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I had wanted to stay too. But it had been impossible. And I didn’t want to tell him that, any more than I was ready to tell him why it had been impossible. My obligation to his flesh and blood, and mine.
“Maybe you should go for it. I mean, how long has it been?”
“Pretty much since I last saw him, give or take some crappy dates.” I smirked back at her. “I haven’t met anyone as interesting as him since.”
“So go for it! I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?” She hesitated. “He’s not married, is he?”
“No, no, nothing like that. Or at least, if he is, he’s good at hiding it.” I doubted he had ever been married. Not because a woman couldn’t fall in love with a guy like that, but because I just couldn’t see him taking that much interest in a woman, and then leaving her behind. He seemed like the kind of guy who wanted to live with his commitments.
Or maybe I was reading too much into it.
“Yeah, I guess I could give him a try. But first I have to tell him that I have a kid now. That scares off a lot of guys.”
She put a hand on my shoulder. “Hey. If this guy’s scared of being with a single mom, it tells you a little about his thoughts on responsibility. And nothing good.”
I nodded, but inside my doubts were nipping away at me. We had a kid linking us now, and he needed to know about that kid so we could figure out what to do. And then I had to figure out how to tell Anna and Luis about him.
But I did know this, when I described Michael’s father to them, I was only ever going to call him an importer. Not a crime lord. That secret I would keep to myself.
Chapter 11
Viktor
It took Olivia over an hour before she replied to my text. I tried not to look like I was checking my phone too often in the meantime, but I felt the absence of her more than I had expected.
Ivan’s death had left me feeling strange. Not exactly afraid, for I never feared for myself, only occasionally for others, but not exactly secure either. It was more like I was suddenly, acutely aware of how alone I was.
That was ridiculous, of course. I had my Bratva. I had my life, I had friends. But I also had a close friend who would be in his grave as soon as the coroner’s office was done with him. And another close friend who had suddenly become a world-class screw-up.
And in the middle of all of that, while I stood in my home’s converted ballroom of a meeting room and waited for my men to finish assembling, I couldn’t help but keep thinking of Olivia. Of the warmth I felt in her presence. Of the bliss of having her in my bed. And how much that would distract me now, pleasantly, from the isolation deep inside.
But I would have to wait to act on that until I knew I wasn’t dragging her into a brewing war. Doing that would endanger not only her, but also my son. And that, I could not allow.
I simmered with anger as I waited on my men, but still glanced down a last time to see if she had answered. And that was when she did.
I wish I could have stayed too, but a lot has changed in my life. I have a son now, and he needs his mom in the evenings.
I imagined she would be hesitant to bring up Michael, but at least she wasn’t being secretive. That would have been the one thing I absolutely could not tolerate from her.
Not knowing how to bring up the little life that bound us together now, our son, my heir, was understandable. Trying to hide him from me altogether would not have been permissible. If she went too much longer without broaching the subject, I might have to take offense. I might have to wonder if she planned to lie to me, to keep my son a secret. And I might not be able to take such an act lightly.
But for now, with such a brief re-acquaintance, I could forgive it. I could even understand.
Of course. Take care of your child. I have family matters of my own to deal with tonight. I simply wish I was with you instead at the moment.
Then she wrote back something I hadn’t expected, which shocked me in a strange, pleasant way,Are you okay?
It actually took me a few moments of blinking before I could answer.No. But that’s not a conversation for over the phone. I’ll contact you again once my current meeting is over.
Moved by her innocent concern, I tucked my phone back into my pocket and then squared my shoulders, moving to my seat at the front of the room before deciding to stand instead. I was restless. My rage over Ivan and his killer’s clumsy death kept pushing me to move around when I wanted to be still, serene, and in control.
Boris came in last, with his men, and none of them could look me in the eye. I watched Boris take his seat, considering again how I wanted to handle this. I was tempted to call him out, as much for his cowardice as for his incompetence today. But I had already taken away a degree of his responsibility to match the degree of trust he had killed in me with today’s bumbling.
I decided I was not going to call him on the carpet in front of everyone. I was going to focus on the problem, and how to solve it.
“Today, we lost Ivan,” I said simply once the last of them had taken their seats. “He was attacked by the Puerto Ricans on the road, ended up hospitalized for his injuries, and was then assassinated by another of their members who pretended to be a nurse.”
A rustle went through the crowd. I heard some of the questions,How did this happen? Who was on watch? Why would they kill Ivan?
