Chapter 20: Konstantin

Konstantin should go into the office or upstairs, but he didn't want to. Instead he soaked in the sight of Haley in his kitchen looking like she belonged. "What should I ask?"

She shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

Konstantin mentally flipped through what he knew of her. Parents were still alive. She was the middle of five kids. The second of two girls. The details he knew.

"What did you want to be growing up?" he asked.

"Oh, that's easy." She grinned. "I wanted to be a hero like my dad."

Konstantin smiled. He hadn't met Haley's family, but he thought he'd like them. "How is he?"

"Good. Worried about us. He doesn't know what's going on, only that I'm stressed.

"Your family, are they proud of what you've done?"

"I think so. Oh, Mom still frets and worries over me, but I think she's just about accepted this is who I am."

He propped his chin on his hand. He knew vague details, like she had three brothers and one sister, but nothing personal beyond some vague details a