Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 99413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
My family respects nothing. They aim to kill and destroy. We all represent everything they’ve tried to destroy.
“How can you trust?” Alexei murmurs. “You do all this for what? Wash your hands and be done.
“Friends here show you loyalty. Family there try annihilate. Send them to hell and be free.”
“Da, I agree with Alexei. I fault you not for your choice.” Vlad snorts. “I open hell’s gates and pour water for hand wash.”
Czar laughs at the two. I’ve grown to like them both. They are almost as crazy as I am, but we know why. Once again, I want to be angry with Aunt Faina.
However, I know she has done all she has for me. She is the only one of my aunts I could ever trust. I remind myself never to cross her.
Her crazy is a bit different than her sisters’ and brothers’, but not by much. I shake my thoughts off and take in a deep breath.
“I decide nothing tonight. I want to know what Sammy saw. Then I decide,” I say as I stand and leave.
“Good to see you too, my friend,” Alexei calls after me.
“Da, tab on me. I leave in morning. Call if you need.”
“Why is he hesitating? I do for him if he can’t,” I hear Alexei say low to the others.
“He’s not protecting her. It’s because of—”
I close my eyes and move faster so I don’t have to hear my cousin’s words. Czar is revealing a truth I don’t want to listen to.
I have not gone soft. I’m sure that’s what everyone thinks, but I have not. I will handle this—at the right time.
CHAPTER 17
Help You Relax
Tasha
“Hey, buddy. Did you enjoy your party?”
“Yeah, Mom, it was awesome. Thanks for the hoverboard and tablet.”
The adorable smile on his face makes my heart swell. I’m so happy he had a good time. It was good to have everyone here and to see Sammy having fun; it truly made me and LaSalle happy.
“You’re welcome. Did you tell everyone what it is you wanted?”
He shakes his head. “No, I didn’t get a chance, but I will. I will get to them one by one,” he says in that ominous tone of his, making me more curious about this request.
For now, I shrug it off. “I have one more gift for you. I think this one will help.”
I ordered this and had it delivered express so he would have it tonight. I thought of it after he had his episode. I hand him the package and watch him smile as he tears the paper away.
“Thanks, Mom,” he says as he looks up at me with a smile.
“I thought of your mom’s letters and figured the pens and notebooks would come in handy. Maybe if you write down what you see, it will help you to sort through the times when things are jumbled and fuzzy.”
He nods. “I like that idea. I’m going to try it before I go to bed.”
He moves the notebooks and pens from his lap and throws himself into me for a hug. I give him a tight squeeze, sensing that it’s what he needs. His entire body relaxes into me.
“Get some sleep. We’ll have breakfast together before everyone else wakes. Sound good?”
“Yes, Mo-mo. That sounds perfect. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I kiss his forehead and ruffle his hair. He’s growing up way too fast. I wish a part of his gift was to slow down time. I can’t believe he’s eleven. What happened to my little three-year-old buddy?
“Mom?” he calls as I reach the door to exit.
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” I say as I get choked up.
I leave out of his room with a smile on my face. Other than the loss of my daughter, I wouldn’t change anything about my life. With a full heart, I move to my bedroom in search of my husband.
When I don’t find him in our room, I double back through the house in search of him. It takes a minute for me to find him in the quiet house. He’s sitting in his office staring down into a tumbler.
“Hey, you,” I say as I enter.
He looks up at me and the look on his face makes my heart sink. I go to sit on his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. Pressing my forehead to the side of his face, I breathe him in.
“What’s going on?”
He sighs. “I’d like to talk about anything but.”
“O … kay,” I drag out.
He begins to rub my back. The gesture seems to be more for him than me. He’s still deep in thought as I watch him.
“This has become more complicated than we thought. There is more to it than you and I uncovered,” he murmurs as if talking to himself.
“How so?”
“Misha has good reason for dragging his ass. If Vlad and Alexei were a shock, wait until you learn the rest of what’s really going on.”