But I do not voice it. They have done the best they can with what they have, and I don’t fault them for that. I take the chair and make it steady by shifting a leg onto the rug.
From the hall I hear the soft step of one of my men as he trades places with the other. They do it without speaking. Good. The building carries sound. Neighbors laugh and it echoes through a wall. I count the seconds between elevator dings. The fire escape is an entry point. The lock on the window is bent.
I add it to the list in my head: lock, bar, light, chain replaced, door re-hung in a steel frame.
“Three months,” I say, eyes still on the boys. “How do they sleep?”
“Badly together,” Jennifer answers, amused. “Better apart. We rotate. White noise helps.”
“We bought a fan,” Mina adds. “Cheaper than the fancy machines and louder.”
“Good. Loud is better.”
Mina takes the other chair. She waits for me to explain why I’m here.
Fair enough. “I have men outside. They will be in the hall and downstairs. Quiet. Respectful. They will not enter without your say or mine.”
“During this unannounced visit, you mean, right?” she asks, arching a brow.
“During your residence here.”
She blinks. “My neighbors will notice.”
“Good. Let them tell everyone you are protected. It’s better that way.”
Her mouth tilts and flattens. She doesn’t smile for me. Good. “How long have you known about the boys?”
“I found out last night. I should have been here sooner, but I needed to make some arrangements before I came.”
Jennifer sets a cup in front of me. “What do you intend to do?” No ceremony. A direct line to the point.
“Provide. Protect. Acknowledge. Decide next steps with Mina.”
“Words,” she says. Not unkind. A test.
“Deeds,” I answer, and put a card on the table. “This number is always answered. There is a car and driver close by. Two men on the building starting now. A doctor on call. Money for what you need.”
Mina touches the card and leaves it on the table. “No strings?”
“There will be obligations. They will be clear. They will be about the boys and about keeping you safe from Vitaly.”
“I don’t know about this?—”
“Vitaly planted a land mine in a road and took shots at me. He has gone off the rails, Mina. My son…he has always been unstable?—”
She huffs a laugh at that, but says nothing. The laugh is empty. More shock than amusement.
“But he’s never made a full attempt on my life before. If he’s willing to do that for revenge, he will do worse to you. To them. I am here to ensure that does not happen.”
Jennifer’s mouth tightens. She knows enough to be afraid and not enough to waste words. She drinks her tea and watches me.
Mina nods once. “He followed me today. Outside a deli. He stood across the street and watched. I don’t know how he knew I’d be there. It’s not my office’s usual order or anything like that. But there he was.”
Everything in me narrows. “Did he speak?”
“No. He wanted me to see him. He also wanted to be gone if I moved toward him.”
“That is his pattern. He will escalate. He thinks fear will make you sloppy.”
