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Nico became that man.

Not by asking for the role but by grinding for it with a kind of ferocity I hadn’t seen in him before. Day after day. Night after night. He handled procurement, personnel rotations, collections, and border control. He kept peace with the Italian remnants while hunting down the ones who refused to accept the new order. He protected our shipments, smoothed over disputes between lieutenants, and made sure our expansion didn’t draw unnecessary heat.

He put his whole chest into correcting that single moment of hesitation so completely that the men in Kansas City now called him Zam Po Voram—my deputy.

A title no outsider of the family had earned in years. He did everything a brigadier should do, and everything a guilty man needed to do to sleep at night.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“One more thing,” Nico said, tone shifting. “I checked in on Zasha earlier. Yelena wants you to visit next month. Says the baby’s teething like a tiny demon. If you can make it, I can rotate our roster.”

As he always did, to ensure Yuriy’s and my secret remained that. Although lately, I’d begun to wonder how bad it would be if everyone found out about us. We had been together now for nine months, and I was certain Yuriy was mine forever.

“I’ll call them later.” I drummed my pen on the table while watching the clock. “How’s Richard doing?”

“He’s fine.” Silence strung between us on a taut string, one I didn’t break, but I was waiting for him to tell the truth. Finally, he heaved a sigh, and I imagined him running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Truth is, he’s getting anxious about the upcoming holiday. It’s his first time spending one without Arty. He doesn’t do well with change. I’m trying to make it easier on him.”

“You know you don’t have to personally oversee him. Don’t you, Nico? Why don’t you put him into one of those nice communities where they have someone take care of them? I’ll foot the bill.”

“No!” His tone came out sharper than expected. “I mean, that would kill him. It’s not that he can’t take care of himself. He can. Just that when things change, it throws him off, and he gets overwhelmed. He needs someone there to help him through the changes, is all. It’s fine. We’ve been working well together, and he’s gotten used to me now.”

“Hmm. I was thinking that with our presence now stabilized in Kansas City, it’s about time for you to return home. You’ve more than proven yourself.”

“I—thank you, sir, but if it’s all the same to you, I’ll stay here in Kansas City.” His voice dropped to barely a whisper. “He needs me.”

“You would defy an order for him?”

“Mr. Zhukovsky, you know I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me, but I can’t—please don’t make me choose.”

Just as I suspected. There was way more going on between Nico and Richard than he’d let on.

“It’s fine, Nico. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’ve done a splendid job making both of us richer and keeping my family there safe.”

“Thank you, sir.”

We wrapped up the call, and I leaned back in my chair, letting the city’s distant hum fill the silence. Not too long to wait now.

A sharp knock sounded on the door.

Fuck.

I glanced at the clock. I had to meet Yuriy shortly, but I’d never get out of the office in time if people kept walking in.

“Enter.”

One of my lieutenants stepped inside, jaw tight, sweat beading at his hairline. The kind of expression that meant I was about to receive terrible news.

“Boss,” he said, “we have an… issue.”

I set my pen down slowly. “Speak.”

“It’s the south side transport.” He swallowed. “It was intercepted.”

My attention sharpened. “What?”

He hesitated.

“And?”