“Everything will be okay. You’ll see.”
We fall into a tense silence while I navigate the two-hour drive to Cheyenne. Josh does surprisingly well for the duration of the trip, napping for most of it. Kat starts to doze off but wakes up just as we cross the border into Wyoming, and her nerves return when I eventually park the SUV at Sloan Airport.
“This is a small airport,” she observes. “Are we actually flying out of here?”
“Yes.” I shoot off a quick text to Alexei and receive confirmation within a minute. When I get out to grab the bags, it isn’t long before Kostya appears to greet us.
“Levka.” He holds out his hand in offer, and I shake it. “It is nice to meet you in person. Lyoshenka has told me many stories over the years.”
“Good, I hope?” I grin at him.
“Eh.” His lips tilt up at the corners. “They can’t all be good in this big family of ours, can they? Now, let me help you with your bags. I’ll show your family to the plane.”
I thank him and offload the bags before walking around to meet Kat as she’s taking Josh’s seat out of the car.
“I can carry him,” she says as I hoist him up into my arms.
“I know you can.” I swat her on the ass. “But so can I.”
She narrows her eyes at me, and Kostya interjects, insisting on carrying the car seat as well. After I lock the SUV, he leads us out onto the secure airstrip and to our waiting plane.
Kat’s eyes widen, and she jerks her neck up to look at me.
“Is that for us?”
“The plane!” Josh squeals. “We’re going on a plane!”
“That would be the one.”
“A private jet?” she frowns. “How is this even possible?”
“I had to call in a few favors,” I admit. And dump a lot of cash, but she doesn’t need to know that part. Lucky for me, Alexei is well connected.
“Hello, Lev.” Pavel, the pilot, greets us from the stairway.
“Afternoon, Pavel. Thank you for flying us today.”
“It is no problem.” He shakes his head. “Whatever Lyoshenka asks, I will do. I owe him a great deal.”
I nod, and he gestures for us to board.
“Come, let’s get your family settled in, yes?”
He helps Kat up the stairs, and I follow with Josh. The benefits of a private jet are no security lines and a much quicker process than commercial. Within minutes, we are loaded onto the plane and secured for takeoff.
Josh squeals with excitement as the engine rumbles to life. Despite Kat’s nerves, I catch her smiling more than a few times as she watches our son experience his first flight. It’s an occasion I wish was under better circumstances.
The reality is, once we get to Philly, everything will change. There will be no more carefree moments like this. Not until I have executed my exit strategy with Alexei’s help. This could take time, and still involve many risks. Vasily is always temperamental, but lately, he has been a loose cannon. Keeping Kat and Josh safe while appeasing him will be the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced. But as I study their faces, committing them to memory at this moment just as they are, I know it will be worth every bit of pain I may endure.
We touch down in Baltimore just after midnight. Josh is fast asleep, exhausted from our big adventure of the day, and Kat looks well on her way too. But she is nervous as I load them into the waiting SUV that Alexei organized for us. She seems aware of my own tension as we hit the freeway and make the two-hour drive back to Philly.
Eventually, she falls back asleep, and I attempt to organize the thoughts running through my mind. For the past few days, I’ve managed to forget what coming back here would entail. But it is not so easy now. And when I finally pull up to the safe house just after two a.m., it feels like I’ve been punched in the gut as I consider what happens next. I have difficulty trusting others, but in this instance, I will have no choice.
Kat is still fast asleep beside me, unaware that I’m watching her. Studying the lines of her face, the fall of her hair. At that moment, the thought that I could ever lose her hits me like a punch to the gut. I want more than to simply call her mine. I want her to be my wife and take my last name and make me more beautiful children. I want all of those things with her.
But for right now, tonight is all we have. And I try not to let that sour my mood as I stir her from sleep with a kiss.
“Are we here?” She blinks and sits upright, glancing at the unfamiliar house in confusion. “What is this place?”
“It’s a safe house,” I tell her. “Come on.”
She doesn’t seem convinced that it’s actually safe, but when I get out and start unbuckling Josh, she is quick to follow. I carry him to the door, and Kat glances up at me nervously as I knock. When Pasha answers, he gestures us inside, but Kat is frozen to the doorstep.
“Who is this?” she asks.
“It’s a friend,” I assure her. More specifically, he is one of Alexei’s latest recruits. Still somewhat green, but highly trustworthy, and right now, he’s the only available option I have.
Kat doesn’t seem to warm to the idea of him hanging around, even as we enter the house and get settled in. I show her around the place, which consists of the basics. There are two bedrooms and a bathroom. Not a lot of furniture, but enough to stay here for a while at least. I also note that Alexei had the second room done up with a child-sized bed and plenty of books and toys. Probably something his wife encouraged, but regardless, I am grateful.
“Will he be okay in here?” Kat asks nervously as I lay Josh into the bed.
“Yes.” I point at the window, which has been sealed shut. “That glass? It’s bulletproof, Kat. And this monitor will let you see anything that goes on in this room from any part of the house. There is also a keypad on every door, which I will give you the code for.”
She swallows and glances down at our son, her eyes glassy and her face fraught with emotion. “Okay. As long as I can see him.”
After giving Josh a kiss, we exit the room and join Pasha in the living room. It’s late, and we’re all tired, but I don’t have a lot of time. Tomorrow morning, I will need to leave her here with him, and I need her to know that it’s okay.
Pasha seems to understand my unspoken thoughts as he offers her something to drink, and then proceeds to show her that the pantry and fridge are fully stocked. When Kat declines, he makes small talk, pointing out some other features of the house and asking her conversational questions to get her talking a little.
While they do that, I grab the bags and scope out the street. It’s a quiet suburban neighborhood where neighbors keep to themselves and the only prowlers to be seen are cats with bells on their collars. Alexei has done well by my family, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Once I’m back inside, I thank Pasha for his help and take Kat to the other bedroom. She’s got the monitor in her hand, constantly checking on Josh, and I can tell she won’t be getting any sleep tonight in her current frame of mind.
“Is Pasha staying here too?” she asks.
“Yes.” I remove her coat and slowly undress her, helping her into her nightgown and pulling back the covers for her to climb into bed.