“Sammy has landed and is safe with Misha. He will be fine with his uncle for a few weeks.”
“No,” she says firmly.
I groan. “Baby, can we leave if I promise Sammy will be with us before the week is out?”
She side-eyes me. “I’m listening. What’s the plan?”
“It might be time for a retreat. I’ll make the calls. It’s not like I don’t need face time with most of the table. Give me an hour and I’ll rearrange the plans. I’ll have Misha bring him to us.”
Her face lights up. “If … and only if you can pull that off will I go.”
“To the island it is.”
“I love Locatelli Island. This vacation just upped its game. Make sure there are enough transport boats on reserve for the mainland this time.”
I wink at her. “I’ve got it, baby. I’ll book some spa treatments on the island and shopping trips on the mainland. I’ll handle everything.”
“I’m still a little annoyed with you, but you’re doing great making it up so far.”
“We’ll talk more about this later. I’m not ignoring how you feel. We are going to have to find middle ground on this.
“I don’t think this has ever hit the parenting handbook. We’ll be writing this chapter for ourselves.”
She sighs and lifts onto her toes to peck my lips. I palm her ass and deepen the kiss. This is all a challenge, but if anyone was made to handle this with me, it’s this woman right here.
“Yeah, I know,” she says when she breaks the kiss and looks up at me.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Mommy,” Paulie whines somewhere in the house.
Tasha rolls her eyes. “So it begins. Fix our vacation, babe. Plenty of staff for me and the girls. We all need a break for a bit.”
“I’ve got it.”
CHAPTER 36
The Warning
Misha
When LaSalle calledto warn me I had incoming, I was little surprised. I come back to Russia to double my efforts to find this menace who threatens everything I’ve worked to build. Vlad and Alexei have done well with tasks I have given them.
Now my part. I have not found her yet, but I need to take Sammy back to his parents before Tasha shows up at my door ready to shoot me over missing son. I’m not comfortable sending him back on his own, no matter what he has said.
Besides, his family is no longer in New York. The families are all headed to Locatelli Island. LaSalle bought Tasha the island for their fifth wedding anniversary. It has become an escape for everyone when we all need a time-out or a place to send the women when we want them out of reach.
We will be joining them. My wife happy. I have kept my family close to me in last two years. I have never trusted that wewouldn’t have to answer for the Krupin blood we spilled. Deja has yet another target on her back.
Da, my wife and children need to be where I am. Until this done, I can’t leave them in America without me. I will not lose another love. This why I’m trusting word of child.
“This will end,” I breathe into my vodka as I sit in my study staring into fireplace.
I still processing words Sammy spoke to me early as we sat in this very room. I’m in awe of my young friend. I felt like I was talking to his father the entire time.
“Tell me what you have seen, my friend,” I said to him as he sat on the floor with his legs crossed.
