Nikolai
“Papa”
Kira barrels into my open arms as soon as she sees me standing in the private terminal, her little legs moving so fast that, for a second, I worry she might trip.
“Pomedlenneye, moya malen’kaya printsessa. (Slow down, my little princess) I say, picking her up and kissing the crown of her head when she gets to me.
She squeals and giggles while trying to free herself from my grip but I don’t let her go.
I’ve missed my daughter more than I want to admit. These last couple of days have been the longest she’s gone without seeing me, and although we’ve done a lot of face timing, nothing compares to this moment. Having her in my arms once again. f
She wriggles in my embrace, her little hands pushing playfully against my chest. “Papa, you’re squeezing me too tight!” she protests with a pout, though her laughing eyes betray her happiness.
“I can’t help it,” I reply, setting her down but keeping her close to me. I crouch down so that I’m eye level with her and also because I want to get a good look at my baby girl “I’ve missed you so much, printsessa.” (Princess)
Her small hands cup my face as she looks up at me with wide, curious eyes, similar to mine. “I’ve missed you too,” she says. Her eyes dart behind me, scanning the empty space. The crease in her brow deepens when she doesn’t find what she’s looking for or, rather, who she’s looking for.
“Where’s Ava?” she pouts.
Sadly, my wife had the unfortunate task of being saddled with an afternoon with Tatiana and Faina.
“Ava had somewhere to be,” I explain, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.
“But she’ll be back later for dinner.”
A smirk tugs at my lips when I remember the wide-eyed state my wife had been in this morning when I told her the time this morning. She was so worried about not making it on time to whatever it was she had planned with Tatiana and the rest of the bridesmaids. She went on about how Faina already hated her and how showing up late wasn’t helping her case.
Her frazzled state had been both endearing and amusing. She was so adorable.
“What’s so funny?”
I glance down at Kira who stares at me, her small brow furrowing.
“Yeah Niko, what’s so funny?”
I scowl at my cousin who chooses that exact moment to chime in from behind
Kat smiles at me, the playful blue in her eyes gleaming with amusement. I straighten, the corner of my mouth twitching as I shove my hands into my pants
“Kat, always a pleasure”
She mock curtsies and throws a glance at Ivan, my second in command and her husband, who is currently struggling at the back with the rest of their bags, most of them being Kat’s, judging by the array of brightly coloured yellow suitcases.
I almost laugh at the sight of Ivan, who I’ve seen use his bare hands to remove a man’s eye before struggling with a glitter backpack like it’s a delicate artefact.
Kat, noticing my amusement, shoots me a sly look, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. “I told him that he didn’t need to bother but you know how he gets”
I did, in fact, know how Ivan can get. We’d been best friends for years before he even realised he was in love with my cousin.
“Aren’t you cold in that?” I ask, eyeing her dress. Kat is dressed in a yellow sundress, which, considering that Russia is heading into the colder months, isn’t such a bright idea on her part. Sooner or later, she’ll be arguing with her husband for his jacket, and I’d much rather avoid that during the car ride.
She frowns, glancing down at the yellow sundress. “What’s wrong with it?”
I sigh, shaking my head. There’s no use pointing out the obvious. Besides I’m sure she has a jacket lying around somewhere.
“Nothing,” I say, trying to hide my smile as Kira’s curious gaze shifts between Kat and me.
The drive to the resort is mostly peaceful, interrupted only by my daughter excitedly updating me on every single thing she’s been up to since I left.
Her words tumble out of her so quickly I can barely keep up, but I try my best to listen intently, nodding and asking questions where I know she wants me to.
When we arrive at the resort, Kira looks at me when she notices I’m not following her to the resort.
“I’ll be in shortly,” I tell her, ” Your uncle Ivan and I just have something to discuss.”
Her frown deepens as her eyes meet mine, “Work stuff?” She asks and I nod.
Kira was fairly informed on the kind of work I did. She had to be since she was going to be my heir one day. However, the information I exposed her to was limited. Given her ability to recall things, I couldn’t risk the prospect of accidentally traumatising her.
She was too young to know the reality behind my work, but one day she won’t be, and she knows that.
