“Uh-huh…”
I hear her sniffle and lean down to press a kiss to her head.
As she steps away, she says, “Your father told me about Nina and Simi. I got everything you asked for.” Worry tightens her features as she lifts her hands to brush them over my chest, fixing my shirt and absentmindedly trying to wipe away a wet spot her tears left on the silk. A frown forms on her forehead, then she asks, “What are you doing, bringing them here, Georgi?”
Knowing she will understand, I say, “Nina has suffered horrific things, and she still tried to help me.”
“She looks traumatized.”
“She is. The bastards conditioned the hell out of her.”
“Jesus.” Mom places her hand on my left arm, and as the wound begins to throb, I carefully pull away and open the fridge to grab a bottle of water so that she won’t notice.
“I’m keeping Nina and Simi. They’re mine, and I’ll look after them,” I state my intentions clearly so there are no misunderstandings between Mom and me.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” The corner of her mouth lifts. “You’re just like your father. Once you put your mind to something, there’s no changing your mind.”
While I take a sip of the water, I go over everything that’s happened. It’s wild to think it’s only been five days.
Shows you how quickly your life can change.
“Let’s join the others,” Mom says. “As much as I want to keep you to myself, it’s not fair to them.”
I set the bottle of water down and follow Mom out of the kitchen.
Rosie is the first to get to me before I even make it halfway to the living room. She practically throws herself at me, and as I catch her, pain shudders through my body.
“Fuck,” I suppress a groan and quickly set her down on her feet. “Pain.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.” She steps backward, then gives me a heartbroken look. “I swear I fried half my microchips looking for you. What happened to your phone and watch?”
“They were smashed with a hammer.”
Worry creases her eyebrows, and she glances at the other men before her gaze stops on Enzo, whom she used to have a huge crush on. “That’s not good. I need to figure out another way of tracking you all.”
Rosie turns her head back to me, then something behind me catches her attention, and her eyes narrow.
When I look over my shoulder, I see Nina and Simi. Nina gives me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean tointerrupt. I heard you say you’re in pain and just wanted to check on you.”
Reaching for her, I pull her closer to me by the back of her neck. “Rosie just tackled me. I’m okay.” I move past Rosie, then call out, “Can I have everyone’s attention.” My loved ones stop talking, and once they’re all focused on me, I say, “This is Nina and Simi. They’re mine. Simi doesn’t speak English, so please keep that in mind.” I glance over the most important people in my life. “Don’t ask Nina any questions. She is not the enemy but under my protection. Treat her the way you would treat each other. I want her to feel at home as soon as possible.”
“Well, that sums it up in a nutshell,” Enzo mutters while chuckling.
“Yours?” Christiano, thecapo dei capiand Enzo’s older brother, asks. “You claimed Boris Pavlov’s daughter and grandchild?”
I lock eyes with him. “Yes. They belong to me. End of story.”
“And what about Pavlov?” Christiano asks.
I gesture at Rosie. “Once I’ve taken some time to recover, Rosie and I will work together to find the bastard. That will be my sole focus until he’s dead.”
“That’s enough talk of work,” Aunt Gabriella, Christiano’s mother, says as she comes toward me. “The rest of us would like to check on Georgi.” When she reaches me, she brings her hand to my left arm. I notice how Nina tenses, her eyes locking on where the bandage is.
I turn my body sideways and hug Aunt Gabriella with my right arm instead.