Chapter 8

Alexei

On the way down the elevator, I call Niko and tell him where to meet me. My blood is boiling, but my nerves are steady. I know what I have to do to finish this.

I've been walking the line of respectability and legality since I took over my family's organization. I've worked hard to let the people who remained loyal to me know that things were going to be different.

Fair compensation. Mutual respect. Less violence, less fear.

Now there's going to be lots of violence and plenty of fear, and I'll be damned if any of it involves anyone else but me. When I get in my car, I call Sera's oldest brother Leo, the man I know is meant to take over her father's organization one day.

"We need to talk," I say when he answers, and tell him where to meet.

He's surprisingly agreeable. Not that he has a choice—I'd find him anyway—but I'm always glad to see someone be cooperative.

I spend the rest of the drive going over the messages I saw on Sera's phone in my mind. The constant outpouring of threats she'd received since our wedding boggles my mind. Then the last one she sent, with her admitting to trying to get into my computer but not knowing the password.

The thing is, I don't do anything much more than play Call of Duty on that computer. Work-life balance and all that. I bring some contracts home now and then, but there's nothing like that on the hard drive right now, and hasn't been for weeks.

There's not a password on that computer. It has nothing on it to hide.

It hits me like a bolt of lightning—I believe Sera.

I don't think I've ever not believed her.

I'm going to make this right.

***

Eight hours later …

I stand in front of my apartment door, taking a deep breath. I have to face my wife, but I need to make sure my mind is right first. I don't feel guilty about what transpired today, but explaining it to her will be a little tricky.

When I met with Leo, he was frantic. His psychotic father had already ordered a hit on her for what he saw as a betrayal earlier in the day. He may be a ruthless bastard, but he definitely doesn't want his baby sister dead. As luck would have it, Leo was already looking for ways and reasons to overthrow his father—maybe not as extreme a reason as what we were presented with today, but, well, that's how things turned out.

The bottom line is that Leo is now running the Novikov organization. After removing Ivan from power, we quickly negotiated a peace treaty—a true alliance, which is what my marriage to Sera should have been from the beginning. I didn't need the new territory, but Leo felt it was fair, and I wanted to be a good brother-in-law, so I accepted the deal.

I take another deep breath and open the apartment door. In a short amount of time, my life has changed. Not just this new rise in power. Much more important than that. I'm married to the woman I love, because damn it, I'm in fucking love with my wife. Her goodness, determination, and strength of character made me see what I've always worried about in my own life.

We were both raised by monsters, but we didn't become like them. We found our own family. Or in our case, we were tossed into it with threats and blackmail. Either way, I'm not backing down from this marriage.

I only hope Sera feels the same, because I'd rather not keep her locked up until she comes to her senses. But I will if I have to, because she's mine.

I almost walk right past her, curled up in a ball on the couch, fast asleep. Some of her medical books are in a stack on the floor, unopened. She's wearing one of my sweatshirts and it nearly swallows her whole. I pause, watching her chest rise and fall, frowning at the way her hands are tightly clasped even in sleep. Her cheeks are red and tear-stained and even though her eyes are closed, I can see how puffy they've gotten.

My fists clench, but I can't exactly knock myself out for hurting her like this. I'd love to see myself try. I wasn't thinking straight when I stormed out and wasn't yet sure how things were going to go down. It seemed better not to say anything, but the poor girl must have thought I was mad at her. Or worse, that I left her for good, despite my promises.

I take a step forward and she shakes herself awake, blinking a few times at me as if she can't believe I'm really here. Her face crumbles and she hugs herself, sinking further into the couch cushions.

"Alexei, I'm so sorry. I promise I never—"

"Stop," I say. My voice is too harsh. I can't stand the pain she's clearly in, that she's still worried about me and what I think about her. Her damn father had a hit on her and she still didn't run. She stayed here to apologize to me again. "Don't say anything, just listen."

I sit down next to her and take her hand, because in another few seconds she might despise me. She stares at me with her bloodshot eyes, still too beautiful for words.

No use beating around the bush, so I jump right in. "Your father is no longer in power. You're no longer in danger, and as long as I'm alive, you never will be again."

Her face goes slack as she struggles to comprehend. "What do you mean he's no longer in power?"

"Your brother Leo and I came to an agreement. We're splitting the territory and working together from now on."

She chokes out a laugh of disbelief. "Papa would never stand for that."

Her eyes want to hope so badly it's breaking my heart. I fill her in on the rest. Her father is dead. I didn't pull the trigger—that was Leo's call. But I would have done it if I'd had to and I let her know that in no uncertain terms. I want her to believe I'm a good man and that I will continue to be one, but only if she's safe. If her safety is ever compromised, there is no power in heaven or on earth that will keep me from protecting Sera.

"Do you understand?" I ask when she's silent for a long time.

Her eyes are dry. She barely flinched upon hearing she's now a fatherless, but she's been silent for too damn long. I squeeze her hand.

Finally she nods and scoots closer to me, wrapping her arms around my middle. I pull her close, tucking her against my chest and smoothing my hand down her back. I drop a kiss on top of her head and she looks up at me.

"What does this mean for us?" she asks.

I squeeze her a bit too hard, then move her away from me, just enough so she has to look into my eyes. "We're still married in the eyes of the law and God and all the little church grannies," I tell her, which makes her smile softly. "I, for one, want to stay that way. If you want to have another wedding that you plan yourself, that's fine, but I'm going to stay your husband until what we spoke about in our vows takes place."

"'Til death do us part," she says, shaking her head. "That's not going to be for a long, long time."

"Damn right."

Her chin tips up, that steely determination that made me fall so hard for her shining through again. "Why?"

Her demanding tone makes me laugh and I dip my head to kiss her. "Because I love you, Seraphina Grishin."

Those gorgeous eyes well with tears, happy ones now, and she kisses me back. "I love you, too, Alexei Grishin." She slumps against me as if she's exhausted, but looks up with a smile. "I'm really not in danger anymore?"

"As of this moment? No one wants to kill you, no," I say, making her giggle. Only mafia kids could ever laugh at such things, and that's what we'll always be. Just in our own way now.

I stand up and pull her with me toward the kitchen. I haven't eaten all day and I suspect she hasn't either. I pull a frying pan from the cupboard and she takes eggs out of the fridge. We're already working as a team.

"Now, about the future," I say as I switch on the stove. "You're free. Nothing's hanging over your head. You can start nursing school, volunteer in a hospital, do whatever you want."

She pauses as she's cracking eggs and looks at me with wonder. "Is that okay with you?"

Scowling at her, I reach over and tap her on the nose. "Didn't you just hear me say you're free now? Why should my opinion about it matter?"

To my shock, she drops the eggshells on the counter and crosses her arms over her chest, staring up at me with a pout. "You're my husband!" she says, actually stamping her bare foot. "Of course your opinion matters. Just like my opinion should matter if you want to make important life decisions. We're a team."

I can't help it. I grab her and kiss away that angry pout. "You're right. And we're a great team. Of course I'm okay with you going to school, as long as you agree to keeping a security detail. At least until this merger is all worked out and everyone knows we're all on the same side."

She groans at that and I cut it off with a searing kiss that leaves her boneless against my chest. "You're mine, Sera. Only mine, and while that means you get to do whatever the fuck you want, that also means I get to keep you safe."

Looking up at me with a bright smile, she nods and reaches for my head to pull me down for another kiss. Never mind that the pan's about to burn up on the stove, I've got my wife in my arms and she's going to stay there. Right where she belongs.

Where we both belong.

Together.