“Polina,” Mom said as she slowly slipped off her black heels. “It was the Chinese who killed your husband,” she continued. “It’s a risk every man in the Bratva knows before committing. Boris died an honorable man…” “No!” Polina screamed, shaking her head, the gun trembling dangerously in her hand. Mom never took her eyes off her as she slowly widened her stance, subtly bending her knees. She was about to attack, just like she did with Dad when they trained in the garden at home.
“He died because the Chinese thought your husband was handling the shipment. It was your husband who was supposed to die!” the woman sobbed, stomping her foot on the floor. “I’m going to kill you, and after that it’ll be his turn, then your bastar…” my mother lifted the skirts of her dress, bent to move out of the line of fire, and lunged at Polina, knocking her down. The gun went off, and I screamed as Roman clutched my jacket. My mother straddled the woman’s body, pinning the hand holding the weapon to the floor while she began strangling her with the other. Polina tried to claw at my mother, but she didn’t let go. “No one threatens my husband,” she spat, leaning closer to Polina’s reddening face. “No one threatens my children,” she screamed, her hair falling over her cheeks and blocking my view of her face.
Suddenly, Mom cried out and fell sideways before quickly scrambling back to her feet. I started crying too when I saw the blade buried in her leg. Mom growled as she yanked it out with a cry, staggering before throwing it away. She caught herself on the table, shoving aside the skirts of her dress to grabthe Glock strapped to her thigh. “Mama!” I screamed when I saw Polina charge at her, shrieking. She threw herself at my mother, and they both hit the ground. Mom’s gun slipped from her grasp, and I followed it with my eyes as it slid toward us, right under my gaze, just outside the table, just within my reach.
“Sasha, stop!” a voice shouted as arms grabbed me under the shoulders and dragged me backward. I struggled, but it was useless. I turned my furious gaze and met Ganesh’s dark, worried eyes. I shoved Ashwin away, the one who had stopped me, feeling blood run from my knuckles, but I felt no pain. I felt only hatred and rage. My anchor was no longer there to hold me. I was drifting into the abyss of my regrets. “The next time you feel like blowing off steam, tell me, Ivanov. I’ll lend you Ashwin,” Ganesh muttered, casting a glance at the tree my fist had damaged. “It’s one of the trees my late wife planted many years ago,” he added, resting his hand against the trunk.
And I frozen and blinked. His late wife? Guilt seized me, and I shot a helpless look at Ashwin, who shrugged with mild annoyance, “I… I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Ganesh,” I apologized, my anger fading as I ran a hand through my hair and groaned when my hand flared with pain.Fuck.
“It’s nothing. I’ll send the maintenance bill to your brother,” he said, starting to walk away and I froze. Just imagining Grigori’s face when he found out he owed anything to the head of the Indian mafia sent a chill down my spine. “Wait, Ganesh!” I called, catching up to him, “I’d rather you send it to me, please,” I said but he shook his head, lifting his chin in a haughty gesture and I froze when I saw the resemblance to Sienna in that single movement. She lifted her chin the same way, wore the same arrogant look, nothing like Selina. My mysterious Italian had spent far more time with the Indians than I had thought, longenough to pick up the boss’s habits, like a daughter with her father. “We’ll settle that between adults, my boy. Go find another tree to punch,” he said and I grimaced at the jab and shot Ashwin a dark look, I was certain I’d heard him snort. “I’m sorry about your tree,” I repeated but he simply shook his head as we approached our table. There were hardly any people left, and the decorations were already being taken down. Sienna and Kenji were gone, I frowned at the realization.
Ganesh sat down, and I did the same, glancing at my right hand. It wasn’t pretty. My knuckles were split open, blood seeping out. “I’m here!” Kamal exclaimed, striding toward us with a first-aid kit. “Who’s hurt?” he asked, stopping short when he saw my hand. He lifted his gaze to Ashwin, raising an eyebrow. “Seriously? He can just go to a hospital,” he said, throwing me a dark look as I raised my brows. “We’re not treating him after he made Sienna cry!” he shouted when no one answered and I absorbed the blow, grimacing. He was right, I had made her cry.
“Kamal,” Ganesh reprimanded him, striking the ground with his cane, Kamal clenched his jaw, shoved the kit against Ashwin’s chest, then walked away without another word. “That ungrateful brat…” Ashwin growled, taking a step forward. “Come back here, Kamal!” he called, but the younger man ignored him. “Let him be,” Ganesh sighed, his gaze following Kamal. “You know how close they are with Sienna,” he added.
I frowned. Close? Close how?
I grunted when Ganesh’s cane struck my shin. “Wipe that stupid look off your face, close like a brother and a sister,” he said with a sigh. “Isn’t the new generation supposed to be smarter?” he asked, looking at his right-hand man. Ashwin shrugged. “It’s the screens,” he replied as I rolled my eyes. They were mocking me now, on top of everything else. “I read somewhere that it softens the brain,” Ashwin continued, setting the kit down on the table.
