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I frown and cross my arms over my chest. “I see. It’ll need to be inspected. I’ll send Konstantin over to set up—”
“No.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Did you just say ‘no’?”
“N-O. No. It is a gated community, so there’s security at the entrance. I’m not about to let you set up bodyguards outside my sanctuary. I want anormallife, Misha. I can’t have that with shaved goons lurking outside my door at all hours of the night.”
“A fuckinggateisn’t going to protect you from Petyr Ivanov, Niki.”
But she doesn’t back down. “I’ve already met two of my neighbors and I like them both. They think I’m a nice, normal, all-American girl. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Nik—”
“Stop. I know what you’re going to say, but you’re wrong. I’m not in any danger,” she interrupts. “Petyr is not interested in me. Even if he was, no one knows that I’ve moved out on my own. As far as the underworld is concerned, I’m still living with Nessa and Cyrille under your protection.”
A few months ago, I would have forced the issue. I would have rolled tanks over that flimsy gate and installed my own army between my sister and the outside world.
Paige has forced me to reconsider those methods. Occasionally, I need to loosen the reins. Is this one of those times?
I glance at my mother, who smiles and gives me a slight shrug. It’s easy enough to interpret. She’s worried, but resigned.
“Alright, fine.” I walk over and kneel next to the crib components scattered across the carpet. Someone clearly tried to put this together already and failed.
“Whoa. Did you just concede to me?”
“You’re a grown woman, Niki,” I say as I start to sort and organize the pieces. “If we were normal, you’d have moved out a long time ago.”
She blows out a long breath. “Paige really has changed you.”
I flip her the bird, and Nessa scolds us both like she used to when we were teenagers.
Chuckling, I settle in to put together the first of the two cribs. Maybe working with my hands will stave off some of my frustration.
Niki joins me on the floor and grabs the instruction manual. “Thanks, by the way. For letting me have this victory. I needed a W.”
I pass her the bag of screws. “I can’t picture you in a gated community.”
She smirks. “I know. It’s not what I’m used to. But I kind of like that. One bed, one bath—what is it, a house for ants, y’know? But the kitchen is nice and I can see the sunset from my bedroom. I’m gonna get a bookshelf in the living room and fill it with trashy romance novels. You’d hate it.”
“Jesus,” I mutter. “How do people live like that?”
Niki just laughs. “I’m thinking of getting a dog, too.”
“Good. Get a Doberman. Make sure he bites.”
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t need a watchdog. I’m trained in martial arts and Jiu Jitsu, remember? I also know how to use a gun.”
“Do you?”
She nods. “Maksim taught me.”
That takes me by surprise. I had no idea they’d done that. She never even asked me to train her.
“I’m training Paige to handle a weapon,” I confess. “It’s… weird.”
“Why? She’s smart and capable. Why shouldn’t she be able to carry?”
“Because she’s my wife,” I say. “She shouldn’t have to carry a gun or learn to defend herself. She shouldn’t have to work or earn money. That’s my job.”
