Christov's P.O.V. "Is everything okay?" Kozar asks when I put my phone down after talking to Victor. I look at Anushka and smile slightly. "That was Victor. It appears that the man Stewart hired stopped by the house, trying to make a deal with Victor. Your brother has taken him to the negotiations' room." I look at Kozar and Zakhar. "What room is that?" Dakota asks. How do I say it so the others understand without telling my granddaughter what we do in that room? "It's the room where we show people the error of their ways," I explain. I can tell Anushka and Jordan know what I'm saying, but the little one isn't done questioning me. "Is it like time out? Sometimes, the mean kids in my school have to sit in time out." I can't get over how smart she is. "Yes, it's just like a time-out room," I reply. Dakota smiles and nods. "Are there guns in that room?" I can tell that Anushka being shot had a big impact on her, and I understand why she doesn't want guns around. I can't blame
Anushka's P.O.V. I feel like I can breathe a little easier once Christov and Zakhar leave. It's just a bit overwhelming to know that I'm related to them, and they killed Stewart, and now this hitman. I don't look at Kozar in the same way. Courtney gives me a pain pill and unhooks my IV. Dr. Martinez said I no longer need the fluids, so I only get IV antibiotics twice daily. "How do you think your other brothers will be?" I ask Kozar as Jordan pushes me into the living room. Courtney, Bobby, Gavin, and the kids join us. "I don't know. The only one I'd really be cautious of is Yurkov. I thought Zakhar may not take it well, but he proved me wrong. I agree with Dad that you would be safe on the compound for a visit. It's a huge place with a lot of security. Everyone lives there except for me." He explains. "Why don't you live there, Uncle Kozy?" Dakota asks, crawling onto his lap. "I like living in the city, and I live next door to you." I smile at him when Dakota hugs him. K
Yurkov's P.O.V. I'm speechless for maybe the first time in my life. No one has ever spoken to me like that little girl just did. Did she call me Yorkie? I don't know what to do while my brothers and Dad watch to see how I'll react. I look past her and see a woman who looks a lot like me and my brothers sitting in a wheelchair. A man is standing next to her with a protective hand on her shoulder. "Come in. This is my Mommy and my Daddy. Courtney is making us breakfast. These are my friends Tyler and Sarah. Bobby and Gavin will kick you out if you're bad guys." I glance at Kozar sitting on the couch. What the hell did I just walk into? I feel like the child in the room. "Don't be scared. Dakota doesn't bite," Dad says while laughing and hitting my shoulder. "Hi, Anushka, I'm your brother Victor, and this is Yegor." He and Yegor walk over to our sister, shake her hand, and the man's beside her. "It's nice to meet you. I take it you're Yurkov." Anushka says, looking at me wear
Jordan's P.O.V. Eating breakfast with an entire Russian mafia family wasn't something I had ever imagined doing, but here we are. Anushka and I talked last night about her concerns with Dakota being exposed to their lifestyle. I agree that some of what they do could be a bad influence on her. However, I also see the effect she has on them. Dakota isn't like most kids. She has her own mind and is as strong as her mom. Her uncles and grandfather are already under her spell. Anushka and I also talked about checking in on our businesses to make sure everything is running smoothly. We're both still supposed to be on vacation, but the last thing we need is surprises when we return. I have Raymond doing a little remote spying on the financials and operations from his end. We'll check in ourselves later after everything calms down. "What kind of birthday party do you want?" Christov asks as Courtney, Bobby, and Gavin clear the table. "One without guns," Dakota replies, raising her eye
Cora's P.O.V. My Jordan plan didn't work as I had expected. I heard about that woman being shot at his penthouse, and I was hoping she would die, but she didn't. I was staking out Jordan's place from across the street, waiting for him to come home while she was in the hospital, but he never did. I saw him come home a couple of days ago, but he had the blonde bitch and her brat with him. When I tried to get into the building, two large men stopped me and said I wasn't on the list of permitted visitors. I'm sitting on a bench across the street, trying to figure out how to get inside, when I see a limo pull up. When I see who steps out, I gasp out loud. Why is the Kondrati family going into the building? Who are they going in to see? Is the woman with Jordan related to them? This is something I need to verify because I have a feeling other families would be interested in knowing that a member of the Kondrati family doesn't live on their compound. Maybe they can kill the bitch, and I
Gregory's P.O.V. I don't like the sound of this negotiation. There's a metal chair with chains on the arms and legs. Plastic covers the floor, and many different items hang on the walls. The man who brought me to the shed shoves me into the chair and chains me to it. "I don't understand. I thought you said you wanted Jordan away from your daughter?" I ask Christov. I know each member of the Kondrati family only because I looked them up before I came here. I wanted to know who I was dealing with. "That's exactly what we wanted you to think. Jordan is my future son-in-law, and he informed us that you killed his mother. Is this true?" Christov picks up a golf club. "She deserved to die. She took my dad away from my mom. We never had any money, and he never gave us a dime because he had his own family." Christov looks at Yegor, and he pulls out a phone. "Hello?" "Jordan, we're here with Gregory. He said that your mom stole his dad from him and never gave them a dime." Yegor sa
Courtney's P.O.V. I have to admit that when we found out who Anushka's family was, I was ready to take the kids and leave. However, the Kondrati's aren't as bad as I first imagined. I know they've done some horrendous crimes, but I'm not worried about them hurting any of us. They're getting rid of the people coming after Anushka and Jordan. I can't fault them for that. Bobby insisted on being the one to call Gregory because of his involvement with me. Bobby has been my rock these last couple of days. Sarah and Tyler have been hanging on to him whenever someone new comes over. I believe they feel safe with him because of his size, and they love him. I can't blame them. I never allowed myself to dream of meeting another man I could fall in love with, but I have. We've been sleeping in the same bed, but we haven't had sex yet. It felt weird being in someone else's house and with everything going on. We've done a lot of talking, touching, and kissing but haven't
Cora's P.O.V. My head is throbbing, and everything is dark. Where am I? I remember someone coming to my apartment and opening the door. What happened? I thought it was Trystan at the door. "Are you Cora Winstead?" Fear runs down my spine when I hear the man speak with a Russian accent. How do they know about me? Jordan wouldn't say anything because he loves me. It had to have been that bitch with him. "Answer me now." The voice says harshly, making me jump. "Yes, I'm Cora. What is the meaning of this? Who are you?" I ask angrily. "You're lucky you're pregnant. Otherwise, I'd slap that arrogance off of your ugly face." The man says, fisting my hair through the cloth bag over my head and making me lean back. "Obviously, you didn't get a good look at me. I'm one of the most beautiful women in the world." I will not let him disrespect me like this. I don't care who he is. "Are you sure we can't just kill this bitch and be done with it?" Another voice asks. "No. We don't