Kira gives me a look that tells me that she doesn’t want to go but she understands that I have to talk with Ivan. Kat takes her inside and I watch as their figures recede into the guest house.
“Did you look into what I asked you to?” I ask once they’re out of earshot.
Ivan gives me a sharp nod, his expression unreadable as he leans against the vehicle beside me, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
“I did,” he says, fetching a box of cigarettes from his jacket. He takes one out before handing me the pack. I take the pack, sliding one cigarette from the box and offering the butt for him to light.
“And?”
He exhales slowly through his nose, the smoke curling from his lips as he rubs his thumb against the edge of his jaw-a habit he’s had since we were teenagers.
“Tatiana was right. Aaron Blackwood wasn’t helping his father hide. He was too busy sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.”
I knew that much. After my chat with Tatiana when I arrived, I felt that something wasn’t adding up so I decided to launch my own investigation.
Ivan reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a photograph, holding it out for me to see. The image is a bit blurry but I can make out the subtle features of Aaron Blackwood.
I arch a brow in Ivan’s direction
“This was taken two days ago at a warehouse in Chicago,” Ivan explains, grey smoke swirling around as he exhales slowly.
“I thought he was missing”
“He was, for about a month. Then he popped out of nowhere.”
I study the photo, the edges of my mouth tightening, “Who is he meeting with?”
“That would be him”
Ivan pulls out another photo and hands it to me. He taps the image with the tip of his cigarette, pressing it directly onto the man wearing the blank hat.
“Cillian Connan.”
That name, It couldn’t be.
“Cillian Connan? You mean the Cillian Connan-the enforcer for the Irish mafia?”
Ivan nods thoughtfully, “That’s the one”
Fuck.
What the hell was a man like Aaron Blackwood doing by meeting up with Cillian Connan? Tatiana had told me that Aaron only established connections with small-time criminals in London and Cillian Connan was not a small-time criminal.
“Aaron’s been meeting with all sorts of people from the Irish mafia, not just him. And get this, Cillian’s been helping him.”
“You mean they’ve been working together?”
“Precisely.” He takes a drag from his cigarette, “From what I’ve gathered, they’re keeping a tight seal on whatever it is they’re working on together.”
“Interesting,” I mutter, glancing down at the two photographs in my hand.
It’s strange but the two men look oddly similar despite not sharing an ounce of DNA.
“And the father?”
“Still missing,” Ivan says confirming my suspicion, “But I was able to pinpoint his last known location”
“And where was that?”
“London, precisely ten kilometres from his son’s apartment.” He takes a final drag of his cigarette and flicks it to the ground, stomping it.
“Do you think he was hoping to find his son there?”
Ivan shrugs his shoulders, running a hand down his face, “Perhaps. I’m not sure.”
This was the closest I’d gotten to finding Marcus Blackwood and I’ll be damned if I let my one lead slip.
“Find him.”
“I’m trying…”
“Try harder. I want that motherfucker dead and the sooner that happens the be-”
My phone buzzes in my pocket, cutting off my sentence. I pull it out, glancing at the screen.
Wife.
My heart skips a beat.
My wife is calling me.
This was the first time my wife had called me since I got her phone and something about it made the dead organ in my chest come to life.
A rare, genuine smile tugs at my lips as I swipe to answer, lifting the phone to my ear.
“Hello”
There’s a beat of silence before her voice filters through.
“Baby, it’s me”
Baby?
I lift a brow and remove the phone from my ear glancing down at the caller ID on my screen.
That’s definitely my wife’s number.
I press the phone back to my ear.
“Ava? Are you okay, did something happen?”
She giggles. Giggles. The sound fills the line, soft and unfamiliar, and it throws me off for a second. Ava does not giggle. At least not like that.
I frown, gripping the phone tighter, “Is everything alright?”
I ask again, my voice firmer this time. This time, I catch the faint sound of voices in the background,
“Is someone with you”
She hums “Only the police officer.” Then she whispers as if it’s a secret “I don’t think he likes me very much”
Police officer?
“Why are you with a police officer, Solnyshko”
“I love it when you call me that”, she murmurs, but I’m not sure she even realizes she’s said it out loud.
“Solnyshko focus. Where are you?”
A pause and then, “I’m at the police station”
Yebat (Fuck.)