SWNOVELS Chapter Shattered Crown: SECOND EPILOGUE
“Budem zdorovy.” I toast to all of our health as Pavel and Roman reach out and clink glasses with me before we both throw back a shot of vodka.
With the craziness of life, it’s been a while since we celebrated anything, but we deserve a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come. The Black Company has been brought to heel, and we rule the wine forgery business. I’m marrying the love of my life soon, and we have a baby on the way. And my relationship with my daughter is slowly taking root. It’s still early days, but she’s open to me being in her life.
None of this would have happened without Kira. I realize now that marriage was never the problem. It was the person. Irina was wrong for me, and I was wrong for her. But Kira is right for me, and that changes everything.
Forgiveness is still a new concept for me, but I’ve decided to end Irina’s exile. She lost her son as well and suffered for her bad decisions, as have I. Now, it’s time to leave the past where it belongs. My world will always be dangerous—all I can do is clutch the ones I love close and take extra care.
We all down the shots in one go. Pavel rarely drinks, coming from a family of degenerate drunks, but he made an exception for this one celebratory shot. My men have been through hell and back with me, including learning about Nadya’s betrayal, which cut us deeper than we could have imagined. It’s easy to be blind by the people closest to us. A lesson I hope we never have to learn again.
Although, in our line of work, nothing surprises me.
Speaking of surprises, I have one that might interest Pavel. I pass him the document that’s been sitting on my desk since this morning. ‘Does she look familiar?’ I ask him.
His eyebrows draw together as he studies the report and picture closely. ‘Should I know her?’
I lean back in my seat and light a Cohiba cigar. ‘That’s the woman who stabbed you in the back. Literally.” Life has been busy in the aftermath of the Black Company siege, but I had the feeling that the woman we allowed to escape was not a hapless maid. I was right. “Her name is Hope, Lai King’s only child. Now, she’s a woman on the run.” I blow a smoke ring above my head and wait for Pavel to grapple with what I’m saying.
He looks away towards the window before meeting my gaze head-on. “I figured as much. But at that moment, I couldn’t pull the trigger. I wasn’t expecting someone so…’
“Female,” Roman offers, resting his ankle on his knee.
“I’m not against killing a woman if she deserves it.” Pavels grinds his molars together. “But she was so distraught, and young.” Pavel hides his emotion but he’s been through a lot, including losing a sister he raised. He has a secret soft spot few will ever see.
“She fucking stabbed you. I’d say she deserved it.” Roman frowns, shifting in his seat.
I tip my head to the side. “We killed most of his men, but she escaped. We’ll have to find her before she decides to get revenge.”
Pavel’s lips twist with disdain. “Revenge? She was a terrified mess. What damage could she possibly do?”
“We’re not going to wait around to find out. It’s up to you to find her.’
Pavel heaves an irritated sigh. ‘And what? Kill her?”
“That’s our last resort. Find out what she’s been doing, what her plans are, who she’s spoken with. But if we deem her a threat … there’s only one way.”
Pavel knows this as well as I do. But there’s something about the girl that left a mark on him. One of the most ruthless and toughest assholes I know, but he has a soft spot for vulnerable women.
I turn to Roman. ‘I’m going to need you to accompany Kira and Liza on a trip.’
‘Excuse me?’ Roman sits up straighter in his seat. ‘I thought I was done playing babysitter.”
‘You’re not a babysitter,’ I reply. ‘You’re my right hand and the best fucking guard I have—other than Pavel, except Kira actually likes you.”
I shoot a sly grin Pavel’s way. He and Kira are still working on their relationship, warming to each other slowly. Pavel finally trusts her, and Kira takes great pleasure in needling him for being so damn serious at times. He rolls his eyes in response.
One look at Roman, and I can tell he’s still stuck on what I told him earlier. I snuff out my cigar and lean my forearms on the desk. ‘Kira wants to go on a girls’ trip while she still feels good. If I can’t travel with my wife, the only other people I trust with her life are the two of you. Pavel already has some shit to take care of, so this is falling onto your shoulders.’
Roman makes a face of distaste. ‘Great. More shopping trips.”
Pavel gives him a dry look, taking in his dark fitted jeans and designer sweater. “What do you have against shopping?”
My gut tells me it’s not the shopping trip that’s the issue. It’s Liza, the dark-haired, engaged beauty that will be accompanying Kira. She seems to get under Roman’s skin for reasons he hasn’t fully acknowledged.
“It’s fine.” Roman busies himself pouring another shot of vodka. “I’m happy to do whatever you need me to, and I will guard Kira with my life. Do you have the details of the trip yet?
‘Kira is planning it now. I’ll let you coordinate with her.”
I may have missed the mark with Nadya—something I’ll never forgive myself for—but these two men are my strongest allies and true brothers. Soon, Pavel and Roman will take ownership over different aspects of my business. I plan to step down from the day-to-day running of things so I can raise my child with Kira. Giving this baby the love and attention it deserves that sadly I was not able to give my other children. When you fuck up enough in life, you eventually learn from your mistakes. And there’s not a moment of my life with Kira and the children we have that I’m willing to miss. It’s time that’s too precious to me.
I stand, brush off my pants, do up my suit jacket, and wish my men a good night. I have a very horny, pregnant wife that needs my attention. “The bottle of vodka is yours if you want to make a night of it.’
Roman looks like he might take me up on my offer, but Pavel is still staring at the picture of Hope King in his lap. I hope when he finds her—and he will eventually find her—he’s able to finish the job he started. The future of our syndicate relies on making decisions with our head, not our heart.
But it’s a lecture I’ll save for another day because, right now, there’s only one place I want to be. Wrapped in my wife’s arms and buried in her pussy.
It’s my version of heaven on earth, and I don’t think life can get better than this.