Page 36 of Caught By the Bratva Boss

Slowly, I tilted my head to him. “And who does?”

“Me,” he said simply and then shook himself. “I mean— fuck.” His eyes blazed.

“Language, Daniil,” Anya giggled behind us.

The spell broke at the sound of her voice. Daniil jumped away like someone had tasered him. I dropped my arms to my side. I hadn’t even realized I’d wrapped them around his throat.

“So—” he rubbed a hand through his hair and made it stand up on end. “Please be more careful, Miss Ridgeway. I don’t want you to hurt yourself on my property.”

Anya rolled her eyes. “Much too late to try and act all professional now, big brother. Everyone saw.” She winked at me. “And I couldn’t be happier for you. Honestly, just next time, please save the public displays of affection until I can leave. You honestly looked like you were going to fu—”

“Enough,” Danill bellowed and took a threatening step towards her, which just made her laugh even more.

I didn’t know how I missed it the first time. Their whole demeanor around each other was that of siblings or lifelong friends, and not lovers.

“I think it’s time you left,” he said, but there was no anger in his voice. Just teasing.

“Could Timothy sit with you for a few minutes?” Danill asked me.

Shocked, I stared at him. Had he just asked me instead of telling me? This was a whole new side to him, and I kind of liked it. “Sure.” Shaking the water from my skin, I pulled out a chair and sat, and the little boy scuttled from Anya’s lap to mine without a word, bringing his toy cars with him.

“Which one is your favorite?” I asked softly.

“Red, like your hair,” he said and sent one whizzing up my arm.

“I won’t be long.” Daniil’s eyes softened even more as he looked at his son and then pulled out Anya’s chair and wheeled her away.

I stared at them open-mouthed. How had I not noticed?

Anya was in a wheelchair.

The accident that had left Timothy without a mother and Daniil without a wife had left her with the inability to use her legs.

Chapter Fifteen

Daniil

When I got back to the stuffy confines of the indoor pool after taking Anya to the car, the sight that met my eyes filled my heart with a weird sort of dread.

It wasn’t the fact that Timothy and Lily were together as thick as thieves and seemed to be watching something on her phone and giggling away like the best of friends. But it also went to prove how much he was missing a mother figure. Anya did a good job with him, but she was young and had her whole life before her.

Timothy needed a mother who would love him. He deserved that. And I needed—

Again, my eyes looked over them.

I felt guilty even thinking of trying to replace Claudia. She was irreplaceable and always would be. Stuffing my hands in my clean pockets, I walked towards them, making my presence known.

Timothy noticed me first. “Papa.”

Slowly, Lily turned her head to watch me approach, and her eyes darkened with the same lust that always filled me when I saw her. She smiled a little sadly, and I wanted to scream at her not to feel sorry for me. It was one of the reasons I hadn’t told her about Claudia’s death. I hated the pity that filled people’s faces when they found out.

I wasn’t the kind of man to be pitied—not ever.

What happened was sad, but I had had her for a long time, and I would be forever grateful for that.

“Did Anya—?” Lily began to say.

“Anya is fine. She never needs my help. She just likes to gossip. I think sometimes she just needs someone to talk to, and I’m here. She forgets who and what I am, but hopefully that will stop when she is married.”