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“Nonsense,” I swatted a hand. “You look like a blooming Rose.”
She pursed her lips. “Is that a good thing?”
“Of course, it is,” I hugged her. “It’s so good to you again. And since you’re here, I’m assuming Sergey’s here too.”
We finally pulled apart and sat on the high stools. “You got that right,” she said. “He’s with Nikolai. They’re still in this war with the Italians. Frankly, I can’t wait for it to stop. It’s fucking draining.”
“Tell me about it,” I huffed. Then, I looked at Lilianna. We shared enough in common, and I guessed that she would understand my fears if I told her. I needed a second opinion, someone to tell me how to handle the situation.
She sipped on her coffee. “You have a question?”
I chortled. “It’s always in the eyes, isn’t it?” I raked my fingers through my hair and placed my elbows on the cool marble. “It’s about Nikolai. I’m scared that he’s not being rational about all of this. I know he cares and me and our baby, and I know he will do anything to protect us. But I’m scared, Lilianna. I don’t want him to get hurt. I mean, Nikolai is a smart man, but his emotions get the better of him sometimes. The thought of something bad happening to him is frightening. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“And you want to help, but you don’t know how?” she asked with an inquisitive brow arched high.
The corner of my lips pulled upwards. I knew she was going to understand.
“Exactly,” I nodded.
“Hmm,” she propped her elbows up and placed a hand on her cheek. “I’m going to tell you something. This thing with Nikolai? It is not about to change. Well, there might be some adjustments made, no doubt. But he is Bratva. They are all Bratva—Sergey, Niko, Maxim, and Vlad. They were brought up in all this—the coldness and harsh side of life, violence, drugs, sex, women, and dirty business. Trust me, Giselle, if they had been brought up differently, they would think better.”
“So,” I chewed on my lower lips. “you’re saying I should let him be, and just watch him while he does what he does best?”
“Uh, not exactly,” she straightened up and patted my hand. “I’m saying, you’re going to do a little bit of adjustment yourself, if you’re going to be of any help.”
“Okay,” I sat up. “I’m willing to do that. Just tell me what to do.”
A smirk grew on Lilianna’s face. “Are you ready for this?”
“Yeah. Hit me.”
“Giselle... you’re going to have to learn how to fight. You have to learn how to defend yourself. Think about it: when the enemy gets close, Nikolai will have one less thing to worry about when you know how to put up a good fight.”
I paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. “That’s it?”
“Uh-huh,” she lifted her mug to her lips again. “That’s it, Giselle.”
Later that day, I mused over Lilianna’s advice. It was good and she was right. If I learned how to fight, I was going to be less of a burden and more of an aid when trouble inevitably arose. Besides, I wanted to help and learning how to fight sounded like it could be of help to me too.
I had to pitch the idea to Nikolai.
I waited up for him in his study. He seemed to be in there a lot more when important matters—like how to deal with the Italians arose. Just as I thought, he breezed in a moment later, not hiding his surprise when his eyes fell on me.
His powerful scent immediately filled the room and I noticed that he had opted for a more casual look today, in a plain black fitting shirt and black jeans.
“And to what do I owe this surprise visit?”
I took a bold step forward and clasped my hand behind my back, gazing up at him with big, pleading eyes. “Nikolai?”
“Yes, Giselle?” he responded cheerily.
“I want you to teach me how to fight?”
The smile dramatically fell off his face and he displayed a displeased countenance. “What?”
I suspected that he was going to kick against it, but I was not willing to give up just yet. “Look, Nikolai...”
“I’m not looking,” he spoke firmly and rounded the polished desk to sit on the black swivel chair.
