Gabriel, like Vincente, was a solid six-five and, despite a beautifully tailored suit and cashmere overcoat, looked more like an NFL linebacker than an organized crime boss. But the new shadows swirling in his eyes gave his position of power away. Alek saw the same murky veil whenever he met his uncle’s stare.
“Too bad there were so many witnesses—not that you’d have pulled the trigger—but you could have at least scared the competition. Maybe even enough into beating feet without her.” Gabriel’s voice was hushed, but Vasily still heard.
“Don’t encourage him, son,” came the expected irritated mutter.
G smirked and seconded Vincente’s offer. “Whatever you need, we’re good for it.” He looked Alek up and down. “Hang on to this positive shit you’re rocking. It’s a good look.”
“Any of your fires come with a meal?” Vincente asked as he pocketed his phone. “My boys pulled out a half-cooked sheep doused with an accelerant.”
“There were animals in ours, too. Why sheep?” Alek asked. “A reference to following the herd?”
“We’ll discuss it later.” Vasily pointed at Gabriel. “Get my daughter in the car and out of the open.”
G was already moving. “Yes, Dad,” he drawled over his shoulder.
Vasily motioned for Dmitri to go with the boys as they headed over to join the muscle already surrounding the girls and kids as they filed out of the restaurant.
“I’ll let you know when I’m online,” Maks said as he, too, left when Sydney, Andrew, and Elli appeared. Maks and Vasily exchanged a look before Maks followed his family into the Hummer. Vasily was talking before Alek could question it.
“Getting back to your issue; because of the cruel way you chose to end your relationship with Sacha, you’re going to go about this as gently as you can. When you see her, you will treat her with more respect than you do me. You will allow her to dictate every aspect of your first private interaction and those after that. If she is frightened—” he put up a hand for Eva to wait where she was when she would have come over, “—you will back the fuck off. If she is angry, you will bow your goddamn head and accept every heated word she delivers. If she is upset, which is what I’d place my money on because she is Sacha, you will mollify her as best you can without pressure of any kind. Do you hear me, son?”
Yes. Alek heard loud and clear that his uncle still cared a great deal for the girl who’d captured their hearts the moment she’d entered their lives. Even though it hadn’t been voiced at the time, Alek knew his uncle’s disapproval over what he’d done to Sacha had been fierce.
“Loud and clear,” he assured.
“Good. Now, since you’ll be sitting on your hands for the next couple of hours, you can spend them with me. While I say goodnight to my daughter, spend a few minutes thanking the powers that be for this second chance.” He started toward Eva, who was waiting patiently with a not so patient Gabriel at her back. “You have no idea how goddamn lucky you are to have it.”
♦ ♦ ♦
As Justin used the E-ZPass lane to enter the Midtown Tunnel, Sacha was relieved to see only a few cars in front of them under the orange glow that made her squint.
“Let me know if I’m overstepping here,” Justin said, his next words confirming he was in lawyer mode. “But, if you were to swap the reason you don’t want an infant in Tarasov’s care from him being a cheater to him being an organized crime figure, we’d have a case, and he’d most likely lose any bid for custody.”
The very thought of publically outing Alekzander in such a way sent the hair on her body into the air. And, again, that something deep inside her rejected the idea. Had she been treated badly during her time with Alekzander and his family, maybe it would have been easier to throw him under the bus. But that hadn’t been the case. She’d been welcomed from day one, made to feel at home. She was sure where she came from had something to do with that. There had been many evenings she’d sat with Vasily and chatted about what was happening in their home country—that was after she’d gotten over her deep-rooted fear of the powerful man.
No. She couldn’t get Alekzander into trouble with the law simply because he’d stopped loving her and had chosen to move on without telling her first. She should. She should spill every little secret she had, not that there were many. But she never would. Despite everything, he was her daughter’s father.
Then again, she thought, feeling ill, if it came down to it and she had to choose between keeping Lekzi in her life and Alekzander’s freedom, well, there was no choice. But until then…