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4
Lyon sat in the back of the Land Rover and watched the city lights play across Kira’s face as they headed to the North Side. It had been a long day, a long night, and they were finally on their way back to the apartment.
Home.
Would it ever feel like that with this cold woman as his wife? It was hard to imagine. Then again, he’d known what he was signing on for when he’d struck the agreement with Kira and her father.
They’d agreed to put on a front for the rest for the world.
That was all.
There was no requirement for either of them to be happy, or even for them to try and find common ground, although that would make the situation easier for them both. Looking at the woman sitting next to him, her expression as still as glass, it was hard to imagine her doing anything to make the situation easier.
He exhaled and stretched his legs, turning his face to the window on his side of the car. Kira’s feelings — about their arrangement, about him — were as irrelevant as his own.
The brotherhood was bigger than them both, the advantages of controlling it infinite.
Alek looked in the rearview mirror, probably to make sure the car carrying Zoya was still behind them, then put on his blinker to make the turn into the penthouse’s underground parking garage.
He used a keycard to enter the private parking facility, then wound his way down to the underground elevators. There was a front entrance with a doorman of course, but Lyon hoped to keep a low profile, for tonight at least.
Alek stopped the car near the elevator lobby and got out of the car to open Lyon’s door. Bash, a young recruit who’d pledged his loyalty to Lyonya, stepped out of the passenger seat and opened the door for Kira.
She stepped onto the curb. “My things…”
“Alek and Bash will bring everything upstairs,” Lyon said.
“Not Dimitri and Odette,” Kira said firmly.
Lyon looked at her. “Dimitri and Odette?”
She gave him an indignant stare. “My birds.”
Ah, yes. The birds. Lyon wasn’t thrilled about the birds that were part of the Kira package, but she’d made it clear in the negotiations that it was a deal breaker.
Where Kira went, the birds went.
Alek had packed their covered cage into the car with Zoya and the rest of Kira’s luggage and Lyon hadn’t given them another thought.
The second car had stopped behind them, and Zoya stepped out, clutching her coat around her thin body.
“Get the birds,” Lyon said to Alek. He looked down at Kira. “Come. Let’s get settled.”
They rode the elevator to the 31st floor, Lyon all too aware of Zoya’s presence. He knew little about the older woman except that she’d been working for the Baranov’s since the death of Kira’s mother and she was as part of the deal as the birds.
It felt strange to think of these new occupants in his life. He’d been alone for so long, his solitude broken only by his time with other soldiers in the bratva and the occasional no-strings-attached woman in his bed. It would be an adjustment to be sure.
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened directly onto the penthouse’s marble entry.
Lyon put his hand across the door to keep it open while Kira and Zoya stepped into the apartment, then followed them inside. The doors slid shut behind them.
Kira and Zoya were taking in the intimate entry when footsteps sounded from one of the halls that fed off the foyer. A moment later, a tall broad-shouldered man appeared, his black hair peppered with silver.
He nodded at Lyon. “Welcome home, Mr. Antonov."
“Thank you,” Lyon said. He looked at Kira. “This is our house manager, Rurik. He can assist you with anything you need to know about the apartment, the building, or the neighborhood. Rurik, this is my wife, Kira, and her attendant, Zoya. I trust you’ll make them both comfortable.”
Rurik gave a small bow. “Of course. Please let me know if there’s anything you need.”
