Dmitri? How many people were helping make this dinner happen? “It’s a roast.”
“He does something special to it,” he said. “You’ll see. Wine?”
“No, thank you.” I had to stay sober. Alcohol would not keep me from touching Konstantin. In fact, it would probably speed up the process.
I had always remarked how good Konstantin’s table manners were. I’d seen him kill a man, but I’d also seen him dab the corners of his mouth after a meal and always use the correct spoons. I had never bothered to learn the different between a soup and dessert spoon, and I had no plans too.
“What is your first question?” I asked.
He smiled around his wine. “We’re having dinner. Relax. Enjoy yourself.” He gestured to the fork I was holding. “If you grip that thing any tighter, it will snap in half. Artyom won’t be pleased about that.”
I forced my knuckles to relax. I hadn’t even realized how hard I had been clenching until my hand was loose again. “I hope you don't have any plans to seduce me. This is not the way to do it.”
I can't believe I just said that. I can't believe I just said that. Are you kidding, Elena?
I don't know why I had chosen today to poke the bear–maybe that was my natural state–but the darkening of Konstantin’s eyes made me wish I hadn’t said anything.
If he kept looking at me like that, like I was the dinner on his plate, I might throw away all the pep talks I had given myself and succumbed to him.
A criminal mastermind wants to kill him, Elena! I reminded myself. You’ll miss Konstantin a whole lot more if he’s six feet under, I can promise you that.
“We have a son together,” he said. “I was successful at seducing you once before. Who is to say I can’t do it a second time?”
I dropped the fork and shot to my feet. “This was a bad idea. You...you need to move on!” He better fucking not. “What we had is over. Yes, we have Nikolai together. But I left you, Kon, because I didn’t l–” Say it, say it! But no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t force myself to say it for a second time. “I left because I wanted to,” I finished lamely.
Konstantin’s eyes danced over my face before they fell down to my arms. New words had appeared. Secretive, yearning, heartache. I may as well have worn my heart on my sleeve.
“Elena, sit down.” His voice was kind, soft. More than I deserved. “There will be no moving on or leaving again. We are a family and families do not run from each other.”
I collapsed back down onto the chair. “Roksana said you didn’t even look at another woman while I was gone. Is that true?”
I knew I was torturing myself, that I wasn’t going to like the answer. He was a Pakhan, a king, and a beautiful man. Being sexually active was another personality trait for him.
“There have been no others.”
I lifted my eyes to him. His face was open and honest. “Really? No one else? You were a monk for three years?”
Konstantin held out his wine, like he was a host giving a toast. “Who could compare, Elena?”
That made me pause.
I looked down at my food, feeling my cheeks flush with heat.
Who could compare, Elena?
“What answer could I expect if I asked the same question?” he asked.
That woke me up a little. I narrowed my eyes on him. “Oh, yeah, between being a single parent, working, and taking college courses, I was a real rowdy girl.” I shook my head. “No, Konstantin. There has been no one else.”
Konstantin looked pleased and took a sip of his wine. “College. Tell me about that.”
“I couldn’t afford anything fancy,” I said before common sense could shut me up. “But I worked hard. I was able to shorten my degree from four years to three. Graduated with honors.”
“Of course, you did. I would expect nothing less.” Konstantin sliced into his vegetables. “Did you like it?”
“Did I like it?” I felt a smile grow up my face. “I loved it. I loved every moment of it. I was there the earliest and stayed the latest. I used to make friends with the lab techs so they would let me in on the weekends and holidays.” I began to relax and eat my own meal. Konstantin was right; it was delicious. The chicken and gravy were mouth-watering, the spices mixing together to create an exquisite meal.
Between bites, I added, “The college hated me though.”
“Oh?”
“Niko had to go to the daycare while I was in class and he was the naughtiest kid there.” I tried not to laugh. He had been a real menace. “He’s not mean or vindictive. He just has a lot of energy and is reckless. It makes for a bad combination.”
“He is both of those things,” Konstantin murmured in agreement. “He reminds me of Natasha when she was younger. Full of energy but sharp.”
“Do they look alike?”
“They could’ve been twins. I’ll find a photo for you.” When he went to refill his glass, he offered me some wine.
“Just a little bit.” Some deep part of me was crying out in fury but I ignored it. The wine was sour but well-made, probably sourced from a vineyard worth more than this estate. “I’ve been told you haven’t been yourself recently.”
When Danika had told me this, she had said it quietly and under her breath, like she was afraid the mice might hear and report back to Konstantin. I had taken one look at him and known something was wrong, something wasn’t right, but Danika confirming it had been the icing on the cake.
Konstantin didn’t react. “It has been stressful, ensuring power over Staten Island and dealing with other organizations. Lots of power has shifted since you were in this world last, Elena. The Lombardis are gone and Washington DC is no longer a no man’s land. The three families of Boston are at peace and the king of Miami is in jail.”
“That all sounds very interesting,” I said but kept pressing. “But what about you?”
“Me?” He laughed under his breath. “I was handling a family that was falling apart at the seams, a criminal mastermind who had insinuated herself into my house and dealing with a broken heart. Anything I did, I did for my Bratva.”
“Someone told me you were violent.”
“I’ve always been violent, Elena.”
I shook my head. “Apparently, you do interrogations yourself now? Not even Artyom, Dmitri or Roman will join you. Hell, not even Olezka. Why? Why are they so horrified to see you in action?”
A muscle in Kon’s jaw ticked. The only physical sign he was growing frustrated with his conversation. “You’re been very nosey for a person who doesn’t plan to stay long.”
“I know you, Kon. I know you. And do you know the first thought I had when I saw you in that forest, after three years of agony and separation and pain?”
“Before or after you lunged like a wildcat?”
I stuck a finger at him. “I thought there is something wrong with him. Something inside him has broken, a clutch has slipped. That is not the man I–” I broke off. Emotions were beginning to clog my ears and throat, blurring all rational thought. “I just want to know what happened to you.”
“You know, Elena,” he said. “You just don’t want to believe it.”