Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

C hantel

"You're getting strawberry syrup all over you, little man." Damien couldn't seem to stop giggling as Nikolay yanked his napkin from his lap, laughing softly as he wiped Damien's face.

The pasta dish we'd actually prepared for dinner, complete with shrimp and mussels had been a surprising hit with the beautiful little boy. From what I'd been told, he was the kid who only ate SpaghettiOs for pasta. He didn't even like macaroni and cheese.

Well, I would need to make him my grandmother's famous recipe.

Not that my own mother had made it.

I sat back, studying Nikolay. He'd seemed relaxed, even donning an apron after I'd insisted.

"Can I play just for a few minutes, Daddy?"

Nikolay looked at me as if I was the child's mother. That brought another ache in my heart. "Okay. Ten minutes then it's bedtime."

Damien wrinkled his nose and glanced in my direction.

"Don't look at me, sweet boy. Your father reigns supreme." I locked eyes with Nikolay, the man's dark look piercing mine. I'd felt the heat all through dinner, the eyes constantly watching me, the joy yet worry on the Russian's face. I guess this was the new normal.

"Yeah," Damien said as he popped up from the chair, planting his little hands on his hips. "Daddy thinks he's all that and a bag of chips."

I'd taken a sip of my wine and almost choked to death, forcing to grab a napkin, shoving it against my mouth and nose to keep from laughing hysterically.

"Oh, yeah?" Nikolay growled and jumped up from the chair, acting like some monster with claws. "I am also the tickle monster."

I just couldn't believe the differences in the man. Of course everyone had two sides, but the change in lightness and joy was so significant I was honestly floored.

He chased Damien, who was giggling hysterically, to the door, managing to tickle the boy's tummy before kissing him on the forehead. "Ten minutes."

"Yes, potato chip Daddy."

I had to hold my breath as Damien saluted his father before stomping out of the kitchen like a soldier would.

Nikolay sighed, his shoulders slumping. "That kid is going to be the death of me. Four going on fifteen."

"Oh, you don't remember fifteen, do you?" I asked, still remaining in the same place. "Soon it will be girls, girls, girls. Sports. Pushing back at everything you request. Staying out too late with his buddies and escaping from his bedroom window. You'll be old very, very soon."

The way Nik looked at me was carnivorous. He acted as if he was going to stalk me, taking long strides back to the table and yanking me from my chair.

"Who are you calling old, young lady? I'll show you old later. Be prepared for an entire night of debauchery."

I couldn't help myself, reaching down to what was left of Damien's ice cream. After gathering a huge, cold dollop in my fingers, I smashed it against the center of his face and pushed away hard. At least we could both laugh tonight. Tomorrow was likely another story.

"You are one brat," he said in his low, husky voice. "Later, woman. You will get the spanking of a lifetime."

"Maybe I won't allow you to catch me."

He grinned and licked some of the falling ice cream off his face before grabbing a napkin. We both laughed before a strange and very unsettled feeling shifted over us.

"Do you mind cleaning up the rest of the kitchen while I check in with my men?" I could tell business was still in the forefront of his mind.

"Of course not. Do you want me to put the little man to bed?"

"No, I'll do that. Somehow, it grounds me. It's also a good reminder that life is precious."

"Well, you might just find me in the hot tub when you're finished."

The expression on his face turned from all business to one of lust. "Do not leave the premises."

I winked and grabbed the ice cream bowls. "Better wipe your face. You smell like strawberries."

"Why bother? Just another layer of perfume."

"Have it your way."

"Bad girl. Bad."

I'd also never heard him talk this way. There was something different about the way he said it, as if for the first time in his illustrious career, he was worried about loss of life.

Maybe because he wasn't just looking out for him.

The thought was daunting.

Nikolay

"Sir," Maxim said, greeting me as he remained on duty guarding the house. "Is everything alright?"

I almost felt like laughing. "It's fine. Just keep close watch on the house."

"Of course. Everything has been quiet, except for a loud party about a mile away." He smiled, the limited light on the breezeway highlighting his grin.

