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“Nathaniel, I’m Maeve, Sergei’s wife. I’d like to kick your balls for taking my favorite girl, but it looks like my nephew has taken care of that. Not sure what you all want to accomplish, but I do have a suggestion.”
She turns to me and smiles. “I’d love for you to come back with me to stay in your old room for a day or two. To rest and forget about this shit for a while. Would you like that, Ana?”
Turning to Bryce, Maeve smiles. “Yeah, yeah, you can come too.”
I look around me and realize that yes, I do want to forget this drama for a while. Although my kidnapping instigated all of the turmoil, I was merely a pawn, and then a negotiator, and then one factor in a complicated reconciliation project.
It’s time to step back.
Turning to Father, I say, “Work out what you need to here and then we’ll have a real talk about your health, Father. Prekrashchai, sekretnichat.” No more secrets, I say in Russian. He nods and we hold each other for a while.
There’s not much else I can do.
People need to find their own truths when faced with the unexpected. My part was to get everyone past the point of blind resentment and in front of each other as reasonable and compassionate people.
I walk away from the tableau of three men figuring out their future. Who knows where this conversation will lead?
For now, I’ve done my part and so has Bryce.
“Everything, from top to bottom of your security system, will need an overhaul,” I say to the board of directors of Petrov Shipping. “We need at least a week to install all the new physical and digital safeguards and can work while the shipyard is partially open. But I’m not taking any shortcuts. Full capacity resumes after ten days.”
I’m stating the facts and not asking for permission.
The MacElroy Security Services is now Petrov Shipping’s official protection agency, hired for everything from risk assessment management, to event protection, to cybersecurity compliance. I’m starting by upgrading the security systems around their main assets, including the shipyard that never should have been breached.
Premises, facilities, and personnel remotely connected to Ana will have heightened protection, not only for her sake. My sanity requires it.
Her self-proclaimed mission is to improve the company and change the shipping industry for the better.
My job is to keep her safe while she’s doing it.
“Do what you must,” Nikolay says from the head of the table. “We are here to comply.”
He speaks for everyone because it doesn’t matter how much he’s aged; Nikolay is the big boss. This company bears his name.
Ironically, the mayhem around Ana’s abduction and the revelation of her half brother has had unexpected positive effects. The chaos created a new kind of peace within the Petrov family. One that is imperfect yet honest.
Nikolay has agreed to stay in the United States while pursuing treatment of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The illness developed because he had been ignoring his emphysema for years. Instead of facing the medical interventions alone in Moscow, he’s involving his family.
It’s been two weeks since we returned to Norfolk. As promised, Nathaniel turned himself in for official interrogation. The guy’s entire life in Florida is on hold, his business barely surviving and his future uncertain. Nathaniel Turner and Lysander Wolfson are both waiting for a hearing that will be much lighter than what they deserve. Ana isn’t pressing charges, which pisses me off. However, the choice is ultimately hers.
At least now I can stave off threats before they get worse. With my barely disguised paranoia, Ana is safer than any government official, probably including the president.
The timing of my security installation isn’t random. I waited for Ana to tie up some loose ends so that the overhaul can coincide with time off.
We’re going to Sedona right after this meeting, her first extended time away from work in years.
I can’t wait to be with Ana away from all this stress. Red rocks and hiking. Wine tasting and steaks. My girl and me. All of it creating a piece of heaven I finally get to share with the woman I love.
“Can’t believe I thought I could take you on. I give up.” I’m talking to the half-eaten T-bone on my plate.
“Wish you had your tenderloin filets instead, little girl?” Bryce teases. He is not sympathetic to my plight, taking down his meal like no one’s business.
His favorite steakhouse is everything he described and more. There’s a warm, inviting atmosphere as you enter the dining hall decorated by dark walls, wooden beams, and soft lighting. The real decoration, however, is outside. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase breathtaking red rock formations. We arrived at sunset, mesmerized by the vibrant views of the sandstone landscape as well as the pink and orange streaks of a setting sun.
The aroma of sizzling meat fooled me into thinking I could have that T-bone along with creamy truffled potatoes. We’d been hiking all day, after all. Wrong. I’m no match for this cowboy meal.
I smile across the table and swoon at the sight of Bryce, content and relaxed. He’s so gorgeous, his azure-colored eyes catching the flicker of the candle between us.