“You read now, Ashwin? That’s new,” Kenji suddenly said as he joined us, a lollipop in his mouth making Ganesh laughed. “Training tomorrow at eight,” Ashwin growled, opening the kit with an irritated gesture, which only made his boss laugh harder. “Maybe next time,” Kenji replied, shoving his fists into his pockets. “We won’t be long with Sienna,” he added.
I stood up abruptly, my chair tipping over, but Ashwin caught it just in time, “I’m taking her home,” I said darkly, ready to come to blows this time if needed. Kenji simply shrugged, keeping his hands in his pockets. “If you convince her, you can take her wherever you want,” he said with a bored look. “Which I seriously doubt,” he added as Ganesh struck me again with his cane. “Sit down, little wolf,” he growled, pulling the kit toward him.
I clenched my jaw but eventually obeyed, dropping back onto the chair. Ganesh took the disinfectant and cotton, but I shook my head.
“I’ll do it…” “Shut up and listen carefully to this old man, Ivanov, if you want to find your way back to your paradise,” he said, fixing me with a dark look. I froze, was he about to tell me Sienna’s secret?
“Once upon a time, there was a very large and vast forest that contained a multitude of worlds,” he began as I frowned. A forest? What forest? “One day, a fawn who lived in one of the most beautiful and peaceful parts of the forest got lost,” he continued, disinfecting my wound. The pain was secondary as I tried to understand where he was going.
“She set off down paths to find her way home, but quickly found herself in the worst parts of the forest, where the worst monsters lived” he grabbed a bandage and began wrapping it around my hand as ly throat tightened. Monsters? What kind of monsters?
“These monsters attacked her, wounded her, poisoned her. They did everything in their power to change her, to make her asmonstrous as they were. But the fawn never lost sight of her goal, to find her way home.” Ashwin handed him strips of tape, which he used to secure the bandage.
“And she succeeds. She finds her home,” I said, my heart rising into my throat,yes. She had found it. She had saved her sister. She had found her home. Ganesh shook his head and placed a hand on my forearm. “For the fawn, home is where her heart beats,” he said, his dark gaze locking onto mine. “She found the path that leads home, where her heart beats, but she is afraid. She is afraid that her wounds, the poison in her veins, the monstrous part she had to create to survive will frighten, will disgust. And if her home is disgusted… if her home rejects her… where will she go?” I shook my head. “Never. Never, I would…” “No,” he cut me off, stepping back and removing his hand. “Do not speak so fast.”
“You, Sasha, may never do it,” he said, pointing to my chest. “But you, Sasha Ivanov,” he continued, pointing now to my forehead. “He might be forced to” I froze, what did that mean?
I didn’t understand anymore. Sasha and Sasha Ivanov were the same person, I would give my life for my family and Sienna was part of it. She was an Ivanov. But she wasn’t, was she? Not really. Not yet.
“So the fawn is afraid,” Ganesh resumed. “She is afraid to take the path that would lead her home. She is afraid of losing her home” he finished, stepping away from the table. I stood as well, out of respect, his words echoing in my mind. “I’m going to call Anjali to make sure she arrived safely,” he said before walking off. Ashwin followed, but stopped beside me first. “His wife never came here,” he said suddenly and I frowned. “What?”
“Focus, Ivanov. This is an estate rented for the wedding,” he sighed before walking away, muttering something about love and stupidity.
A rented estate? So his deceased wife had never planted anything here? The old bastard had played me.
“A wall?” Kenji suddenly asked, pointing at my injured fist with his lollipop. “Tree,” I growled. He nodded and turned toward the villa just as Sienna’s voice reached us. She was talking with Kamal and two women near the entrance. She had taken off her dress, her jewelry, and her makeup, but she was still beautiful, even dressed in a tracksuit with her hair in a braid. She smiled, but it was obvious that her earlier joy was gone. Because of me.
She spotted me quickly beside Kenji, inhaled, lifted her chin, and walked toward us with determined steps, when my phone suddenly vibrated inside my jacket.
“Nikolai?” I answered. “Hi Sasha, sorry to bother you, it’s Selina,” my sister-in-law’s voice suddenly rang out. I frowned, was it the new trend to use her husband’s phone to call me?
“I couldn’t reach Sienna, and Elif told me you were together,” she continued and I grimaced. I had thought Elif would keep it to herself until I got back, but she must have spoken after seeing Selina’s worry. “Yes, I’ll pass her to you,” I said, handing the phone to Sienna as she reached us. She frowned, “Selina,” I said simply and she took the phone quickly. Her gaze lingered on my injured hand, but she said nothing as she walked away. I clenched my fist, my fingers tingling where she had brushed them.
“We’re training next week with Ashwin and Kamal. Want to join?” Kenji suddenly offered, flicking the stick of his finished lollipop onto the table. “For what honor?” I asked suspiciously and he gave me a blasé look.
“You really want to know her? Start by getting to know her circle” he scratched his chin. “And if you’re afraid we’ll kick your ass…” “Send me the address and the time,” I shot back.
He smiled, shaking his head then froze. “Oh-oh. Looks like we’re definitely kicking your ass and not in a week.” I followed his gaze and froze as well when I saw Sienna staring at my phone screen.
