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“Guys! Get back in—”
My protests are drowned out in a throng of “Ruslan! Ruslan!”
Caroline and Reagan both tackle him at the waist.Hope they knee him in the balls while they’re at it,I think viciously.
“You saved the day!” Caroline cries.
“You’re like the knight in shining silver.”
“Armor, Rae!”
“I can’t say that word.” Reagan scowls, jutting her tongue out at Caroline.
Ruslan chuckles and something jolts through me when I hear that sound. A part of me genuinely believed I’d never hear it again. It’s nice to know that it still exists at all. I wondered if perhaps I’d stolen it from him for good.
It strikes me that that’s a pretty egotistical thought. Someone, someday, is gonna make him chuckle the way I used to, the way the kids are making him chuckle right now.
Whoever she is, I already hate her.
“Girls, come on. Give Ruslan some space.”
I’m struck by this overwhelming sense of déjà vu. I feel like I’ve said something similar to the girls before. Ihave; I definitely have. Except that was during one of his first visits to the apartment. We were right on the cusp of a glorious few months.
That was the beginning.
This is the end.
None of the children are even looking at me. All three are focused on Ruslan. All three are looking at him as though he’s some kind of sainted savior. And it makes the pain in my chest all the more piercing.
What have I done? Unintentionally or not, I gave them a father figure, another male role model who ended up disappearing from their lives without so much as an explanation or a goodbye. I exposed them to a world that was too dangerous for any of them. I made the mistake of believing that Ruslan would protect us, that he wouldalwaysbe around to protect us.
He was so larger than life in my eyes that I forgot the crucial lesson I learned when Sienna died: it doesn’t matter how bright a person shines; it doesn’t matter how invincible they seem or how perennial they may appear…
Everyone is human.
Everyone can leave.
Even heroes can die.
I’m distracted by Kirill who walks over with his eyes fixed on me. I’m not sure what that expression on his face is—discomfort? Worry? Nerves? Whatever it is, I have no idea why it would be aimed at me in the first place. Not when Josh was the one who was almost snatched away from us.
“You okay?” he mumbles.
Ruslan’s head jerks in our direction. Listening. Always listening.
“I’m shook up, but otherwise fine.”
He nods before turning to Ruslan. “We’ve got the situation contained,pakhan. I’ll transfer the men back to base for questioning. They appear to be working alone.”
“But why… why take Josh?” I interrupt. Kirill and Ruslan exchange a glance and I connect the dots. I force myself to make eye contact with Ruslan. “This is about you, isn’t it?”
Ruslan nods grimly. “Like I said, I won’t let this happen again.”
I grit my teeth. “We should get going, kids.”
“Nooo, Auntie Em!” Reagan complains. She’s clinging onto Ruslan’s arm. “Can we stay with Ruslan?”
“Yeah!” Caroline agrees. “No one will mess with us then.”
