𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐎 𝐔𝐒 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 - 𝟏𝟖+

T W E N T Y - E I G H T

K E I R A

Las Vegas, USA

Something was wrong.

I'd known it from the moment I woke up in an empty bed. I shouldn't have brushed my intuition as a dilemma, but it was hard to hold onto the fear that'd shaken me for the briefest of seconds when I saw Nikolai sprawled on the couch, eating waffles with one hand as he tried to solve the crossword on the newspaper with his left hand.

"Hi," I whispered, unable to help the smile on my face when he tilted his head to meet my eyes. His grey eyes were gentle in their reflectiveness, and despite my worries, I found myself lulled by the serenity his gaze offered.

"I was just about to come get you,"

"After you finished that?" I pointed towards the newspaper he'd spread over the table and leaned forward, eyeing the puzzle and his neat scribbles.

I wasn't surprised that he was almost done with it. Nikolai had always solved them religiously every morning. The memory of the many times I had to feed him breakfast because he was so endorsed in his puzzle took me by surprise, and a few weeks ago, remembering the past would have made me sad. Not today, though. Today I was happy to have a little corner in the heart of the man he'd become.

He folded the newspaper and almost put it away when I placed my hand on his forearm, stopping him.

"You can finish that." I smiled teasingly, "I know you won't rest until you're done."

"I already know the word." He smirked, "I don't need to write it down." He moved on the couch, making place for me, and I sat beside him, putting an omelet for myself in the plate.

It was the first time we were sitting and having a meal together, and I couldn't help the trepidation taking hold of my spine. I took a small bite and exhaled. Nikolai's hand rested on my thigh, and I looked at him from under my eyelashes, not even surprised to find his gaze imploring.

"Penny, for your thoughts?" I smiled, dropping the fork on the plate and taking Nikolai's hands in mine.

"I was wondering if you'd tell me anything about your family...." My teeth sank into my lower lip, and I deliberated my words, "Was King ever your real last name?"

Nikolai stiffened at the mention of his family, and I squeezed my fingers around his before taking a small bite of my food with my other hand. It wasn't exactly easy eating with one hand; however, I wasn't going to drop his hand because of that.

"It is my father's name."

"And? Doesn't the mafia have some unspoken rule about marrying within themselves?"

Nikolai laughed, "I suppose yes. It probably worked in my father's favor because he was half-Russian. His mother was a ballet dancer, and well, my mother was an only child. If there was anyone dedushka lived for, it was her."

"Was your father part of it too?"

"Not really. I mean not the part that got your clothes bloody, but more on the corporate side."

"What happened?" I cringed at my questions, sighing in relief when he didn't seem irritated, and took a deep breath, almost like he was thinking of the answer.

"The FBI." He quietened, and I decided perhaps it was better if we let bygones be bygones, and I was about to ask him to forget I ever said anything, but he spoke again, "They knew of his ties to the Bratva, and when he got arrested for money laundering, my grandfather didn't step in, and eventually his enemies killed my father in prison."