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“They broke it,” I say, my stomach sinking so far into my gut that I feel sick.
“Maybe we can… put it back together?” Lola’s eyes search the pile of jewels at her feet. “If we find the other piece, we can do that, right?”
“Those selfish thieves broke my priceless ruby,” I say, gritting my teeth.
“Jasha, I’m so sorry,” she offers, but it’s not her fault. She could never do anything wrong, and I don’t want her to think she has to console me.
“Just give it to me,” I say, stepping up to her and taking it from her hands. I try not to snatch it, but I can’t hide that I’m angry about this. “I will do something with it. I don’t know. I’ll talk to Nikolai.”
Lola puts her hand on my arm, stopping me as I turn away. “We’ll fix it, Jasha. I’m sure we can do something.”
I shrug, feeling defeated, but I can’t forget what I’ve already gotten out of this mission. Instead of walking away empty-handed, I’m bringing the most incredible woman home with me.
And our baby. It’s a blessing that overrides the disappointment of the broken heirloom.
I toss the ruby into the pile of jewels behind me, shaking my head as a smile forms on my lips. “You know what? I don’t even care. You’re the only thing that matters to me.”
Lola looks a little scared as I kneel down in front of her, like I’m going to snap and rage out about the ruby, but I can’t be too angry about it. Sure, it’s a major disappointment, but I’ve had those before. Decades in the Bratva make a man tough to crack, and I’m not losing my cool for a red rock with some fancy etching in it.
I have something more valuable than money, more precious than a ruby, and more beautiful than the most flawless gemstone in the world.
I have Lola, and she’s everything to me.
29
Lola
Iknew Jasha was rich when I met him, but seeing his house for the first time feels like something out of a fairytale. It’s a beautiful estate, with a massive garden out front and a driveway that loops all the way around the house.
Around the house, several acres of perfectly mowed green grass stretch out without a single weed or bump. It feels unreal, but when I step out of Jasha’s luxury SUV in front of the house, I have no choice but to admit that it’s all true.
I feel severely underdressed for such a pristine residence, especially since I’m supposed to be meeting Nikolai and his wife, Dream. Such a beautiful name. I’m sure she’ll be a beautiful woman as well.
“Here we are,” Jasha says as our driver pulls away, leaving us standing at the door. “Nikolai should be out here already, but he’s probably late. I swear he’s never on time since he had a child.”
Just as he says that, the front door opens and a spitting image of Jasha steps out. He’s a few years older, with some gray hair peppered into his dark curls, but other than that, they could be twins.
He looks at me, his eyes crinkling into a smile before his mouth does. “You must be Lola. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please, come in.”
Jasha ushers me into the house first, and I sweep past Nikolai, inhaling the smell of cigar smoke and the same cologne that Jasha wears. They really could be twins.
“Nikolai, you ugly bastard,” Jasha says as though he doesn’t look just like him. He grins, punching his brother in the chest. “How the hell are you?”
Nikolai grabs the back of Jasha’s neck, squeezing it so hard that I’m afraid Jasha is going to pass out. “Disappointed you’re not dead,” he replies, shaking him around.
Jasha breaks out of his grip, punching Nikolai again and laughing. “I told you, man. I’m immortal.”
I’ve never seen Jasha act so carefree as he does around his brother. It adds a fresh level of charm to him, making my love for him double on the spot. I have concrete confirmation that he’s a family man.
Nikolai turns his attention to me, ignoring Jasha as he punches him in the shoulder. “Dream should be down in a minute. She was just giving Lila a bath.”
Lila? That’s cute. It’s funny that our names are so similar.
I open my mouth to point that out, but just as I do, I hear a gleeful squeal from the top of the stairs. We all look up to see a beautiful woman with sparkling blue eyes carrying a squirming toddler with rosy cheeks down to greet us.
“Lila is very excited to meet you,” Dream says, setting her down on the floor at the bottom of the stairs.
“Lila and Lola!” Jasha says, as though he’s just making the connection.
