Mafia

Funerals, friends and family

Luca was going to kill me, I knew this because I'd successfully managed to shake my bodyguard detail, all so I could attend the funeral of people I'd never even met. I don't know what made me decide to go, I just saw their obituary in the paper a few days ago and felt like somehow it was important I go. 

I didn't say one word to Luca about this, because I knew what he would say and that would have been a big resounding "NO", so I'd already made arrangements to spend the next couple of nights at my parents place in order to give him some time to cool off after he inevitably found out and lost his motherfucking mind. 

My eyes drifted out the window of the town car I'd called to pick me up this morning, we were parked outside the church and I was waiting for the service to end and people to move towards the cemetary, not wanting to intrude on an occasion I figured was more for close friends and family. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the sky was clear of clouds, bright blue sky as far as the eye could see and sad as funerals were, I figured it was a good day to have one on. 

For the tenth time in the past five minute I felt my phone vibrate in my small clutch, and just like I'd done the nine other times, I ignored it and decided it was probably best to just turn the sucker off. 

Two minutes later I saw the doors open and the people started streaming out of the church. I was not surprised to see a bunch of scary looking badasses dressed in crisp suits exiting first, their eyes roaming around the ground, no doubt looking for threats and as I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, I prayed they didn't consider me one as I made my slow approach. 

My eyes stayed glued to the front of the church and I recognized Dmitri Volkov the second I saw him, he was not a man you would ever forget, and he had one arm wrapped around a gorgeous petite ice blonde who looked like she was barely able to hold herself up. Just by one glance at her, I felt the pain of her loss so profound that my breath hitched and tears welled in my eyes. 

Her head twisted slightly towards me as they moved down the steps and I noticed there was something vaguely familiar about her, I felt like we'd met before, but I couldn't quite place it. 

"This is a closed service," the heavily accented russian voice came from right behind me and I jumped in surprise, turning around, I craned my neck to look up at the big man who'd approached me and recognized him as well. Vigo Karjakin was Dmitri Volkov most trusted man, we had never been officially introduced, but I'd seen him around back in the day. Swallowing past the sudden anxiety creeping up my throat, I cleared my voice and took a step back to get some space before speaking quietly. 

"I know, I'm sorry I just wanted to pay my respects. Will you - eh - will you give these to miss Lenkov?" Hesitantly I held out the assorted bouquet of roses, peonies and lillies I'd brought with me, keeping my eyes on him as his shifted down to the bouquet and then came back to my face. He studied me for some time, something working behind his eyes I couldn't quite decipher, and that's when we were interrupted by a third voice. 

"Ariana?" Vigo lifted his eyes to look over my shoulder and I turned around to see who the soft female voice belonged too, and quickly realized it was Elena Lenkov herself, Dmitri still with his arm around her and he too was studying me closely. However, as she came closer and I got a good look at her face, that's when I realized where we'd met. 

"Lena," I whispered, she blinked at me, then her eyes filled with tears, she tore out of Dmitri's arms and rushed me, her arms wrapping around me as mine did the same with her. It had been almost ten years since the last time we saw each other, but none of that mattered in that moment. She broke down in my arms and I cried right along with her, our arms wrapped tight around each other as we both cried ourself to exhaustion.