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I place a hand over my chest and grimace. My heart is pounding so hard it hurts. Am I on the verge of having a heart attack? No, none of that now. My son’s life is on the line. I’ll worry about myself later.
“We need to get him some help,” I say sternly, glancing down at Boris. “And then I need to call a meeting.”
Chapter 36
Natalya
Ipace anxiously back and forth, wringing my hands together as I circle the gardens. I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting Dimitri’s brother, Mikhail Antonov, but he has a very lovely home in the suburbs, complete with a front and backyard, the latter of which boasts a pretty flower and vegetable garden.
Dimitri and his brother have been inside for hours, locked away in Mikhail’s office. It seems I’m not privy to Bratva business just yet, even though it’s pretty clear I have a stake in all of this, too. To be honest, I’m fine with it for now. Even outside, I can still hear them yelling back and forth, but not really getting anywhere. These last few hours have put too much strain on my nerves, so I’d much rather be out here where I can get some semblance of peace and quiet.
“You must be Nat,” a woman’s sweet voice floats into my ear. I turn to find a woman not much older than myself. She has a head of fiery red curls and a smile so genuinely friendly it momentarily catches me off guard.
“Oh, hello,” I reply. “Sorry, you are…”
“My name’s Aurora. I’m Mikhail’s wife.”
“Oh!” I stick my hand out to shake. “Lovely to meet you. I didn’t realize.”
She giggles. “That’s totally okay. Dimitri kind of came in guns blazing, so there wasn’t a lot of time for introductions, huh? That and moving Boris to the guest bedroom didn’t feel like the right time for pleasantries.”
I gesture toward the house. “Sorry for all the yelling.”
“That’s quite alright. I’m used to it. You should see how lively things get during meetings.”
My eyes widen. “You’re allowed to sit in on their meetings?”
“All the time!” Aurora says, taking a seat on the wooden bench next to a flower bed. “I’m in charge of their cybersecurity. It’s a long story, but the short version is that Mikhail used to be my boss. I used to work for Dimitri, too, if you want to get technical.”
I take a seat next to her, intrigued. “You did?”
“Yes. Mikhail and Dimitri used to run CyberFort. Ever heard of it?”
“That big fancy cybersecurity company based out of the States? I had no idea.”
Aurora giggles. “Did you and Dimitri just meet? Are you a representative from another Bratva?”
I take a deep breath. Talking to her is surprisingly easy, though I’m not sure how much I should give away. Aurora doesn’tseemlike a threat, but I suppose everything feels like a threat these days. When did I become so closed off and jaded?
“I’m his… I’m his girlfriend, I think” I say. The word feels strange on my tongue, though it’s not entirely unwelcome. “We, uh… We kind of had a rough start, but things are better now. I mean, Bratva war and kidnapped son aside.”
Aurora nods knowingly. “I get it. Terrible business. I’m sure everything will work out.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Mikhail and Dimitri… They’re the kind of men who will stop at nothing to get what they want. But in the end, they’re always going to choose family.”
“You know this for a fact?”
“Oh, yes. I’d bet my life on it. Money, power, influence… It doesn’t matter in the long run. I’m only speaking on behalf of Mikhail, of course, but those two are cut from the same cloth.”
I stare at her and marvel. She’s so… optimistic. It’s really strange to listen to. Where I’ve let life grind me down to the breaking point, Aurora seems entirely unbothered. She appears genuinely happy to be the partner of a Bratva leader, a concept I’m honestly still trying to wrap my head around.
“How do you do it?” I ask.
“Do what?”
“I love Dimitri. Very much. But the things he does… Sorry, I’m probably overstepping.”
