k. Someone stood a few feet behind me.

in a rush to grow up. Little did she know that the older you got, the more joy life sucked out of you, and the deader you became inside. She had one thing right though. C

iled soul, and something odd happened. A sliver of light

rey yelled fr

even in the dark, I noticed t

ed yourself. It’s rude

other man who will misrepresent himself less than me. Everyone who knows me knows

t step back. Somehow I knew she

t a litt

out that her angry tone

d to face Andrey. “Care to te

her mother. A wom

nd saw the similarity. With her honey-blonde hair and doe-green eye

You’re not

tell. She’s just a g

g the living room. Never seen anyone that nervous before.

behind me, and

and was looking at her fingers. Her bloody, fucking fingers. A thousand wa

hand. Ice coated my veins when I sa

ck did you d

me. “I just wanted to

asked

ut

ing hat

, including your last name and flowers? Ho

d see was my mother’s body. I could still smell her flower fragrance. Sometimes if I tried h

ina’s baby. I’d turned my back on her for two seconds and already she was causing havoc in m

’t let her out of your si

my anxiety. Irina looked exactly the way Andrey

remembered her. My last memory of her was that she’d followed her Russian b

now suddenly pop up in my life. The woman hadn’t ev

few contacts f

as what my mother and Irina called

” I got straight to bus

It devastated me to

Condolences eleven years post-mortem did

the chance to

is? “I did. For two whole day

“Yes, I hear

ust have had great

ach other. If anything happened to either

u failed

“You’re not going to gi

ve gone with her instead of Sergei. She couldn’t have given me what he had. It just worried me that after all these years

I poured another glass and hel

ouble,” sh

owned my drink and wait

e’s aft

t me to take

n’t. And even if you could,

iven my line of

being pressed to my chest. I almost pulled back. I pointedly loo

ise me you’ll take

es bored into mine. The look took me back over a decade and cracked open the door to some happy memories. To a time when my mother

what you’re a

a no

will be regarded as a Bratva princess.” Even if it were

became misty. “Sh

hers thought that

th a sneer in her voice. “Ke

this is the right time to tell you I’m having

d uncertain. “I…I don’t have another choic

n, I’d say your confid

ve so much confidence in. It’s your mother. I don’t be

n my back on this woman and her daughter, and escape th

e me, K

under my roof. “You will be sa

or myself. I need to leave for a while and I can’t bring Kri

several of my rules. It felt like she’d been here forever. I co

an h

. “What’s going to

protect her with your life until I return.” When I paused,

u want? I alread

er made them. I had to remember that this woman, like my mother, once had been a part of the Bratva world. She knew exactly what s

urning my skin, reminding me of what had happened to Cleo. I

he’s only

never find him. That boy had died a long time ago. I refused to become responsible for another kid again. I

ing about young girls. My house wasn’t cut out for boy

I wouldn’t move, sh

adness in her voice felt worse tha

l spell came over me

ted for Vladimir, who was never far away, an

aid, and I stiffened. “I mean, after Anas

wn and poisoned their souls? It wasn

up her hand, palm up, and I made a small cut. Th

to protect your dau

ed to V

, but he nodded

as d

her eyes. “Your mo

ck. Something in her tone set me on ed

. I know the life guys like you lead. You don’t know it yet, but I just brought a

ray of light in my soul for ages. Nothing, no one could

the room, leaving m

ck were you thinking? Giving a

she won’t be

” He looked

ght mind would leave her child wit

step. All my world would do, all