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“When her first words are ‘eat a dick’ or ‘fuck no’, I’m going to kill you.”
“Woah, Liz,” Konstantin admonishes. “Let’s not use the f-word in front of the kid, okay?”
He and Lukas crack up as Lizbet glares at the pair of them.
“Okay, seriously, fuck you both.”
Mara laughs as she nods at me. “Can I pour you a drink?”
“Nah, I think I’m okay—”
“Uh-uh. I want one and Ican’t, so you’re drinking for me tonight. Here ya go, it’s a Burgundy.”
I chuckle as she all but smashes a wine glass against my chest. Lukas turns off the burner and heads over, where I gladly take Luna off his hands and into my arms. I grin as I nuzzle my niece, letting her giggles melt away some of the tension throbbing in my head.
“Oh, hey, by the way,” Lukas’ face shadows with one of his “serious Lukas” faces, as Lizbet loves to call them teasingly.
“What’s up?”
He nods his chin across my expansive downstairs area to the massive staircase that leads to the second floor. “I restocked your emergency kit. Luna’s adrenaline pen has a five-month expiration date. So, you know. Since I was here anway… ”
He shrugs in a way that’s clearly meant to look casual, even though I can see the seriousness on his face.
I mean, I don’t really blame him.
Lizbet was born with a heart condition that has since been fixed. It’srarelyhereditary, and so far, not a single doctor has found anything that would suggest Luna has it as well.
But Lukas saw my sister almost die once. Suffice to say, “over-prepared” doesn’t begin to describe his mindset when it comes to his daughter. The “emergency kit” is a worst-case scenario safety net against theextremelyunlikely, almost non-existent chance that Luna has some sort of heart episode while they’re at my place. It’s basically a baby-sized defibrillator, an oxygen mask and tank, and an epi-pen loaded with adrenaline.
I smile as I lean in to kiss my niece’s cheek. She’s completely healthy. But fuck it, if it makes Lukas breathe easier having one of these emergency kits basically everywhere he’d ever take her, so be it.
“You ready for the big day, Gavan?”
I roll my eyes at my brother as Lizbet scoops Luna out of my arms. “Why does everyone keep acting like I’m heading off to my first day of fucking kindergarten?”
Konstantin grins as he clinks a wine glass to mine. “Come on, man. It’s a bit of a big deal. I’m psyched for you.”
“I think I’m the most psyched of anyone,” Mara adds, sliding against Konstantin’s side as he wraps a muscled, inked arm around her. “Having you all to myself and such.”
“See, you say that now,” my brother snickers. “But I don’t think you’reactuallyready to have me around full-time. I give it a month before you’re begging me to pick up a hobby or something.”
“Diapers and midnight feeds. That can be your hobby!” Lizbet crows as she and our other sister crack up.
Konstantin groans, shooting me a pleading look. “You know what? Maybe let’s rethink this whole temporary transition of—”
“I will cut you in your sleep,” Mara mutters through a sarcastic grin. “Cut. You.”
I shrug at my brother. “Looks like the plan’s locked in, man, sorry. Don’t worry, I’ll keep the chair warm for you.”
“Yeah, just don’t fucking fart in it, prick.”
“No promises.”
It is and at the same time it isn’t a big deal. Currently, Konstantin and I rule the Reznikov empire as equals. But there’s also the Bratva High Council—seven seats, one for each of the major Bratva families worldwide. It’s sort of like a criminal United Nations. It doesn’t mean any of us have an official truce or anything. But there’s an agreed-upon pact of non-aggression, let’s call it that.
War, at least between Bratva families, is, generally speaking,terriblefor business.
But even though Konstantin and I rule our own empire together, the High Council rules allow for onlyonevote and one chair per family. Since he’s the oldest, and the late Antin’s son, my brother currently has that chair and vote. That’s about to change.
