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“I can promise her that because I’m no longer living this lifestyle,” Lev replies. “I have a villa where I’m going to grow olives and wine. I’m taking Stacy if she’ll forgive me, and we’re getting away from all this.”
“Where is this villa?”
“Italy,” Lev answers.
“Oh great, slap in the heart of Mafia country!” I point out, and he laughs.
“We’re in a little village near the sea.” He glances at Konstantin, who nods. “I want you to come with us. You and my nephew or niece will be safe.” He smiles, and I’m once again bowled over at how much he looks like Andrey. “You get to choose how you want to live your life and raise your children.”
“I…” I swallow, and before I reply, I turn and vomit once again.
“I hope that wasn’t indicative of your answer?” Lev teases.
Chapter 23
ISABELLA
The dining room seems too big with just my brother and me in it. But Pavel is sorting out Donald, and Davey is eating with the men as he’d taken to doing lately. He wants to join the Zhukov Special Forces, and Konstantin is having him trained. He’d told Davey they could always use good analysts and engineers, but everyone has to be trained.
Stacy and Lev are eating dinner in her room. They have two years of catching up to do. Now that Stacy has snapped out of the funk she’d fallen into upon seeing Lev again, when they came through to get their dinner, I could see how much they love each other.
Konstantin had managed to get Donald to talk some more. He found out that Harry discovered where we were because the vet who had seen Hera’s skin rash had scanned her chip. A silly mistake that had now compromised our position at the ranch.
“I’m not getting rid of my dogs!” My brother and I sit, having a glaring match.
I’ve had these before with James, but it was never the same as James would usually back down. But Konstantin has a darker scowl than mine, and he’s a bit scarier than James.
“I’m not suggesting we abandon them.” Konstantin’s voice is eerily composed as he gazes at me with his piercing eyes. “We need to remove their chips. That’s how Stacy’s parents tracked us down.”
“What if they get lost?”
“We won’t let them get lost,” Konstantin says. “My men are fond of them. They’re always commenting on how intelligent and well-trained they are.”
“Davey’s been teaching the men their commands,” I tell him. Biting the side of my mouth while pondering the situation, I ask, “Does this mean we have to leave here?”
“I’m afraid so.” Konstantin nods. “It’s only a matter of time before Andrey brings the cavalry, and while Lev wanted to come for Stacy, he would rather his brother and father think he is dead.”
“Why?”
“Because either our father or Ivan sent someone to kill Lev that night they were all attacked.” Konstantin’s eyes flash.
“How did you end up being there?” My brows crease, looking at him curiously.
“I was passing by,” Konstantin hedges.
“Right at that exact moment in time, you were passing by.” My one eyebrow raises, and I stare at him in disbelief. “Will you at least tell me how Lev is alive?”
“I got there in the nick of time!” Konstantin says.
“You use nick of time?“ I look at him with raised brows.
“I grew up in Europe. It’s a thing there,” he tells me.
“Why don’t you have a Russian accent?” I bite my lip, looking at him. “You don’t really have an accent at all. It’s sort of a bit of everything.”
“I move around a lot.”
“Are you ever just going to give me straight answers or tell me how you’re alive, what really happened to our mother, why I’m the key?” I see his shoulders stiffen, but ignore him and carry on. “Or why our father had me living like I was in The Truman Show?”
