Page 77 of Where the Wind Whispers

She headed to the one place in their large home that always, no matter what, made her feel safe and happy. Their bedroom.

Violet finally felt as though she could take a real breath when she had the door closed behind her and curled up on the reclining chair that also acted as a rocking chair. Anastasya barely reacted at all to being moved and now, rocked. Violet felt her daughter’s small lips smacking against her neck a second before a tiny hand replaced the feeling, telling her she’d found her thumb.

Her third favorite thing in the world next to her mother and father.

Violet settled for a moment, her heart calming and her fears beginning to leave. It wasn’t all gone, but it was better than it had been moments before.

It was only when Kaz slipped into the bedroom with a frown etched into his handsome features, and then kneeling down in front of her did Violet’s world finally begin to turn again.

All was right.

In those few seconds, as his one hand curved her bare knee and his other came to rest on their child’s back, Violet’s world was calm and good and right.

“I’m not going to say it’ll be fine,” Kaz said.

Violet nodded, thankful. “Okay.”

“But whatever it is, it will not last long, and then we’ll be back to our normal again. Yes?”

Maybe that was the problem.

Maybe their normal was just constant chaos.

“Violet?” Kaz pressed gently.

“Back to normal,” she echoed.

“We have people downstairs—a party for the baby.”

Violet heard his unspoken question, though she knew he would never demand she do what was appropriate or respectful if she didn’t truly want to. He was not that kind of man. He didn’t treat her like property to be used when he felt like it.

She was one of the faces of their family, and she understood that all too well.

But she was his wife first.

Still, Violet stood, letting Kaz take the baby as she smoothed her dress and checked her makeup in the mirror. Some of the color had returned to her face, and she smiled, knowing that was needed, too.

She didn’t have to go back downstairs and pretend as if nothing had happened, as if nothing was wrong when it so clearly was.

Yet Violet still did it.

On and off the phone for the past two hours, Kaz was more than ready for the calls to stop. He was tired of talking and fucking repeating himself. He was tired of not knowing where Alberto was, and he was definitely tired of seeing the unease in Violet’s face ever since they had received his ‘gift.’

She tried to hide it, always smiling when she noticed him looking at her, but he knew her better than that.

He needed to finish what he started.

When his phone rang this time, Kaz contemplated throwing it against the wall just to be done with it. “Speak.”

“Boss? You need to get down to Vera’s office.”

“Vera? Why?”

An audio recording drowned out whatever the man said—the feedback was so loud that Kaz could barely make out what the recording was saying.

“My sister, where is she?”

“On her way—she’s bringing the Brit.”