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I’m busy in the backyard when Luna, Viktor’s dog, comes trotting toward me.
“Hey, girl,” I whisper. I pat her head before continuing to check the wall.
“Are you taking over my job?” I hear Alexei call.
Turning around, I wait for him to catch up with me, then he says, “I take a walk around the estate every morning.”
“I’ll leave you be.”
He shakes his head and nods for us to walk. “We can check the perimeter together.”
Yesterday he said he wanted to spend some time together. Not knowing what to expect, my nerves twist in my stomach. The last thing I want to do is disappoint Alexei.
We walk for a while, then he orders, “Tell me about yourself.”
“Sir?” My gaze darts to him. “I’m sure you know everything about me.”
“I know you’re the second son of Vincent Aslanhov, that you were good during your training as an enforcer.” His sharp gaze flicks to me. “You got taken by Prodi. You lost your brother, the woman you love, and your mind. At St. Monarch’s, you were a hothead.”
That about sums up my life.
“Tell me who youreallyare, Alek,” he demands.
“I’m a bratva soldier,” I answer, because that's all I can be when everything’s said and done.
“Bullshit,” Alexei mutters. “Want to know what I see when I look at you?”
Not really.
He glances over the gardens, and I turn my attention to the boundary wall.
“I see a younger version of myself. Your father is a piece of shit, and I don’t blame you for wanting to kill him.”
My eyes shoot back to Alexei, surprise tensing my muscles.
Our eyes lock, and he says, “His days are numbered. He’s taken too many chances and fucked up more than is allowed.”
The news brings me a surge of satisfaction, but then I think of my mother.
“I can’t kill him because it will leave my mother alone in Russia.”
“I think she will be happier to be with her son,” he mentions.
I’m not a citizen of America, so I can’t bring her over to live with me. It’s something that’s worried me since I left her to do my training at St. Monarch’s.
“If life has taught me one thing, it’s that everything sorts itself out in the end,” Alexei murmurs. He places his hand on my shoulder and nods toward the main mansion.
The corner of my mouth lifts, and I admit, “It’s been a lifelong dream to meet you.”
He pats my cheek in a fatherly way. “Let’s go shoot some shit in the armory. You can show me how good you are.”
Now we’re talking.
After familiarizing myself with the neighborhood and surrounding areas, I drive in the direction of Pasadena, where Rosalie likes to go.
I’ve heard she’ll take Roman to a playground on a weekly basis, and I want to check the area for escape routes and possible threats.
I’m dressed in a brand-new suit, and it will take some time to get used to no longer wearing combat uniforms.
