Lucy was waiting for me in the kitchen. “I don’t think it wanted to hurt me.”
I didn’t say anything. If Kolya hadn’t woken me up, what would have happened? Blood-streaked snow flashed through my head.
I lowered the rifle, stalked toward Lucy, and swallowed her in my arms. I wasn’t sure which of us was shaking. “The dumbest thing I’ve ever done is run from a bear,” I breathed my confession into her ear. “I was thirteen, old enough to know better. Black bears, you can scare them. Grizzlies have prey drive, and one swipe from them could be deadly. You felt the scars on my back.”
“That was from a bear?”
I nodded. “Fortunately, I was in a hunting party and someone shot it. We’d been hunting it because it broke into a house and killed a man and injured others.” The need to explain the situation was something new, and it could only be because Ididn’t want Lucy thinking an innocent animal was killed because of my stupidity. I understood my wife’s compassion for innocent things, and that was why she didn’t want me shooting the bear. I was ninety-nine percent certain I wouldn’t have. But for a heart-stopping second, I imagined a life without Lucy. That the bear would kill her as karma for the one killed because of me. I tightened my arms around her. But I would kill Karma first before it could hurt my wife.
“Oh God, that was wild,” Lucy whispered. “I’m sorry for heading out there by myself. I don’t think I could’ve forgiven myself if you’d had to kill the bear to save my stupid ass.”
I didn’t even think of blaming Lucy, and she was taking ownership of her lack of prudence. “It was an unfortunate incident, that’s all. I won’t say it’s rare since we don’t live here, but be more careful next time.”
She moved her head in an affirmative. “It’s been a cozy couple of days, but I’m having cabin fever.”
“About that…” I waited for her to give me her eyes. “We need to return. The Kings made their move.”
We reached my parents’house in the afternoon. Who knew packing up the cabin would take forever? I told Lucy I could just send someone to do the housekeeping, but she insisted on laundering the bedding for the next use. Then there was the unfinished puzzle. There was a fourth to go, but in our haste to transfer it to the SUV, it fell apart. Reluctantly, Lucy agreed to leave it behind because we were running late, and we’d have to count the puzzle pieces to make sure we didn’t miss one.
Admittedly, I was impatient to return. By the time we reached the gates of Ivan and Irina’s house, Lucy had become an expert on framing a jigsaw puzzle, and I let her drone on about parchment paper and types of glue to use.
She must have sensed that I wasn’t paying attention. “It’s going to be fine.”
“Hmm?” I grunted.
“Aralina,” she said. “She told me Ivan said he wasn’t going to force her to marry.”
“I know,” I said. “I was there another morning when he said that, but until I have a handle on what’s going on—” I broke off and cursed. King’s sleek Mercedes was in the driveway. I called Kolya.
“Why didn’t you tell me he had arrived?”
“Oh, you’re here?” he drawled.
I exploded into a string of profanities that caused Lucy to give me a sharp look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I expected you three hours ago,” he said.
Fucking Kolya.
“That’s my fault,” Lucy piped in.
“King just arrived. Irina is showing him to the parlor room. Can you take over? I’m not in the mood for tea.”
“You think I am?”
I ended the call and pulled up in front of the entrance. I’d left the trailer at the cabin so it wouldn’t slow us down.
Sato was already there by my wife’s side and opened her door. “Lucy, good vacation?”
“Surprisingly, I enjoyed it.”
“Boss.” His mouth quirked at my unusual attire of flannel shirt, faded denim, and scuffed workman boots. There was no time to go home and change. Lucy dressed similarly, but she made it look fashionably chic, like she stepped out of a Russian ladies’ magazine, winter edition.
Irina met us in the foyer. Her smile was tight. “Kirill. Lucy.”
Lucy gave my mother a warmer greeting than I was in the mood for. It was as though the second our SUV crossed into Manhattan, the ruthlessness of my position as the bratva’spakhan had edged out all the warm emotions the past few days built up inside of me. Was I destined to become this cold motherfucker? I wasn’t sure what our new normal would be, but I couldn’t help thinking that King made his move because of my preoccupation with my wife.
Then my eyes fell on Lucy. Her questioning gaze calmed the icy rage inside me. No, I would not regret building a foundation of trust with my wife. She was worth it. Now to find out what King’s bullshit was all about.
