“Are you okay?” he asked her.
Stunned, she could only nod.
Giving her a quick kiss, Sir unbuckled his seatbelt and got up from his seat to help the stewardess who lay crumpled on the floor.
The pilot spoke over the intercom, his voice high-pitched and shaky. “Folks, we just passed through a band of clear air turbulence. Although unpredictable, they are known to happen this time of year. Now that we’ve passed through the band, I don’t anticipate any further disturbances. However, I ask that you remain in your seats with your seatbelts on for the duration of this flight.”
Brie kissed the tops of her crying children’s heads, her entire body trembling from the rush of endorphins. What she was experiencing was similar to a sub-high, but in this case, it was caused by the certainty that death had been averted.
When Sir sat back down beside her, she looked at him, both grateful and frightened. He smiled at her reassuringly and reached out to play with her hair just as he would during aftercare.
Neither of them said a word during the rest of the flight, but when they finally landed, Brie joined the others on the plane as they broke out in relieved applause. As they deplaned, the captain stood with his cockpit crew to see the passengers off. He shook the hand of each person as they passed.
“Thank you,” Sir said in a gruff voice as he clasped the pilot’s hand and shook it firmly.
Brie noticed tears in the captain’s eyes when he glanced at their two children while shaking her hand.
“Thank you for saving my family,” she told him fervently.
He nodded to her, too choked up to speak.
Brie walked off the plane in a daze. Once she reached the terminal, she scanned all the people at the airport running about. While they were focused on making their flights, she was simply grateful to be alive.
Sir informed her that he needed to use the bathroom. While she waited outside the lavatory, she heard the distinct sound of him retching and her heart broke. Although he had remained calm throughout the entire flight, she knew he’d just lived his greatest nightmare.
When he walked back out, he nodded to her and lifted Hope into his arms, the picture of calm. “Let’s get our bags and get the hell out of this place.”
Syurpriz!
Sir hailed a taxi and they started a slow and tedious trip as they crawled through morning traffic to reach the modern and stylish high-rises of Moskva-City.
Brie sighed in frustration and turned to Sir. “Rytsar starts his mornings early. Do you think he’ll still be there when we arrive?”
He smiled when he answered, “While Durov may have no idea we’re coming, Maxim does. He’ll make certain Durov stays put until we get there.”
After what had just happened, Brie was even more impatient to reunite with him. As she looked at their two children, a shiver when down her spine. If it hadn’t been for the skill of the pilot, none of them would be here right now. In one fell swoop, the Alonzo Davis family line would have been completely erased.
“Try not to think of it, babygirl,” Sir advised, wrapping his arm around her.
Brie laid her head on his shoulder. She had only experienced a momentary scare, while Sir had been forced to relive the horror he’d experienced the day his plane crashed in LA. “Are you all right, Sir?”
He squeezed her tighter. “I will be.”
She pulled away, looking at him with concern. “Maybe we shouldn’t have come.”
“It’s important we’re here. Now lay your head back down and do your best to forget it. Durov and Wallace don’t need to know what happened on the flight.”
She agreed, knowing how Rytsar and Faelan would react if she told them. It would serve no purpose to burden them with the knowledge.
“It’ll be our little secret,” Brie promised, grateful their children were too young to remember it.
Pointing to the tall, artistic buildings of Moskva-City, Brie told Hope, “Your dyadya lives here.”
Hope perked up. “Dyadya?”
“Yes, little angel. Your dyadya is up in that building right there,” Sir told her.
Hope started bouncing in her seat and clapping her hands together. Brie smiled, touched by her daughter’s infectious joy and innocence. What happened on the plane was now in the past for her little girl and had no bearing on her excitement about seeing Rytsar.
Following Sir’s advice and Hope’s example, Brie set her sights on the building as they approached, pushing out all other thoughts.
By the time they reached the top floor in the elevator, Brie’s heart started racing with anticipation. Sir knocked on the door and stood back to wait. When Maxim answered, she could hear a television blasting in the background.
As soon as Maxim saw the four of them, he pursed his lips in amusement and closed the door, stating loudly in Russian, “Gospodin, there is a delivery from the US.”
Brie heard Rytsar rant from behind the door. “Why are you telling me? Sign for it and bring it to me.”
“I cannot.”
“Blyat!”
Brie grinned when she heard Rytsar continue to curse as he approached the door. “First, you delay me this morning with nonsense, and now this? I should fire you and get a new man.”
Cradling Anthony in her arms, Brie bit her lip as she waited for Rytsar to open the door. The moment he did, Hope reached out to him, crying, “Dyadya!”
The grin on Rytsar’s face was priceless as he automatically reached for the child. “I can’t believe this…” he sputtered in complete shock, shaking his head at Sir.
It took him a short moment to realize Brie was there as well.
“Radost moya…” he murmured, then looked at the infant in her arms. Brie’s smile grew as she unwrapped the baby from the blanket so he could see him.
Rytsar’s grin grew as she held her son. “Moy gordost.”
Brie’s bottom lip quivered when she heard the special name he had for their baby.
My pride…
“Come in!” he insisted. “I must be properly introduced to my godson.”
Kissing Hope on the cheek, he handed her back to Sir before taking the tiny infant from Brie’s arms. Rocking him gently, the burly Russian smiled down at their son, stating in Russian, “You are handsome, brave, and strong.”
It felt almost as if Rytsar were granting those attributes to their son. He smiled at her, explaining, “I was told those were the first words my mother said to me when I was born.”
Brie nodded with tears in her eyes.
Glancing at Sir, Rytsar said, “I’m heartily grateful for this unexpected visit, moy droog.”
“We needed it as much as you, brother.”
“You make beautiful children together.” Rytsar grinned, draping an arm around Sir. “And, now, you only have three more to go.”
Sir shook his head, chuckling.
“How was the flight?” Rytsar asked, releasing Sir to rub the top of Hope’s curly head. “It must have been a challenge with two children in tow.”
Sir didn’t miss a beat when he answered. “The quarters were spacious. No complaints.”
“That is good to hear.”
“Dyadya,” Hope called to him, wanting all of Rytsar’s attention.