I glared at her, because what she said pissed me off. It made me think she believed she had to protect her child from me, the only other person in the house.
It mighthave hurt my feelings too.
“I just don’t want her to be alone in a strange place. She’ll get scared if she wakes up in the night alone. Or maybe she’d leave the room, make her way to the stairs…”
My heart dropped to the floor as I imagined her little body tumbling down my wooden stairs while I slept, completely unaware. I made a mental note to get a stair gate fitted.
“You’re right. You’ll share a room.”
I continued to lead them up the stairs and down the hallway toward my room. There was a guest room across from mine and two more on the third floor. I didn’t use them often. Usually, one of my men crashed if we were working late or after having a few drinks. Nikolay stayed the most often, but usually on the third floor.
I could have put Sarah and Alexis up there, but I wanted them close to me. Opening the door to the guest room, I let them walk in first. There wasn’t any breakable decor in here or bookshelves that could fall and crush Alexis, but the dresser wasn’t anchored to the wall either.
I eyed the bulky piece of furniture uneasily. I never thought about how dangerous so many things could be fora child before, and I probably wasn’t even picking up on everything that could be a problem. How did parents do all this?
Sarah finally set Alexis down, and she headed straight for the nightstand, picking up the remote for the TV on the dresser. Sarah chuckled, the sound low and warm.
“Fine,” she said, taking the remote from Alexis. “I’ll turn on some cartoons for you, but only while I’m getting ready for bed. It’s time for us to sleep.”
“No sleep,” Alexis said, her voice firm in a way that suggested she thought shewas in charge here.
Sarah scooped her up and playfully pretended to slam Alexis on the bed before digging her fingers into Alexis’s ribs, tickling her. I didn’t think I’d ever heard anything so joyful as that little girl’s laughter.
I knew I was intruding on the moment by lingering in the room, but I couldn’t pull myself away. Even as an outsider observing this interaction, I felt a connection to these two.
After a moment, Sarah straightened and turned on the cartoons. Then she turned, her smile turning strained when she noticed I was still there. I hated that. I didn’t want her to look at me like an enemy.
“This place is secure,” I said, mostly just because I felt I needed to break the tension. “There’s nothing for you to worry about. I always have men guarding the place.”
She frowned, wrapping her arms around herself as if she felt a chill. “That makes me think I haveplentyto worry about.”
She glanced at Alexis, making sure she was completely focused on the TV, and stepped closer to me, lowering her voice. “Is it true? Are you the leader of the… theBratva?”
I looked into her eyes for a beat, debating how to answer. I wanted to be honest with her, but one of the fastest ways to end up behind bars was to talk about mafia business with people who weren’t a part of the life. Besides, I wasn’t sure if she could handle it if I confirmed that I was Pakhan. She might freak out and try to leave.
“I’m a businessman I own a construction company.” That wasn’t a lie. At least, I didn’t have to feel bad about that.
“That’s not really an answer to my question.”
I smirked, unable to help myself. “You’re not ready for the answer.”
She gulped, her eyes shifting away for a moment. I wanted to see if she would panic, since I’d implied that I was indeed in charge of the Bratva, but she didn’t. When her eyes met mine again, there was a resolve there.
“Are you a killer?”
I paused. “I didn’t kill your boss.”
Before she could fully process that, I decided it was time to go. A lot had happened to her today, and I was sure she was feeling overwhelmed. I needed to leave her alone with her daughter for now. She needed time to process it all.
“Good night, Sarah. Good night,zayka.”
“Night, Mitri,” Alexis called out.
I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. Before I even made it across the hall, I heard the door of the guest room being locked, and I grinned. I had a key to every room in my home, but I would let her have the false comfort of believing she’d locked me out if that made her feel better.
As long as she stayed here, where they were both safe.