His (Ties That Bind #2) - Natasha Knight Page 0,43

him now.”

“What about Andrei?”

“Andrei’s dead, Kat,” he says, his tone different. Final.

I’m quiet. I just look at him, not sure what I feel. Because Andrei deserves worse than death for what he’s done. For all the lives he hurt, the lives he took. But it’s still strange to hear it.

“Did he pay?” I hear myself ask because Lev may not want to tell me what he did, but I know. I’ve always known.

He shifts his gaze to me. He’s quiet for a long minute, studying me before he answers. “He suffered. I made sure of that.”

I nod. That’s all I need.

“Let’s get some sleep,” Lev says. “Prepare ourselves for that family time with Gleb tomorrow.”

I roll onto my side, and he draws me against him, tucking his legs behind mine.

“Gleb and family time. I’m not sure what to think about that.”

“What did Josh say, by the way?”

“I think he’s even more confused. I mean, the man did give him chicken nuggets and let him drink a Coke, so that goes a long way with Josh.”

I feel him smile behind me. “The way to a man’s heart is through his belly.”

It grows quiet, and I listen to Lev’s breathing even out.

“Lev?” I ask.

“Mmm.”

I want to tell him I have a bad feeling. Like we shouldn’t be celebrating just yet because it’s not over. Vasily is backed into a corner. Andrei is dead. He has nothing left to lose, and that makes him even more dangerous.

But then I listen to him, and I know he’s asleep, so instead of all that, I tell him that I love him.

19

Kat

After I help Josh dress the following morning, I lift him into a chair to eat his breakfast of waffles with fruit.

Drenched in syrup.

At least there’s fruit, I tell myself. And once we get home, I’ll get him back on a healthy diet. The kid has a serious sweet tooth.

I’m nervously checking the time while Lev showers. Gleb is picking us up soon to have that “family day.” He hasn’t told us what he has planned, but I know we’re going to his house, which is a little way out of the city. I’ve packed Josh’s floats and ball in a bag as he apparently has both an indoor and an outdoor pool. His suit is still damp so I left it hanging in the bathroom to dry a little longer.

I’m not sure what I expected before I met Gleb. A DNA test maybe. But I guess between the birthmark, my resemblance to my mother, and my age, he was satisfied.

He’s not married and doesn’t have other family that I know of yet. Just the sister for whom I’m named, but she’s gone, so maybe he’s lonely.

“Daddy’s singing,” Josh says with an attempt at a chuckle as he shakes his head and spoons a strawberry into his mouth.

The shower switches off, but Lev is still singing.

“He doesn’t have a very good singing voice, does he?” I ask, wrinkling my nose while wiping syrup off his chin.

Josh shakes his head as the bathroom door opens.

“You guys making fun of my singing?” Lev asks with a faux-stern expression.

“You can’t sing, Daddy,” Josh says, then turns to watch the piece of waffle drop from his spoon onto the carpet. “Uh-oh.”

“I’ll clean it up. You keep eating. We have to go soon.”

“Can you grab me a clean shirt?” Lev asks.

I pull the duffel bag open and take out his last white T-shirt. This is signature Lev. I notice then that the envelope he’d carried out of here yesterday morning is back in the bag.

“You didn’t send it?” I ask, turning to find him towel dry his hair while watching the cartoon over Josh’s shoulder.

He turns to me. “That was a precaution. In case things went south.”

“I’m glad. Here.” I hand him the shirt and pick up the black one off the floor. “This isn’t yours, is it?” It’s the one he’d stripped off last night.

He glances at it, takes it from me, and drops it into a trash can. “I borrowed it.”

I consider this, remembering what he’d said about Andrei, but I let it go.

Once Lev is dressed, he combs his hair, then takes Josh into the bathroom to wash his hands. I watch them from the bedroom. He’s so natural, so relaxed, like he’s always been here, like he’s always been in our lives.

A ding signals a message on Lev’s phone which is on the table.

Gleb: Downstairs.

“He’s here.”

Lev takes the phone as Josh sits to put on his