He was the light in Dmitry and Brianne’s lives. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for him. And for the Morozovs, nothing comes before family.
That means he’s mine to care for now.
“I’ll look after him,” I tell her.
Niko turns to look at me in my arms. His eyes are wide and bright blue. Just like his father’s. Just like my own. “Where’s Daddy?” he asks sleepily. “Where’s Mommy?”
I gnaw the inside of my cheek. This is as unfamiliar a position as I have been in in a long time. I don’t console; I don’t caress. But right now, I am all my nephew has left.
“Not here right now, Niko,” I say carefully, doing my best to massage the sorrow from my voice.
“You’re Matvei Morozov,” the officer murmurs, more like she’s come to the realization than like she is actually addressing me. “Sir, we need to take him in and do some paperwork. We won’t keep him long.”
I weigh my options. I could stop it, if I chose to. A few calls to the right people, a few favors cashed in, and Niko would be coming with me now.
But I’m going to need those favors soon. Because I’m about to go scorched earth to find the motherfucker who hurt my family. And I plan on using every weapon in my arsenal to make that happen.
So for now, I’ll let the police have their way. Despite the chaos, Niko looks relatively steady—at least, as steady as a little boy can be in the midst of all this madness.
I set Niko down and kneel in front of him. He hasn’t cried or panicked yet. He’s still half-asleep. That will all come later.
“Niko, look at me.”
He turns his big, brown eyes towards me obediently.
“I need you to be a strong boy. Like your father. You have to go with this lady for a little bit, but when that’s done, I’m going to get you and take you home, okay? I’ll be there for you before you even know it.”
He nods slowly, solemnly. “Do you promise?”
“I promise. I’m coming to get you. You’ll be safe with me. But for right now, I need you to be brave and go with this police officer, okay?”
The officer scoffs as if she doesn’t believe me. I know what she’s thinking: that there’s no way a child can be safe with me. I should have this woman taken care of and show her just how far my reach extends. The things my men would do to her and her family would wipe that smug look off her face.
She thinks she’s safe behind that badge.
But no one in this world is ever safe from me.
It’ll have to wait. For now, more important things are pressing. I have to keep my cool for Nikolas. And I have to consider the circumstances—I’m alone, covered in sweat and blood and ash, in the middle of a crime scene, surrounded by damn near half the city’s police department. Every media outlet in the county will be on the way shortly, no doubt, once they make the connection from the explosion.
This is not the time to pick a fight.
So, ignoring the noise of disbelief the officer makes, I hand her Nikolas. “Be good for the lady, Niko. Listen to what she says. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay,” he says. His voice is as tiny as he is. I watch the two of them head back to the car before I take a seat on the steps outside of Dmitry’s house. I put my head in my hands and groan. My knee throbs incessantly. I need to have it looked at, but right now, there’s too much on my plate.
The only thing I’m certain of is that I need to get Nikolas home before the police break the news to him about his parents. He has no clue what’s going on, that they’ll never be back, and I need to be there for him when he finds out.
It’s what Dmitry would have wanted. It’s the least I can do.
I stride back through the throng of police and nosy neighbors and find my motorcycle. My whole body is a siren song of pain, from head to toe, but I force myself to mount the bike again and take a long, deep breath.
“I swear one thing to you, brother,” I whisper to myself. “I will find the man who did this to you. I will find him and I will make him suffer like no one has ever suffered