We continued on, Stella clutching her prize, Igor's hand naturally finding mine.
"You did that on purpose," I whispered.
"Did what?"
"Showing off your shooting skills in front of her," I said. "Making her idolize you."
"Is it working?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Extremely well," I sighed. "She thinks you're a superhero now."
"Good," he said, sounding pleased.
Watching Stella's proud little face as she held that enormous bear melted my heart.
In the afternoon, Igor's phone started ringing nonstop. Each time, he'd step away to answer, keeping his voice low, but I caught snippets like "shipment" and "keep an eye on it."
After the fifth call, I couldn't hold back. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," he said, but his eyes flickered away.
"Igor, don't keep things from me."
He glanced at Stella, who was playing on the bumper cars, then pulled me aside. "Just a small problem in New York."
"What kind of problem?"
"Someone's probing my territory," he said lightly. "But my people can handle it."
"If they could, you wouldn't have taken five calls this afternoon."
He paused for a few seconds before speaking. "Some minor actions against the Bratva. Nothing serious—my team can manage."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure." He squeezed my hand. "Elena, I won't let anything spoil our family time. If those bastards want to test me, let them. When I get back, I'll take care of it."
"When are you going back?"
"Not sure yet," he said. "But not this week, at least."
I wanted to press further, but Stella came running over.
"Mommy, Daddy, I want ice cream!"
"Okay," Igor said immediately. "Let's go—Daddy will get it for you."
Watching him take her hand and head to the ice cream stand, Itook a deep breath. Maybe he was right; it was just minor trouble. After all, he'd been running that huge organization single-handedly for five years—he dealt with this kind of thing all the time.
Maybe this was how life should be. Simple family moments, Stella's laughter, and this man awkwardly learning to braid hair. As for those calls and "minor issues," let them stay in New York.
I shouldn't worry too much. Right now, I just wanted to savor this rare peace.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Elena
"Damn it, where the hell is that model?"
