“Don’t you have professional cleaners?”
“It wouldn’t cut the risk if my men left less mess in the first place. Look at the state of Bogdan. He was only supposed to scoop a few eyeballs out. There shouldn’t have been any blood at all.”
“But why would he—”
Runa cut her off as I heard her grumpy little grunts as she moved around in her cot. I glanced at Iskra’s bare breasts. I’d be happy to take my daughter’s leftovers.
“I’ll get her. You put that gun away. She is too young to pick up her mother’s homicidal bad habits,” I said, climbing off her to quickly put my shorts on.
“Whatever,” she grumbled behind me.“You picked me.”
I was too focused on Runa, who was gripping onto her cot as she dragged herself upright. As soon as she spotted me she graced me with a toothy little grin that soon accompanied a squeal.
The demand to be lifted up like a printsessa.
My Princess.
I lifted her tiny body in the air, looking into her bright blue eyes, and I decided that I may as well admit defeat with this one.
How could I ever look into my baby girl’s eyes and say no?
This was a problem.
I glanced back at the gun-wielding miscreant who sat in my bed like a queen and hoped to god the next one was a son. I sighed because at this point I was serving both of them, but I didn’t hesitate to take Runa to her breakfast.
Watching them together always hit me square in the gut.
I handed Runa to Iskra. She didn’t have a care in the world as she free-fell into her mother’s arms, knowing her mother would always be there to catch her.
I settled beside them and as Runa began to suckle, she reached one hand out until she felt my jaw. Iskra glanced at me, but I looked at Runa and took her hand to kiss it before placing it back on my cheek.
My heart was here, but my mind was planning ahead to protect my growing family with everything that I had.
??????
The door opened, but I didn’t see who held it. I was too focused on reaching my office. Once I was inside I saw everyone seated and waiting. Valentin had made the trip for today’s meeting as he was familiar with the legalities of Sergei’s estate.
“Bogdan, Tikhon, I want you to stay in the room. You may know who he is,” I told them as I paused at the doorway.
I left them beside the door and walked toward my desk.
“Is there anyone talking about the body or the inheritance?” I asked, going straight to business.
We had spies in place and so far they had turned up empty. We had checked several men we suspected over the last year, but it had amounted to nothing but dead ends.
“Not yet,” Grigori said.
“No one will speak near me,” Konstantin murmured.
I took a seat and looked around at the rest of them. All shaking their heads.
“Ruslan,” I said.
He stood and began to talk.
“So we know he has to be between twenty and thirty years old. Someone trying to work their way up the ranks. I’ve been working with the captains and I have compiled another shortlist.”
I glanced around the room, staring at every person there. Tikhon was the youngest in the room at thirty years old, but his family were known to us.
