He turned his silvery eyes to Theory, studying her for a moment before he nodded approvingly.
“You secured your woman. Good. I will call the priest for later this week?—”
“Excuse me. Unless your priest does last rites, which your son will no doubt need by the end of the week, ain’t no use in you calling him,” Theory interrupted.
The men around us went stiller than they had been. Shocked, I knew. No one talked to their former boss like that, especially about one of his sons. But hell, she was mine, and I was gon’stick beside her. This time, I didn’t let her pull away as I grabbed her hand and damn near yanked her against my side, even though my father had a full-fledged smile.
“Umm… yeah. Pops, this is Theory. Theory, this is my father, Sergei Alexeyevich Sidorov,” I introduced.
“She is a beauty like your mother, with a very similar mouth,” he said, extending his hand and kissing the back of hers when she reluctantly grasped his. “I will pray for you… with the priest I willstillcall.”
He winked at Theory before beckoning Andrei closer.
“Show my daughter-in-law to her room. Bring her anything she desires,” he directed.
“Ay, Dre. I’m trusting you with my golden one,moya zolotse. Don’t make me come looking for you like a thief in the night,” I threatened.
Andrei nodded once. “Of course, Mr. Sidorov.”
“Targen,” Theory whispered.
I interrupted her, unwilling to hear the protests I knew were coming. “I promise I’ll hear you out later. Right now, I need you to just go.”
“But I?—”
“Please,milaya. I’ll explain everything in a little while.”
And then because I couldn’t help it anymore, I kissed her right on the delicate little nose chain. She wrinkled her nose and stared up at me for a moment before finally nodding. I watched as she hesitantly followed Andrei. See, that little act of faith, of trust, was why I knew I was going to get my girl back. I glanced at my pops.
“What his ass want?”
He shrugged. “A few things.”
We walked to Maxim’s office at the back of the house, a half-story lower than the hill-mounted ground floor.
He stood when we came in, flanked by his closest advisor, Artyom, and his personal guard, Lev.
“The beautiful Theory did not kick your sorry ass?”
Even being funny, my brother kept a straight face. My shoulders hunched.
“Yeah, well, I ain’t been alone with her yet. She promised to do it.”
“Once you explain that you are only trying to keep her safe, the best way we know—” he started.
“Shiii, she gon’ still be mad. Obviously, you know nothing about black women,” I chuckled.
“Obviously, you know nothing about me,” he shot back.
Blank gray eyes met mine. We shared Sergei’s eye color, but where mine were shaped like our pops’, Maxim’s had almost an East Asian tilt. His mother had died long before I was born, and I’d never seen a picture of her.
“Why am I here?” I changed the subject.
“Gas leak at your home and an issue with the safe room. It should all be fixed within a week,” he abruptly informed me.
But I knew there was something else. I could feel it. I waited, refusing to push. He’d summoned me, hell.
“We will also make a trip to the warehouse. There is business to handle.”
