Roman saved me from having to repeat myself. “Have you lost your damn mind?” he demanded. “You can’t just walk up to Tatiana and invite yourself into her family. She’ll kill you.”
“No, she won’t.”
“This feels...unwise, Elena.” Artyom tried a more diplomatic response. “It took Olezka years of training to be able to successfully infiltrate families and organizations. The training you would have to undergo–”
“I’m a fast learner.” She still hadn’t peeled her mossy eyes away from me. Irritation was warping her features, transforming her from a forest fairy to the wicked witch. “Tatiana offered me a job. I’ll just say I’m taking her up on it.”
I stared at her.
Then very softly asked, “And when did this occur?”
My men had enough common sense to look nervous as they heard my tone. Olezka even took a step back.
Elena didn’t back down. “At the races, after she shot Danika.” Roman flinched at the reminder. “It’s perfect, Konstantin. She won’t let any of you get close to her–but me? We would be colleagues.”
“You took your time telling me this.”
She pressed her lips together. “You’re about to have a pissing contest because I forgot to tell you something? Instead of actually listening to my points?”
Feodor looked highly distressed at her tone.
“I would never be so irrational, Elena,” I responded. “As irrational as you are being when you’re insisting on spying on Tatiana by yourself. What if something happens to you and we can’t find you? Or you need help but can’t contact us? What if she knows immediately what your little plan is and kills you on the spot? What then, Elena? How would you proceed?”
“I would become a ghost and haunt your ass, Konstantin,” she snapped. “None of that is going to happen, and if it does, we’ll deal with it. I’m not as useless as you’re making me out to be.”
“No, but you are as important. If anything were to happen to you–” I broke off before I could finish the sentence.
Elena didn’t back down, but her eyes did soften slightly. “I’m the only one with a plan.”
“We’ll find another plan.” I turned to my men. All of them were looking in different directions (ceiling, roof, floor) to avoid being dragged into our lover’s tiff. “Get me Mitsuzo and Giovanni on the phone. If Tatiana’s set her sights on me, it won’t be long before she decides she wants all of New York.”
“That will have to wait.” Roksana danced into the room, light on her feet. Artyom turned towards her, stretching out an arm in greeting. She took his hand with a smile, but to me, she said, “Your niece is here.”
“She’s far from home,” I noted, not showing my surprise. Why was Natalia here? She had plans to take over Russia–which was hard to do when you were an ocean away.
“Did she tell you she was coming?” Artyom asked.
Elena watched me out of the corner of her eye.
“No, she didn’t.” I cupped the back of Elena’s head, bringing her closer. Thoughts of how she felt around me, muscles contracting and warmth radiating, threatened to consume me whole. If I let them, then audience or not, I’d be having my Elena here and now. “This discussion is over.”
“No, it’s not,” was her sharp reply.
26
Elena Falcone
Natalia Tarkhanov stood in the foyer, now a beautiful 20-year old woman. Her long blonde hair was in two braids, the girlish hairstyle failing to dim the cunning that lay in her eyes. When she turned to look at me, slyness curled her lip but the laugh she let out was light and youthful.
Tarkhanovs, I couldn’t help but think.
“Natasha,” Konstantin said affectionately as soon as he saw her. The two embraced.
Together, Konstantin and Natalia did look striking. Their height matched with the champagne blonde hair and deep brown eyes made them look almost like identical copies of each other, if Konstantin had been a woman and thirteen years younger.
Natalia spotted me instantly.
“Elena.” Her accent caressed my name like we were long-lost friends. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“You, too.”
She surprised me by wrapping her arms around me in a hug. She was oddly cool to the touch, just like the cold-blooded animals she favored.
“You’ve grown up,” I commented. “How are you bugs?”
“They’re well very well, Auntie Lena,” she answered.
My brows furrowed. “I’m not your auntie.”
Voices sounded from behind us, the high-pitched chatter around toys and tag told me who it was.
I looked over my shoulder. “Niko, come say hello to your cousin.”
Nikolai came bouncing over to me. Evva and Anton followed closely. All three of them were covered in dirt, with twigs sticking out their hair and spiderwebs caught on their clothes. I almost laughed at the state of them.
“Niko, meet Natalia. Natalia, met Niko.”
Niko, ever the charmer, gave Natalia a big rosy grin. “’Ello.”
She stood still for a moment, staring and processing, before she leaped forward. “Cousin!” She leaned down and kissed him on both cheeks. “I’m so excited to meet you, little Tarkhanov heir! You and I–” Natalia softened her voice, convincing Niko she was sharing a secret “–are siblings in arms. The next era of Tarkhanovs. We will do great things together.”
In response, Nikolai stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out a handful of mushed blueberries.
“Oh, God, Niko. You’re going to stain yourself,” I muttered.
He offered one to Natalia.
She didn’t even flinch at the smooched nature of it. Just popped it into her mouth and grinned. “Thank you, cousin.” Natalia kissed him on both cheeks again. “Do you like spiders?”
Nikolai nodded vigorously.
“Oh, he’s perfect, Elena!” She rose to her full height and wrapped a bony arm around me. “I was so worried Uncle Kostya would knock up some idiot woman and I would have to kill my own cousin to protect our lineage, but no, no! He has exceeded my expectations.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Watch how you speak around my son.”
Natalia looked thoughtful. “No one ever censored themselves around me but for you, Auntie Lena? I will make an exception.” She looked down to Nikolai. “Murder is bad, Kolya. Don’t do it.”
Luckily, Nikolai was too invested in the berries in his palm to listen to Natalia.
Konstantin sighed. He had been standing off the side, watching Natalia meet her cousin. “I love you, Natasha, but Nikolai is not even three. Watch your mouth.”
“I know, I know.” She laughed. “Apologies.”
“And I am not your aunt,” I corrected. “Konstantin and I aren’t married. Besides, I’m only six years older than you.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Not yet, maybe. But soon.” She petted Nikolai’s head. “Kolya, come with me. I brought something from Moscow I want to show you, yes?”
“Kolya?” I asked Konstantin as they disappeared further into the house, Evva and Anton hot on their heels.