"It's a beautiful evening for one." Not that I would know. Parties were my brother's things to do, not mine. "There's a meeting I'm headed to tomorrow I'll need you to attend in the city. We'll leave around ten tomorrow morning. Is Danny on duty?"

"No, sir. He's upstairs. He relieves me in about two hours."

"Okay. Good to know."

"I'm not meaning any disrespect, but you have a twinkle in your eyes lately, even with the level of danger."

It was almost easy to laugh in the face of danger. "No disrespect at all. It's good to be back here."

"The men love it too."

I was certain they did, given the accommodations.

"Something else that's good to know." I'd prided myself in taking good care of my people. It was important to me. But being here this time reminded me that Chantel was right. There could possibly be targets on both our backs at any point. Shit. I couldn't allow that to matter.

Not now.

The evening had been enjoyable. In my mind, too much so. Spending time with… family had reminded me of all I had to lose. As I was headed toward the stairs leading to the separate apartment, I thought once again about what my brother had told me. I had a feeling someone had threatened him or pushed him to a point he wasn't making good decisions.

That wasn't like the powerful man, but with his business being down, I had a feeling he'd been caught off guard. He's always been larger than life.

I knocked on the door, not even bothering to call my guys first. As soon as I walked in, the group stood and at full attention.

As if I was a drill sergeant.

"I assume everything is quiet on your end?"

"Danny is checking the satellite and the Coast Guard feed. It's been quiet but you know how he is." Joseph was another soldier I could count on, although he wasn't high in the ranks. Loyalty wasn't predicated on ranking but how you treated a man. That had been easy to learn in the early days.

"I'll check with him. I'm going to be gone a significant portion of tomorrow. Danny will figure out who is staying and who is going. However, those remaining and guarding, have your guard up. My family must be protected and at this point, I can't deny the possibility of our enemies using creative methods to discover our location."

"Don't worry, boss," Mike stated. He was another ex-Marine, an expert in guns and surveillance. "We take this job seriously. No one will get to your family. Period."

"Thanks, guys." In my world, thank yous were often provided by means of the men staying alive and out of my crosshairs. Maybe I was feeling nostalgic for a change. I walked toward the massive communications room, still impressed with what technology could provide. There were so many decent, truthful stories about various mafia organizations from the past that highlighted how dangerous the lifestyle was. Typically, the only way to know if your enemy was about to attack was if decent informants provided information.

Danny was switching from one oversized screen to another, the number of computers and satellite equipment easily rivaling any military operation. I stood with my hands in my pockets, scanning one screen to the other. The other piece of technology that was advanced, not something a typical operation would have, captured noise from a significant distance.

Given the rather private location of the house, the dunes and the ocean waves, being able to cut through the natural din had kept a group of assassins from advancing on the property.

That had been years ago, three months after purchasing the house.

I hadn't remembered the event until now, mostly because fighting whatever enemy who'd gotten pissed off had seemed normal up to this point. Even fun in a manner of speaking. Perhaps I'd enjoyed exploiting the more violent side of the organization too much.

"Nothing is going on, boss. You don't need to worry." Danny sat back, pulling a mug of coffee to his lips. "Although there is significant activity in the Atlantic. From what I can tell, a storm is brewing, a coastal gale."

"When will it hit?"

"Days from now. But something to watch. The weather patterns are becoming unpredictable. Could be a gale washing in a couple days from now."

One thing I'd learned a long time ago was that enemies valued and utilized any cover. Night. A busy restaurant. A storm. Whatever it took to hide their approach if possible was worth being concerned about.

"Just keep watch," I told him. "A meeting has been set up with Bernardi and his men."

He swung his chair in my direction. "Do you really think we're dealing with the Cosa Nostra?"

"At this point, anything is possible. Coordinate the guards, but you, Maxim, and two others will head to town with me. I also had Tanner track down Chantel's cousin."

"I forgot about the warning. You're going to grill her."

"Warnings aren't usually given freely. Something tells me some entity put her up to issuing the warning. I need to know who and why."

Danny grinned. "You're in a mood to erase scum from the earth."

"You have no idea. As I said, make certain there's enough coverage here. We're leaving at ten tomorrow morning, back around five or six."

