Chapter Twenty-Nine

Aksana

They were all staring at me.

I knew as soon as Cesar Vitale showed up, they would turn to me for more answers. I didn’t know what else they wanted.

I already told them everything I knew.

“Aksana,” the Pakhan said softly, leaning forward unassumingly. “We would like to ask you some questions about your time with Baranov. All we ask is that you be as truthful as possible.”

I nodded, looking at Vladmir, who was leaning against the wall next to Mercy. The man still hadn’t really said anything to me since Cesar left.

I didn’t know what he was thinking or feeling.

“You said Konstantin kept you close. That you lived in his house.”

“That’s right. He didn’t want me out of his sight.”

“Do you know why?”

Shaking my head, I replied, “No. He never said, only that I was an important bastard. He said that a lot.”

“How often did my dad visit?” Montana asked.

“At least once a month. Maybe more.”

“Do you remember anything that they talked about?”

“No. Upon arrival, father always presented me to Mr. Stone, then ordered me back to my room.”

“So, he came to make sure you were still there?” Montana asked.

I nodded.

“Did Konstantin ever present you to anyone else?” Maxim questioned.

I slowly nodded. “Yes.”

“Who?” Montana inquired, leaning forward in his chair.

“A man named Reed. I never knew his last name.”

“Shit,” Montana cursed. “Reed was Amelia Scott’s twin brother.”

“Was?” Maxim asked when Montana got up and started pacing the room. The man was agitated.

I could clearly see that.

“Yeah,” Montana groaned. “The night of the grand opening of the Playground, at Davenport Tower, Gray Greer shot and killed her. Malice and Greer fought. The fucker shot Malice.”

“And you didn’t think we needed to know that?” Maxim snarked.

“Fuck no.” Montana snorted. “It’s biker business. You don’t tell me everything going on in the Russian Federation, so why should I tell you biker shit?”

“Enough!” Vladmir roared, pushing off the wall. “We don’t have time for this. Someone out there is hunting my wife and daughter. And I, for one, would like to know why.”

Kneeling before me, Vladmir took my hands and asked, “Aksana, was there anyone else? Maybe someone you didn’t perceive as a threat?”

Shaking my head, I whispered, “No. Other than my nannies, there was no one else he introduced me to.”

Maxim’s head snapped up at that.

“Wait a minute. You told us you had several nannies because Konstantin couldn’t be bothered with you.”

“That’s right, but I loved all my nannies.”

“No, you said you liked all your nannies but only loved a few. Tell me about the ones you only liked.”

I didn’t know where he was going with this.

My nannies had nothing to do with Baranov. They were victims, just like I was.

“Aksana,” Vladmir said, getting my attention. “Was there a nanny that you liked but made you feel uncomfortable? It could be anything, honey. Something as simple as she yelled at you or wouldn’t let you do something.”

Frowning, I shook my head, trying to remember them all, but no one came to mind.

Minus Konstantin, I had a wonderful childhood. I was loved and well taken care of. There was only one time in my life that I wasn’t happy and that was when Konstantin killed my nanny, Ivanka. I loved her the most. She was more than a nanny to me.

She was a mother.

Her death decimated me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “No. I liked all my nannies.”

“Aksana, look at me,” Maxim said as I turned to him. “You only truly loved one of them, Ivanka Popov. You said she was your favorite. She taught you everything about cooking.”

I sniffed, looking down at my hands. “That’s right. I loved her the most.”

“Who replaced her after her death?”

“Veronika Delacourt.”

Vladmir whipped his head around and looked at Maxim. “That is too big of a coincidence, boss.”

“Isn’t that the bitch Sinclar mentioned at the grand opening?” Montana asked.

“Yes,” Maxim growled, facing Montana. “I already thought it strange that he knew of her, and you just said Malice’s mother died the same night, that she was the sister to this Reed.”

“That’s right.”

“Mr. Ess came to see me that night,” I muttered as the room went deathly quiet. I’d been looking for the right time to tell Vladmir and I guessed there was no better time than now.

Looking at Vladmir, I said, “I was going to tell you that night, but when you came back, I could tell you were not in the mood to talk. Since then, you’ve been holed up in the office with the Pakhan. The only time you weren’t was when you were with Katiya. I didn’t want to intrude on that time. I thought you would eventually make time for me, but as the days went by, I forgot about it. I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I’m sorry.”

Vladimir took a deep breath and sighed.

Nodding, he controlled his face so I couldn’t see what he was feeling or thinking.

Not that I could, anyway.

The man was so closed off.

“What happened?” he asked, his tone carrying a severe bite.

