Leaning over, he kissed me, his mouth gently urgent. The moment I reached for him, the car behind us honked, and we both laughed as he pulled through the intersection.
“Almost home,” he said.
Home. For a brief moment, I wished he had planned everything for love instead of a contract. That this was as real as he said it was in the heat of an argument. They were foolish thoughts, and I brushed them away.
Chapter 20 - Rurik
For the next two weeks, everything went as well as could be expected, at least where my wife was concerned. Clem and I found our feet around one another, and while she still sometimes infuriatingly acted like a guest in her own home, we had some amazing times together.
From meeting in the library after dinner each evening and quietly reading side by side on the big couch to exploding into passionate conversations about everything from our books to business, she made it clear more and more every day that I had made the right decision.
The only decision.
Even when we disagreed about something, and we often did now that she was growing more bold with her opinions and not treating me like her boss, I always learned something new from her point of view.
She was so different from me, growing up as an only child who was raised mostly by an elderly aunt, but I enjoyed her stories about exploring her small town in Vermont with her small circle of friends. She didn’t speak much about her most recent years in college, and I still didn’t know why she dropped out so close to graduating, but I assumed it was due to money problems and didn’t push her about it.
I loved showing off with crazy tales of my upbringing with my two rowdy older brothers to contend with, as well as the countless cousins, aunts, and uncles, both here and back in Russia.
“How do you keep all the relationships straight?” she asked one evening. “Not just cousins, but second cousins, twice removed cousins, uncles by marriage…”
I shook my head. “None of that really matters to us. Family is family, we’re all the same.”
She got that wistful look she often did, but there were no words I could say that would make her believe she was one of us. Only time would make her see she belonged with me. That she had an army of a family behind her now.
Everything was damn near close to perfect—when I was in the office or at home. The only thing that was a dark blot was the new war brewing against my family. We all thought that when we officially united with the Collective, no one would dare mess with us, but there would always be power-hungry people in the world who had more greed than sense.
There were starting to be one too many unexplainable late nights, and Clem wasn’t buying my excuses of spending time at my cousin’s boxing gym to account for the bruises I was getting in our most recent fights. It was sheer luck that it was only bruises, as my cousin Ivan had been grazed with a bullet the night before. It was getting harder to remain as loyal as possible to my family and keep those late-night fights a secret.
It wasn’t just to keep Clem out of danger, but ever since I met her, I was enjoying the novel feeling of being somewhat normal. Talking about everyday occurrences in my almost completely legitimate business with my definitely completely straight arrow wife was refreshing. I loved seeing the respect in her eyes. It was only tinged with the worry of what she’d think when the truth about the Fokins had to come out.
She’d already proven she wasn’t a huge fan of secrecy, and hiding the fact I was Bratva was as big as it got.
Clem had taken the last few days off from office work to make sure the house was exactly as it should be for the Koboyashi’s upcoming visit. I hadn’t owned the place very long,and it had been hurriedly decorated by a professional. She assured me it looked as good as any four-star hotel, but that was part of the problem.
“It needs personal touches,” she had told me, blushing furiously as she nodded toward two garment bags. “And personal photos.”
The bags contained a simple white wedding gown and a tuxedo. With the timer set on her phone, we proceeded to take some pictures in the garden that looked remarkably believable. So much so that I caught her staring at them once she had them printed, framed, and scattered around the house.
Was that really the dress she would have chosen, or was she in assistant mode, just going for simplicity and cost efficiency? Before I could ask her, she was hurrying off to make sure the guest towels were just right, and stressing over the menus with my cook.
Hating being at the office without her, I was rushing home a day before our guests were due to arrive when I got a phone call from Shin. Apologizing profusely, he explained something had come up at one of their factories, and they were going to have to cancel the visit. My stomach plummeted.
This deal was just a few extra zeros in my bank account, which were always welcome, but more importantly, it was going to be Clem’s first real achievement in the business world. A crowning achievement, too, and I would have moved the earth itself to make it happen for her.
“Erina and I would love it if you visited us here in Tokyo,” he said. “You must come and let us show you the same hospitality you showed us in LA.”
He assured me the invitation was sincere, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to leave the country when so muchwas going on with my family. I kept that part to myself when I told Clem we weren’t having our first house guests after all. Expecting her to be relieved, I was surprised when she slumped with disappointment.
“All your hard work wasn’t wasted,” I assured her. “The place looks much better with your new touches.”
“I was looking forward to seeing them again,” she said. “But, thanks.”
I gathered her into my arms, the invitation on the tip of my tongue. Imagining exploring the streets of a new city with my curious wife almost had me forgetting all about my family. Clem was that important to me. All I needed. But they needed me right now. Fun wasn’t an option when some group of thugs was constantly setting buildings on fire or shooting out windows.
“Perhaps one day we can go to Tokyo,” I said, feeling her out on the subject. One day, when my family wasn’t under siege, which could mean never.
Her eyes shone when she leaned back to look up at me. “That would be great,” she sighed. “I’ve always meant to read more Japanese history. I’m going to start tonight.”