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His head dips briefly, then he fixes his eyes on his daughter. “Maybe this time, I won’t fuck it up so badly,” he says softly.
“You didn’t totally fuck it up,” she says with a small shrug. “We’re here now, aren’t we?”
Leo’s eyes lock with Maxim. “Just don’t go chasing this kid around the Mediterranean in a stolen yacht.”
Aly frowns at Leo. “The yacht wasn’t stolen, was it?”
Leo smirks. "I’ll never tell." His eyes cut to me, and he kisses my head, wrapping me in his strong arms. "Big congrats, sis. I’m happy for you, even if you’re with this mudak.” He tempers his words with a small smile.
"Show some respect to your father-in-law," Maxim deadpans. With a little smile of his own, he adds, "And brother-in-law."
Men are weird, but I guess this is their way of making peace, slowly but surely.
Aly steps in front of me, her face lit up with excitement. "I can’t believe this," she says, her voice trembling a bit. She wraps her arms around me in a tight embrace, a hug that speaks louder than words ever could. "You’re going to be an amazing mom, Kira," she whispers, pulling back enough to look me in the eyes. "This baby is going to be so loved."
I smile, feeling a surge of affection for my best friend, my family, and for the man who showed me what it is to love and be loved.
“And to think you thought I was crazy for switching places with you in the wine cellar of Maxim’s home,” I point out.
“Oh, I still think you’re crazy.” Aly rests a hand on her hip, narrowing her eyes playfully. “But it's the good kind of crazy.”
SECOND EPILOGUE
MAXIM
“Budem zdorovy.” I toast to all of our health as Pavel and Roman reach out and clink glasses with me before we both throw back a shot of vodka.
With the craziness of life, it’s been a while since we celebrated anything, but we deserve a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come. The Black Company has been brought to heel, and we rule the wine forgery business. I’m marrying the love of my life soon, and we have a baby on the way. And my relationship with my daughter is slowly taking root. It’s still early days, but she’s open to me being in her life.
None of this would have happened without Kira. I realize now that marriage was never the problem. It was the person. Irina was wrong for me, and I was wrong for her. But Kira is right for me, and that changes everything.
Forgiveness is still a new concept for me, but I've decided to end Irina’s exile. She lost her son as well and suffered for her bad decisions, as have I. Now, it's time to leave the past whereit belongs. My world will always be dangerous—all I can do is clutch the ones I love close and take extra care.
We all down the shots in one go. Pavel rarely drinks, coming from a family of degenerate drunks, but he made an exception for this one celebratory shot. My men have been through hell and back with me, including learning about Nadya’s betrayal, which cut us deeper than we could have imagined. It's easy to be blind by the people closest to us. A lesson I hope we never have to learn again.
Although, in our line of work, nothing surprises me.
Speaking of surprises, I have one that might interest Pavel. I pass him the document that's been sitting on my desk since this morning. "Does she look familiar?" I ask him.
His eyebrows draw together as he studies the report and picture closely. "Should I know her?"
I lean back in my seat and light a Cohiba cigar. "That's the woman who stabbed you in the back. Literally.” Life has been busy in the aftermath of the Black Company siege, but I had the feeling that the woman we allowed to escape was not a hapless maid. I was right. “Her name is Hope, Lai King's only child. Now, she's a woman on the run.” I blow a smoke ring above my head and wait for Pavel to grapple with what I'm saying.
He looks away towards the window before meeting my gaze head-on. “I figured as much. But at that moment, I couldn't pull the trigger. I wasn’t expecting someone so…"
“Female,” Roman offers, resting his ankle on his knee.
“I’m not against killing a woman if she deserves it.” Pavels grinds his molars together. “But she was so distraught, and young.” Pavel hides his emotion but he’s been through a lot, including losing a sister he raised. He has a secret soft spot few will ever see.
“She fucking stabbed you. I’d say she deserved it.” Roman frowns, shifting in his seat.
I tip my head to the side. “We killed most of his men, but she escaped. We’ll have to find her before she decides to get revenge.”
Pavel's lips twist with disdain. “Revenge? She was a terrified mess. What damage could she possibly do?”
“We're not going to wait around to find out. It's up to you to find her."
Pavel heaves an irritated sigh. "And what? Kill her?”
