have decided it’s time to pay attention to me again. Nope, not happening. They had years to reach out. Okay, maybe that’s not fair because I could have reached out to them too.
After a quick shower, I’m dressed in a pair of yoga pants, a loose tank top, and a large cardigan. The second entrance to my closet exits into a laundry room off the side of the kitchen. I round the corner and sitting at the bar with a rocks glass of vodka is my brother. His suit jacket is over the chair next to him, and his sleeves are rolled up displaying his many Russian tattoos. Tattoos he earned in the Bratva, which our father let him get out of. I notice the new tattoo on his ring finger. It’s a dark band.
“What are you still doing here?” I look down at my smart watch. I received a text from the team that she’s almost here. I try to give her the benefit of being a young adult, but I will always have a team on her for her safety. It’s a necessity with her history.
“Why are you in a hurry to get rid of me? You got a hot date?” Gray chuckles deeply.
“No, but?—”
“Mom, I’m home,” is yelled before I can finish.
I drop my head as my brother whips around to take in my adopted daughter, Franci. She doesn’t call me Mom unless she’s playing around or trying to get a reaction out of me. She was twelve when I rescued her, and I adopted her a few months later. I couldn’t let her go into the system.
“Franci.” I huff.
“Daughter?” Gray looks between the two of us, and I can see him doing the math in his head. She’s eighteen, and I’m thirty-one. It doesn’t add up, and he knows it.
Franci is standing there looking between Gray and me. She’s only met Babushka, but she’s seen pictures of my brothers. They are around our home, along with pictures of her. I’m surprised Gray hasn’t asked me about her pictures.
“You’re Gray,” she says in a soft, sweet voice. She and I worked hard to help her gain an American accent, but it’s not perfect. You can still hear her Gheg Albanian tongue from time to time.
“I am.” Gray looks at me. I know he has questions. Lots of them.
“Gray, meet my adopted daughter, Franclynn, or Franci for short.” I wave between the two of them.
“Franklin? Like F-r-a-n-k-l-i-n.” He spells it out.
She nods. “Benjamin Franklin was awesome, and when Ley gave me a choice in name, I wanted a guy name like her.”
I shake my head, my brows dropping. She’s never told me that part. I knew she liked Benjamin, but not the guy name like mine. It makes me like my name more now.
“But we spell it F-r-a-n-c-l-y-n-n. I go by Franci, like the guy’s name, but spelled with a C instead.” She laughs, and Gray moves toward her.
They exchange some words before she nods, and he takes her in his arms. “Welcome to the family.”
“Babushka said you were in town. I was hoping Ley would let me finally meet you,” she says, and my throat constricts. I should have known she craved family being that she came from a large one. It’s been six years of just her and me. Well, and Babushka when she came around. I haven’t let her since we moved here, but now that Gray and I live close to each other she’ll probably want to come out.
“Franci, go get comfy while I talk to Gray,” I say when she comes around the bar and hugs me. “Love you, kiddo.” I kiss the top of her head. I’m five inches taller than her five foot two. She’s petite and curvy, while I’m tall and slender.
“Yummy. Stuffed peppers. What’s the occasion?” She laughs when she peeks into the slow cooker.
