Sofia swipes at her eyes. “Just forget it, okay? I didn’t mean to lose my shit like that. You were right. I was stupid.”
“Sweetie, I never said you were stupid. I know you were worried and wanted to make sure things were okay. I’m just saying we can’t let our emotions guide our actions, especially now. We need to be super careful.”
“Yeah, I know,” Sofia mutters. “I should have thought it through.”
Kristina pulls her in for a hug and Sofia collapses against her chest with a loud sob. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that stuff I said.”
“Yes, you did,” Kristina whispers. “But it’s fine. I shouldn’t have been so condescending. I was just reacting to the situation.”
“I love you,” Sofia murmurs.
Maria throws her arms around them both and Kristina looks up at me, clutching her sisters. She gives me a half-shrug, a smile lifting the corners of her lips.
I know that they are the most important people in her life and that she will do everything in her power to protect them.
I have to help.
“Guys, Uncle Frank will be coming back for dinner. I told him we’d make Mom’s famous spaghetti and meatballs. What do you think about that?”
Lots of sniffle giggles follow and Kristina leads them into the kitchen, tossing a glance over her shoulder, a very subtle invitation in her gaze. “Want to learn how to make the best sauce in the world?”
I grin, following them into the kitchen. “The best sauce is arguable since you’re not even Italian. I thought Russians were only known for their vodka consumption capabilities.”
“My dad’s mother is Italian and she taught Mom everything she knew about cooking.” Kristina goes over to the enormous pantry and starts pulling out ingredients. “My mother was an Olympic gymnast, so she always watched every single calorie she ate and drank. It drove my grandmother crazy because…” She winks at me. “Well, you know Italian moms. You can’t go for dinner and eat like a bird. They’ll tie you down and stuff you or take you to the Emergency Room to make sure you’re not sick with some horrible disease.”
Sofia pulls out a large stainless steel saucepot. “And Grandma wanted to make sure Mom knew how to make her husband happy…through his belly, of course. So Mom learned the tricks and then passed them on to us.”
“What can I do to help?” I waggle my eyebrows. “I know a few tricks myself.”
“Just sit there and look pretty,” Sofia says with a grin. “We’ve got this.”
“Maria, would you grab me another can of the San Marzano tomatoes?” Kristina asks.
I watch as she takes the can off the shelf and walks it over, stopping short right in the spot where the bullet fired into the house. The window has been repaired, the shards of glass have been cleaned up and removed, but it’s clear the knowledge of what she saw that day can’t ever be erased.
A shadow eclipses her face, her nose turning pink and her eyes flooding with tears. The can crashes against the tile and she covers her face with her hands, sinking into one of the kitchen chairs. “I hate whoever did this to them! They tore us apart! Things are never going to be okay again!” Her shoulders quake with sobs and the girls run over to her, comforting her in a way only they could. Kristina gathers them close, tears running down her cheeks as she whispers to them.
I just stand there and watch, knowing with Savio at the helm, Maria was one-hundred-percent right in what she said.
Things will never be okay again.
This is why it was so dangerous for me to get involved.
Because I feel the same rage, the same loss — every day.
And I need to keep my focus because I can’t suffer that loss again by allowing my emotions to grab hold of me and put my plans at risk.
I need to keep my distance. I can’t give in to these feelings about the Ivankov girls, especially the ones about Kristina.
That kiss was so fucking wrong.
Doesn’t matter how right it was.
It won’t happen again, not when there is so much hanging in the balance.
Savio, Frank, Joey…I just need answers, not blue balls.
I didn’t see my mother die.
But I saw her run off and abandon me after I’d done everything possible to keep her safe from Savio.
It was almost like experiencing a death, a self-imposed one.
She was perfectly willing to pick up and leave the state to save herself, not giving her only son a second thought, worrying about how he’d be able to survive on his own at sixteen with nothing but a tyrant of a father hovering overhead, waiting for a chance to tear him down.
The girls break from their power huddle and Maria is calmer. Kristina scoops the can off the floor and grabs the can opener while Sofia returns to her work on the meatballs.
Quiet strength.
They’re lucky to have each other.
They don’t need to navigate this struggle alone.
And Frank…
My lips twist with disdain at the thought of him circling like a hungry seagull over the empire that he’s so clearly desperate to pilfer.
He’s got an agenda, I’m sure of it.
His behavior in the office made that damn obvious, not only today but the day of the murders.
And I guarantee it all ties back to Savio in some twisted way.
So my plans have changed.
The new mission?
Eliminate all threats, including the ones disguised as sniveling, entitled uncles.
Because sometimes, the ones you’re supposed to trust the most are the ones you should never have trusted at all.
Chapter Twenty
KRISTINA
I take a deep breath, allowing my eyes to flutter closed as the aroma infuses my senses. Rich tomatoes and olive oil tinged with garlic, so thick in the air, I can almost taste the tangy goodness on my tongue. The scent of sweet basil permeates the air, the perfect aromatic blend of pepper, anise, and mint.
My mind trips back to the days where life was simple and fun, and we had nothing more serious to worry about than whether we were out of Frosted Flakes when breakfast time rolled around.
We all have a pretty serious sweet tooth, and Rice Krispies just didn’t cut it.
I lean my elbows onto the center island and let out a deep sigh.
Those days were easy.
I idolized my father and adored my life. There was no guilt, no pain, no dissension, no regret.
It was perfect, like a bubble made of the strongest material available.
Never to pop.
Until it did.
“Hey,” Sofia murmurs, walking over to me and leaning her head on my shoulder. “How are you doing?”
I glance over at her, forcing a smile. “I’m good. Just thinking.”
“Yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of that, too.” Her blue eyes cloud over, a storm gathering power in the depths. “I want you to know that whatever we need to do, I’m in. I am with you and I can help. I’m not afraid.”
I turn to face her, rubbing my hands down the sides of her arms. “Sof, I am not about to put you in danger.”
“Screw that,” she hisses, shrugging off my hands. “I want to help find the people who did this, Kristi. And I want to make them pay!”
“I know you do. But this is serious. We have a bodyguard here because the threat is so dangerous.”