“He was in my room. I had just hung up the phone with August when he appeared out of the dark. He wanted to check on me. To make sure I was doing okay. I asked him about Katiya. It was him, Vladmir. We have Katiya because of him. When I asked why, he said he did it because Steele was going to sell me to Devlin Scott. That he knew I would run. He hoped I would run to you.”

“But you didn’t know me back then.”

“No, I didn’t, and I told him that. Mr. Ess said he took a calculated risk, and it paid off. But I had heard of you before, Vladmir. Mikhail Vaidisova told me to find you, that you would help me if I ever had need.”

Vladmir stiffened and whispered, “My brother.”

I nodded. “Mr. Ess also said Mikhail never worked for Baranov. Mr. Ess told me Mikhail worked for them and when Konstantin found out, he killed him. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Is that all you can remember, Aksana?” Maxim asked.

“Yes. I’m sorry I wasn’t more help.”

Apparently, they didn’t need any more information from me because the next thing I knew they asked me to leave.

I should have known they only kept me around for information.

As the daughter of Konstantin Baranov, I was a treasure trove of information that they could access at any time. It didn’t matter if I knew anything useful. They would continue to pick and prod until the day I died. I knew that now.

Vladmir didn’t even flinch. He didn’t care. All he cared about was what I had in my head. The man was indifferent to me. He gave me nothing to show he cared or wanted me. Oh, he played the part beautifully when others were around, but the second he got what he wanted, I no longer existed.

I refused to live my life like that.

I wouldn’t.

I deserved to find happiness.

To find someone who loved me, wanted me, and needed me.

I was tired of being a pawn. Some chess piece on a board.

Making my way upstairs, I headed for my room, closing the door behind me to find Illyria sitting in a rocking chair, holding Katiya as she slept.

“Illyria? What are you doing in here?”

The pretty woman smiled at me. “Thought you could use a friend to talk to before you went and did something stupid. And before you even ask, I already know what the meeting was about. I heard everything.”

“How?”

The woman smirked. “The same way Maxim keeps tabs on me.”

“You had someone in the room.”

She nodded. “Yep. Someone who will always have my back.”

“Vladmir.”

“Your husband is a smart man, Aksana. Not very talkative but fucking smart. Vladmir’s loyalty will always be to Maxim, but that loyalty now encompasses me.”

“Does the Pakhan know?”

She nodded. “After what Maxim and I went through, neither of us are willing to leave anything to chance. We agreed no more secrets, ever. So whenever there’s a meeting I’m not invited to, Vladmir graciously agrees to wear a pin, allowing me to hear everything. You see, while Maxim cares about his friends, they are not his family. Only those in this house are, minus a few others.”

“Remi and his niece and nephew,” I surmised.

“Yes. Long ago, Maxim realized that family was the most important thing, regardless of who sat at the table or who ran what organization. Those people could be easily replaced, but family, well, that was a different matter.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you are now part of that family.”

“No, I’m not. Vladimir wants nothing to do with me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Vladmir loves you very much, Aksana, only he doesn’t know how to show it. Vladmir has lost everyone he has ever cared about. His mother, his brother, his daughter, even this little girl in my arms. Yes, he has both his daughters back, but at what cost? Vladmir has spent his life alone, never getting close to anyone. It’s what he knows. Did you know Vladmir is a trained violinist? Like all the brothers in this house, he has a talent for music. All were students at the Moscow University of Classical Music and Dance before the night of the Bloody Massacre. Vladmir’s mother, Irina Ivenok, was a superb classical violinist, who stepped away from the Russian National Orchestra to raise her sons in the country until she died of pneumonia when Vladmir was twelve years old. The night of the Massacre, Vladmir was with Maxim. They were the first to learn what the Bratva had planned. They saved who they could, but so many died that night and Vladmir wasn’t fast enough to save his brother. Baranov had already acquired him. Vladmir spent years trying to get his brother away from Baranov until he learned of his death.”

“Father killed Mikhail after my marriage to Steele.”

Illyria nodded. “Yes. Right about the time Maxim made a blood pact with Reaper and Montana. Vladmir never got the chance to mourn his brother’s death because he had to protect Remi. For many years, Vladmir hid his emotions, his love for his family. Emotions will get you killed in this life. To protect Remi, he became indifferent. It was easier for him to remove emotions than to actually feel.”

“He’s still that way.”

“Yes, he is. It’s what he knows. What he’s most comfortable with.”

“I can’t be like that, Illyria. I wouldn’t know how to be.”

“And you don’t have to, Aksana. Vladmir wants you to be who you are. He won’t ask you to change. It’s him that needs to change, and he knows that, but he’s having a hard time right now, because of everything going on. His biggest fear is losing you and his girls. If anything happens to you three, Vladmir won’t survive. A man can only lose so much before he breaks.”