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Andrei glanced down at his Apple Watch. "In about thirty minutes. I'll get started on the dishes." He moved to his feet, and Colby joined him.
Lottie relaxed against me, and I ran my hand up and down her back in soothing strokes as we watched TV and waited for Sergei to arrive.
A knock of the door echoed around the living room, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Andrei striding toward it. His eyes had darkened, and the muscles in his neck bulged from how tightly he clenched his jaw. He was on edge, and I hated to see him like this.
So...conflicted.
Andrei greeted his cousin in Russian and led him into the living room. Lottie was on the couch beside me, insisting that she didn't want to be on my lap as she met a family member for the first time.
I helped Lottie to her feet as Andrei brought Sergei into the living room.
“Nice to meet you, Sergei.” I extended my hand. "I'm Kaleb Wulf. We've heard a lot about you."
He shook my hand, his grip powerful and firm. Inclining his head, I made note of the similarities between him and Andrei. They had similar bone structures, but Sergei was hardened, his face showing signs of his age. Long salt and pepper hair reached his collar, and stubble decorated his jaw.
"Nice to meet you as well." His accent was thicker than Andrei's. His voice was deeper. His dark eyes drifted to Lottie, and a hint of a smile spread over his face, making his features appear softer.
Andrei breezed past Sergei and stood on Lottie's other side, wrapping an arm protectively around her waist. "This is Lottie, our woman."
The smirk grew into a full smile as Sergei took in Lottie's features. "Very nice to meet you, little one. You have nothing to be frightened of with me. I'd rather stab myself than harm a woman or child."
At least the Volkovs all had that in common. No innocent women or children were to be harmed. Even in Viktor's faction, men who disobeyed were dealt with harshly. Or at least that's what Andrei told me.
"Thank you," Lottie replied. Her back straightened, and she held her hand out for him. "Charlotte Alexander, but please call me Lottie." She wrinkled her nose. "I hate being called Charlotte."
Sergei nodded, a hint of longing sparking in his eye. "Lottie it is. Thank you for having me in your home, Kaleb."
"No thanks needed. You're family. Please sit. Colby should join us shortly."
As I finished my statement, Colby entered the room. "Colby, nice to meet you Sergei." They shook hands, and we settled onto the couch.
I think Sergei chose an armchair situated further away out of respect for Lottie and his cousin. He didn't want to intimidate her.
“Okay, I’m dying here.” Lottie tapped her feet up and down. “What’s going on?”
Sergei’s brows rose as he visibly fought back a smile. "She's an impatient little one, isn't she?" He directed the question to Andrei.
Lottie stiffened, her back going perfectly straight as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Is there a problem with that?"
"Shhh," Andrei murmured, kissing the top of her head as he tucked her beneath his arm. "Sergei doesn't mean anything by it. Or at least, he better not or I'll kick his ass just like I did before I left Russia."
Dark eyes hardening as he stared his cousin down. Sergei then moved his gaze to Lottie. "I most certainly didn't mean anything negative. Quite the opposite, in fact." The harsh mask fell from his face as he smiled and spread his arms out. "Cousin,I am not the same hardened man that you remember. I touched on it briefly last night, but after you watch your daughter, the pride and joy of your heart, battle a vicious disease, and you aren't sure she'll pull through? Yeah, it puts a lot of shit in perspective."
Lottie gasped, and her hand covered her lips. "I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine how difficult that must have been."
Sergei closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again and nodded at our girl. "Thank you. Sofia is in remission, thank God. Has been for four years after fighting for four years before that. She was only two when she was diagnosed."
Fuck, my gut twisted at the agony that little girl must have gone through. No one deserved that, especially not a child who was innocent of all sin.
"Anyway," Sergei cleared his throat, closing the topic. The pain evident in his body language told me how deeply it had affected him. Family was important to the Volkovs, but almost losing your daughter? I could only imagine how that could change you as a man. "I came to the United States for Sofia's treatments, and we decided to stay. We only moved to the Portland area in the last year after living in Seattle."
"Why didn't you ever reach out to Andrei if you lived here?" Lottie asked, her question holding no malice or ill intent. She was a naturally curious person and didn't hesitate to ask the questions that popped into her mind. "I mean, I can imagine that he would have loved to know you were so close."
"I confess I watched his accomplishments and didn't want to interfere with his life." His dark eyes softened as he regarded Andrei with the love and affection of a brother rather than just a cousin. "At first, I'd been so focused on Sofia that everything else fell away. When she went into remission, so much time had already passed that I didn't want to disturb you."
Andrei's hand clenched into a fist on his thigh, and Lottie snuggled further into him. He was hurting. Had been hurting since Viktor came back into the picture and brought so many old memories surging back.
My heart ached for my best friend. He was going to need us more than ever to get him through everything right now.
