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“I’m a lucky lady. I’m lucky to have a grandchild who provides for me so well. Not that I wouldn’t be happy with less.”
“Very lucky.”
She cocks her head. “Tell me about yourself.”
I shrug. “There’s not much to tell.”
“Have you lived in Russia for all of your life?”
“Mostly.”
“Just in Moscow?”
“Yes.”
“What about holidays?”
“I didn’t travel until I joined the military.”
Hanna’s brows lift. “Military, huh? I suppose Mina told you she’s ex-military, too.”
“She told me she was in the Special Forces. Very impressive.”
“That girl could read and write at the age of three. She picked up languages like a parrot. Tough too, just like her mother. I won’t lie, I was happy when she left the Special Forces. It’s not a job for a woman who wants to settle down.”
I smile. I doubt Mina will ever want to settle down.
“Tell me, Yan, what are your intentions with my Mina?”
I have to smile at that, too. I like her directness. I like that she’s protective of Mina. I respect her for grilling me with questions. It’s what any loving parent or grandparent should do. It’s what I never had, and I’m glad Mina had this feisty woman to look out for her. That she’s looking out for her still. “I want to take care of Mina.”
“For a short while or longer?”
I don’t hesitate. “Forever.”
Her lips ease into a curve. “I sense an honesty about you.”
“I won’t lie.” Not about this.
“Then it’s serious,” she concludes with obvious satisfaction.
“Very.”
“I see.” She leans forward, gripping the armrests of the wheelchair with trembling hands. “And what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a consultant.” Of sorts.
“Where did you and Mina meet?”
“In the bar where she worked.”
“What were you doing in Budapest?”
“It was a business trip.”
Her gaze softens. “Do you believe in fate, Yan?”
“Should I?”
The expression on her face turns whimsical. “Don’t you think some things are meant to be, that sometimes we’re in the right place at the right time?”
What do you know? Hanna is a romantic. “I’ve never thought about it like that.”
“Maybe you should.”
“I can see the appeal.” How much easier our situation would be if we could call it destiny. As it stands now, it’s nothing but kidnapping. A sharp prick of guilt nips at a far corner of my mind. It’s distant but pesteringly persistent, like a dull headache.
“Are you going to get married?” Hanna asks.
“I don’t think Mina believes in that.”
Mina’s grandmother shrugs. “She’s not overly religious, but the reassurance can’t hurt, can it?”
“The reassurance?”
“That you’re willing to stand by her for life,” she says, like I should know. “That you love her.”
What am I supposed to say to that?
“A ring won’t hurt either.” She winks.
Ah. I’m getting lectured for my lack of romanticism by an old lady in a wheelchair. “I’ll make sure she gets a ring.”
“Good. She likes rubies.”
I smile. “I’ll remember that.”
“What about Mina’s job at the bar?”
“She’ll come work for me.” It’s not a lie. I’ll have to involve Mina in my future missions. She’s not the type who can stay at home without going out of her mind. Judging by how she’s behaved since I’ve taken her, any hint of inactivity makes her depressed.
“In your consulting business?”
“Yes.”
Hanna seems satisfied. “I never liked that she worked in that place where men are always drunk so late at night.”
Come to think of it, neither did I.
Somberness settles over her features. “Did she tell you about what happened with her parents?”
“Yes, she did.”
Her gaze grows more intent. “Did she tell you it may be difficult for her to have children?”
“It doesn’t matter to me.” I just want her. I want her any way I can have her.
Mina’s grandmother relaxes again. “Not all men can accept something like that. Not that it’s her fault. It happened on a mission. She never told me the details, and I won’t ask.”
Best not. “You can rest assured I’ll do my best to make her happy.”
She gives me a broad, tremulous smile. “That’s all I want for her, Yan.”
“Me, too.”
The clinking of cutlery sounds from the door. Mina stands in the frame, a tray in her hands. Getting to my feet quickly, I take the heavy burden and ignore Mina’s protest when I start pouring the tea.
“What did you talk about?” Mina asks, looking between us with a frown pleating her pretty brow.
“This and that,” Hanna says, smiling at me. “Your Yan seems like a very accomplished man. Quite a catch. Not bad-looking either. Well done, Mina. I think you got yourself a good one.”
Mina turns redder than the roses in the vase on the table. “Hanna!” she scolds gently.
“What?” Hanna turns to me. “You don’t mind if I’m blunt, do you? I would’ve made more of an effort to be tactful, but as we grow older and our time shorter, tact sometimes seems like nothing but a roundabout way of saying something.”
