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I peer down at the boy. Simon. He smiles up at me, gripping the lapels of my suit jacket in his tiny hands. This is my…son?
“I don’t understand,” I say, returning my gaze to her. “How did this… Why are you only telling me about him now?”
“I know who you are, Dimitri,” she says, quickly shoving a big duffle bag into Dahlia’s arms. “When I found out I was pregnant with your child, I didn’t want you to know because… Well, I didn’t want him to be raised in this life.”
To say that I’m reeling is an understatement. I’m equal parts confused, hurt, blindsided, angry, and amazed. I need so much more information and time to process all of this.
“But why now?” I ask, dumbfounded.
“I thought I could do it alone,” Tatiana confesses, wiping at her bleary eyes. “I thought I could pull off the whole single mom schtick, but I can’t. You’re far richer than I am. You can provide him with a better life.”
“Wait a second—”
“I can’t do this. I’m just… I’m not cut out to be a mother.”
“And you think I’m cut out to be afather?”
“I have to go.”
“Wait a damn second!”
In the blink of an eye, she’s gone. The child in my arms begins to cry, soft whimpers breaking into ear-splitting wails. I don’t know what to do, barely able to see past my rage.
How could she do this? Not just to me, but the boy? I don’t have a parental bone in my body, but I would never in a million years abandon my child. It’s inconceivable to me. Cruel, even. This boy—Simon—deserves so much more than that.
I hush the boy, holding him against my chest as I pat him rhythmically on the back. My eldest brother, Mikhail, has little ones of his own. I try to copy his calm demeanor, hoping to soothe Simon. It doesn’t work.
“Oh, the poor dear,” Dahlia coos beside me. “What a horrible woman! Should I try and stop her from leaving? Maybe if you talk to her…”
I shake my head. “It’s clear she’s already made up her mind.”
“What are you going to do?”
Good question. WhatamI going to do?
I can’tnottake care of the boy. But between my duties to the Bratva and taking care of my father, where am I going to find the time to shelter a child as well? He needs a crib to sleep in, proper food, toys for entertainment. It seems like the universe is trying to tell me something—all these earth-shattering surprises hitting me from out of left field—but I have no clue how to decipher the message.
“I need to call my brothers.”
Chapter 4
Dimitri
My eldest brother, Mikhail, glowers upon hearing the end of my report. He’s gotten pretty good about minding his expression now that he’s got kids running around. Back in the day, a single glare from Mikhail could make any timid intern pass out from sheer intimidation factor alone. He’s always been a force to be reckoned with, which is why his transition from being a CEO to the head of an entire Bratva made sense. He was born to lead.
And where my big brother goes, I will always be at his side.
“Nobody’s claiming responsibility,” I say.
“I’m not going to let this slide, Dimitri. An attack on you is an attack on all of us.Someoneis to blame, and I won’t rest until we discover who.”
“We’ve already got our men sweeping the city. Something’s bound to turn up. You don’t think there’s a war brewing, do you?”
Mikhail grunts. We’re in his home office, tucked away on the top floor well out of sight of his little ones. From what I understand, my sister-in-law, Aurora, is off picking up my nieces from school.
“I don’t know,” he admits, “but there’s no sense in pointing fingers until we have more concrete evidence. I’ll put some calls through, see if any of my informants have heard any whispers of interest.”
I cross my arms. “Maybe put the word out that someone owes me a new car.”
