Behind us, Gabriella and Sadie soothed Carina and Helene, rocking and swaying with them to get them to stop crying.
“Nah,” Luka said, coming up to join us since Lev and Misha had seemed to have taken over scolding Andre. It looked like they were getting something through the toddler’s head. Andre sobered up and frowned at his older cousins giving him a talking-to. Perhaps he listened more to them as almost peers instead of a nagging or lecture from the adults. “It’s fine.” Luka caught Gabriella’s eye as she returned to the room with Sadie holding Helene. That secret smile my uncle and his wife shared was just one more pang of hurt that sliced my heart. Though I hadn’t known Elena for long and had been married to her for less, I missed having a partner.
“It’s good to have all the family around to welcome in a new year.” Luka beamed, standing tall and proud as he looked over all of us gathered in this room.
He was right. It was good to have everyone alive and well, together and not estranged.
Or dead.
After so many years of it just being us, all the guys at the top of the organization, it felt too bare. Like this mansion was too empty, particularly after I lost Elena. Earlier yet, when Uncle Luka lost his first wife, Maria.
It did feel good to be surrounded by family, and I would always do my part as the family’s protection specialist to make sure no threats could bring us down. Coming off the high of successfully preventing a secret alliance of enemies from grouping up, we had a bright future indeed.
“That’s easy foryouto say,” Raisa quipped, resting a hand on her big belly. Her second pregnancy was coming along smoothly, but she sure showed it all in the front.
I furrowed my brow, glancing at her. Luka paid her attention too but quickly chuckled. “You’re already so anxious for the baby to come?”
She softened a bit from that wry quip and shook her head. A small, sad smile crossed her face. “No. I’m just saying that I can’t quite agree with that statement.” She raised one brow. “Ican’t claim the same.”
If she was talking about missingherfamily, I wouldn’t follow. I was there on the mission alongside Ivan when we tracked her down after her father, Konstantin Petrov, had her taken. She killed the former leader herself, something she had attested to needing to do for closure. Spending years hiding from him had set her up to wish him dead—all to keep Lev safe and alive.
“I am worried about how long it’s been since I’ve heard from Kalina.”
I relaxed. So did Luka, who seemed to have been anxious for a moment that she was missing the father she’d hated.
“Simon has been tasked with looking for her,” I reminded her.
She nodded. “I know. But with how long he’s been at it and with no results to speak of…”
“It’s not as though that’sallSimon has been doing lately, though,” Luka said in reference to one of our best cyber-security spies, a member of our family who often worked closest with Emil on his many travels and assassination missions.
“Maybe now that the worries about that Obsidian Eye alliance are over,” I said, “Simon can further look into where your cousin might be.”
Luka nodded, which was more or less his approval for that to happen.
Raisa still frowned, stressed. “I would appreciate that. I think it’s like how it was with Konstantin. I need that closure. We weren’tthatclose as children, not with how strict my father was and how distant relations were on my mother’s side since she died. I just hate how I lost contact with her over the years.”
“You were hiding,” I unnecessarily reminded her.
“Yes, but still…” She sighed, rubbing her baby bump again. “I hate that she could be out there and needing help. Or something.” She shrugged. “Maybe a part of it is that I’m having another baby and I’d like for her to meet my children. To be there to know the only good parts of our loose family are carrying on.”
Luka set his hand on my back. “Then between Simon and Alexsei here, we’ll look for Kalina.”
I raised my brows, slightly surprised. Retrievals weren’t normally my thing, but as I was the supervisor who managed security, from covering the bases on missions the others went on all the way to being in charge of all the bodyguards, it wasn’t out of the norm. Among the top lieutenants, I was the one still in active duty. Ivan and Emil were stepping back with their roles as their families grew.
“Sure.” I nodded, always ready to do what my uncle expected of me.
“If finding Kalina is a concern for you, Raisa, it’s a concern of mine,” Luka said, proving that while he was the scary Mafia boss the world feared, he was at heart a family man.
She leaned against him in a side hug. “I really appreciate that. Maybe she could be found and visit before this baby is born.”
Talk about a tall order.
“I’ll get started on it tomorrow morning,” I said, already mentally planning to discuss the mission with Simon. With how long Kalina had been out of contact with Raisa, it seemed like a wild goose chase.
That hardly mattered, though. I could devote my efforts to locating her, and once she was found, to secure her with whatever Luka deemed appropriate in terms of safety.
And just maybe, in the process of saving another innocent, I could erase more of the guilt for not saving my wife all those years ago.
