I grunt.
Keke shifts her weight as the photographer shoots. She knows how to move, how to angle herself, and I have to admit she’s good. The photographer clearly agrees, heaping praise on her between instructions. It would make sense for my attention to be on her, but it’s not. It’s on Sera. It’s always on her.
She’s standing close enough that I can feel the heat from her arm through my sleeve. My brain immediately imagines grabbing her hand, just to hold it.
As if I’m suddenly the kind of guy who holds hands.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Alex is going to laugh his ass off when he sees how gone I am for Sera, after all the shit I gave him for being obsessed with Madison when he barely knew her.
I get it now.
My mind drifts to his phone call last night.
“Took you long enough.”
“I was in bed.” I press my palm hard against my cock, which is extremely unhappy about this intermission. “And you’re interrupting.”
A quiet laugh comes over the line. “Already?”
“Careful,” I growl, which only makes him laugh harder. “I hope you wake up one of your kids and they won’t go back to sleep.”
His laughter cuts off. “That’s just mean.”
“It’s not my fault you have so many. You know how babies are made, right?”
“In exquisite detail, thank you very much. It’s just funny how the tables have turned.”
I sigh. “Were you calling for a reason because I’m about to hang up on you?”
There’s a pause, and in that silence, the hairs on the back of my neck lift. Alex’s tone changes. “Mikhail is cleaning house.”
“We already knew he was going to.”
“He’s more bloodthirsty than usual.”
I shrug. “That's not surprising. He needs to root out the ones who went behind his back. Send a message.”
“There’s been talk about Sergei’s death.” My spine stiffens and then relaxes at his next words. “I may have started a rumor that Mikhail was actually behind it.”
My brows lift. “How’s he going to feel about that?”
“He should appreciate it,” Alex says lightly. “Other people knew what your father was doing. If they believe their pakhan will take out even those closest to him for betrayal, it will makethem think twice.” Another pause. “Whose idea was it for your mother to go on this cruise?”
“Katya’s,” I say, naming Mikhail’s wife. Red flags are shooting up in my head. “You think he wanted to get my mother out of the way?”
“I’m not sure. I believed him when he said he wanted you away for a few weeks, but if your mother is gone, then what will explain your absence? Also, there is the problem if Katya asks Irina about the night Sergei died.”
My blood runs cold.
“He’s been erratic this last week,” Alex continues. “That’s not like him. Could just be anger—This is the first time he’s faced a genuine challenge to his authority or...”
“Or he could be laying groundwork that the reason I’m gone is I’m in hiding because I fear retribution—because I was working with my father.”
A heavy weight settles over my chest. I have never been suicidal, but it’s hard to be optimistic about your life expectancy when people around you are constantly being killed. When you do the things I have.
But I have something to live for now. Someone.
