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“Are you happy?” she asks me, a whisper.
I nod, capturing her lips with a tender kiss. “Baby, I’m over the moon.”
Chapter 42
Luka
It’s all over the news. Konstantin’s trial has been moved up ahead of schedule. He’s facing five consecutive life sentences. He’ll die in prison. Levitsky and Salkov are expected to receive similar sentences. Any other day, I’d celebrate, but I frankly don’t give a damn anymore. He’s not worth my attention or time.
Besides, I have more important matters to attend to right now.
Tabitha slaps her forehead. “Oh my God,Luka. Please don’t make a scene.”
“I’m not doing anything but putting that rat bastard in his place. You just hang back and watch.”
“This is my new landlord you’re about to confront. I don’t want to rub him the wrong way. What if he decides I’m too much of a pain in the ass and he finds some way to evict me?”
“Then you can just move back in with Dani and me.”
“You two are about to have a baby. I’m not going to take up space you’ll desperately need here in another couple of weeks.”
I stop mid-stride and turn to face Tabitha. “Listen kiddo, there’s something called a lease. He signed it, and so did you. There are terms and conditions both parties have to follow, and as far as I can see, he’s not holding up his end of the bargain.”
Tabitha chews on her bottom lip, her nervous energy radiating out from every pore. “Luka, I really appreciate this, but I can handle it. I’ve already filed the appropriate paperwork. Can’t we just let the city deal with it or something? Like, take a chill pill or whatever.”
“Dude, I’m chill. I’m the chillest person to ever walk this Earth. Now, let’s go give this Mr. Ratchet a piece of my damn mind.”
Tabitha groans. “Fine. But push me the rest of the way? This hill is fucking killing my arms.”
I circle around her and take her wheelchair by the handles. “You got it, kiddo.”
To be fair, the apartment Tabitha picked out for herself is in a nice neighborhood. Affluent. Plenty of shops, easy access to public transportation, and she’s only a few blocks away from Dani’s office, so there’s the added bonus of the sisters being able to grab lunch together every other day. The apartment building itself is quite nice—save for the lack of a permanent accessibility ramp – the one provided is temporary and rickety at best-- and an elevator constantly out of service.
When we arrive, Mr. Ratchet is already standing on the front stoop, watering the flowers in his windowsill planter. When he sees me, he rolls his eyes and starts inside. We haven’t formally met, but I’ve been sending a myriad of angry emails on Tabitha’s behalf, so seeing us together likely hinted at my identity.
“Wait!” I snap. “I need a word with you.”
“I’m very busy, Mr. Antonov. Another time.”
“No, we’re going to talknow.” I put on my best Mikhail impression. It does the trick. It’s all about the tone of voice and the clipped nature in which he speaks. Nobody dares walk away from a pissed off Antonov if they know what’s good for them.
Mr. Ratchet sighs. “As I told you in the email, fixes are coming. There are forms to fill out, wait times.”
“I’m well aware,” I say, “but this has been dragging on almost four months now. Not only does your building not have a proper permanent ramp for Tabitha to use, your elevators clearly aren’t being serviced properly. That is against the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the law, if I’m not mistaken. It’s your job as the landlord to ensure these repairs are met in a timely manner.”
He throws his hands up. “There’s nothing I can do, Mr. Antonov. Besides, Tabitha’s been getting around just fine, hasn’t she?”
Tabitha chews on her cheek. “I have to ask my neighbors to help me up the stairs. It’s demeaning.”
I gesture. “See?Demeaning. Tabitha doesn’t deserve to be treated this way. So get off your lazy ass, have a permanent ramp installed, and at the very least, transfer her to an apartment on the bottom floor if fixing the elevator is really that much trouble for you.”
Mr. Ratchet sneers. “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here and telling me what to do. It’ll get done when it gets done. Got it?”
Tabitha pats me on the arm. “It’s fine, Luka. Just let it go.”
Except I don’t. I’ve got one more trick up my sleeve. An ace in the hole. I was just hoping I didn’t have to use it unless absolutely necessary. It looks like Mr. Ratchet isn’t giving me much choice.
“You know what?” I say, loud and clear. “That’s fine. If you’re not going to hold up your end of the lease, then I’ll just have to share your internet history with your wife.”