"We have enough men," he told me. "Stop worrying."

I shook my head. "It's in my nature to worry."

He sat forward. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"So do I."

"There's something we're missing."

Sighing, I glanced at the screens again. "Changes are coming. I feel it in my bones."

"Maybe for the better." His smile meant one thing. I was being teased about Chantel.

The truth was that my men had never seen me with anyone. I had a feeling it was quite the shock. "Then let's make certain and keep it that way."

"Two questions. The first. Why do you smell like strawberries?" His grin was goddamn mischievous.

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to. Second question."

He laughed, once again swirling back and forth in his chair. "Heavy firepower tomorrow?"

"It should be nothing more than two meetings but as usual, we'll always be prepared."

"Understood. We will be."

Why did I have the feeling we would need to be?

It was difficult not to think about the concern and need for heavy firepower as I headed up the stairs to Damien's room. I heard him talking and my heart felt heavy when it shouldn't be. But right now, the ugly realization that living this life could take more of a significant toll was something I couldn't avoid thinking about.

He didn't notice me at first, happily rolling in bed as he played on his Amazon Fire Kid's Tablet, something he'd barely played with up until now.

So many changes.

So much time lost.

As soon as I walked in, I noticed he'd changed into his PJs. "You ready for bed, little man?" I sat on the bed, gently removing the tablet from his hand as I sat down on the edge. "I'll put it right here but no surfing overnight."

He giggled. "No, Daddy."

"Do you want a story?"

"I'm tired."

"The day wore you out. Well, good." I tickled him once again, enjoying the alone time. As I leaned over, kissing his forehead, I told him, "Sleep tight." When I leaned back, seeing his scrunched-up face meant he had a serious question.

"Daddy?"

"Yes." I adjusted the sheet and comforter, tucking him in just the way he liked.

"Is Chantel my new mommy?"

There were few times it ever felt as if my heart had stopped altogether. Right now was one of them. I hadn't anticipated a question like that for months if ever. He'd been so angry, blaming me for his mother leaving him. I honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd even mentioned her without immediately throwing a tantrum.

"Little man. No one will ever replace your mother. She adores you." I wiggled his nose on purpose. "She had some business but I'm certain one day you'll spend more time with her. Chantel is special to both of us but she's not here as a replacement. Do you understand?"

He nodded several times, but damn if the kid wasn't searching my eyes better than most. I also sensed that Chantel was right in that he'd seen or overheard something. I so wanted to pry it out of him, but that would be the worst thing in the world to do. "You like her. Chantie."

"I do."

"So do I." The little grin was almost enough to break my heart all over again.

"I'm glad. Time for you to get some rest."

"Mommy's boyfwiend didn't like you."

First of all, how would he know who I was? Damien had acted like he'd never seen me before when he had been dropped off.

An instant cold chill washed over me. "What boyfriend, little man?" I certainly had never expected he'd say anything about some boyfriend. Plus, why would Ginger's boyfriend dislike me? Why was I mentioned at all?

"Dunno. Big man. Didn't come much. Scary."

I had to gulp, calming my anger. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" I could tell I'd gone too far. His eyes were huge. Damn it.

Damien shook his head but I'd struck a chord.

"Ah, well, don't worry about it. A lot of people don't like your magical daddy and that is scary." I tweaked his nose again, storing the new information in the back of my mind.

He giggled before yawning again. "Daddy. You aren't magical. Not really."

"You might be surprised." I brushed hair from his face, debating asking him anything else. He was in such a good place, the last thing I wanted to do was to traumatize him. "Baby. You know you can tell me anything. Right?"

His nod was vigorous.

"No matter what. If something happened. We all get scared from time to time."

"Not scared."

Chantel had been right. Something had already traumatized him prior to Ginger's sudden disappearance. The look in his eyes told volumes but I knew better than to push him. "Well, good. Just remember. Monsters aren't real. And I am your protector always."

At least he nodded again.

As he rolled over, I tucked him in even more, a pit suddenly appearing in my stomach.

However, I had to remind myself that kids saw things differently. I turned on his special light before heading to the door.

As I walked out, I could hear his little voice.

"Monsters are real."