He sighs.
I keep my eyes shut until I hear the door click, then slowly open them. I regain my composure and stare at the blank envelope.
What is this?
I get my letter opener, slide it across the seal, then pull out dozens of photos.
Every single one has Luca and me. I'm a child with missing teeth, wild curls, and sunburned cheeks. My first tooth came in, and I'm wearing pigtails and a tutu. It's my birthday, and I'm sitting on Uncle Luca's lap and blowing out the candles.
Who sent these?
My breath shatters. Each image breaks me, and the first sob hits before I can stop it.
10
Brax
Several Months Later
By the time I reach Sean's penthouse, I've worked myself into a mood that could crack stone. It's been a shit few months with endless duties. As soon as I finish my O'Malley work, the Underworld gives orders delivered without explanation.
I've been to countless meetings where masks say more than the people wearing them. They give me tasks I don't understand, assignments I can't question, and a brand on my hand that throbs every time one of those silver-skull bastards looks at me for more than a second.
Tonight marks twelve days since I've slept for more than three hours. The last order was two days ago. As soon as I turned my phone on, I saw all the missed messages about where I've been. And Finn sent multiple demands to know why I missed the twins' arrival party.
It all made my frustration worse. It's just like when Zara went into labor. I should have been waiting outside the delivery room with cold coffee, cigars, and stupid jokes. Instead, the Omni had me digging holes in the ground. So I missed the twins' birth and a full-blown interrogation occurred after.
So, even though I'm beyond tired, I get home, shower, and grab the present I'd bought a few weeks ago.
They're already two months old and I haven't even seen them.
I step into Sean's lobby and stop in front of the tree with all the cherry blossoms. I inhale it deeply, then walk into the main room, calling out, "Where are these babies?"
My stomach knots as the world stops. My pulse jerks painfully, like someone grabbed my heart and squeezed.
Valentina sits on the huge corner couch like she belongs there, draped in a short black dress that clings to her curves in a way that should be illegal, hair pinned up, one diamond stud catching the light. But it isn't the dress or the heels or the way her legs cross that hits me.
She has the twins tucked into her arms, tiny heads resting on her chest, while she laughs at something Zara just said.
It's nice. I haven't seen her smile or heard her laugh in months, minus a brief incident at Kirill's penthouse where she gave me shit and I gave it back just as good. But then I had to get lectured by Kirill on "growing up" and "getting to know Valentina."
"Brax," Zara beams.
Valentina pins her gaze on me. Her laugh dies instantly, her spine snapping straight.
My entire bloodstream turns into a shaken can of soda, overflowing everywhere.
"Where've you been?" Sean demands, stepping into view.
I drag my gaze away from Valentina, force my heartbeat down, and shrug off the question. "You know I'm not answering that."
Sean's face turns to guilt and concern. "You alright?"
It's the same thing he always asks.
I assert, "Of course I am."
I drop the gift bag on the sofa table and move to the couch. I dive headfirst into bubbling tension neither Valentina nor I have dealt with since the night everything changed.
