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I wave my hand. “Enough about my insecurities. Should we go down to the studio and look through the boxes. Mama saved everything, so perhaps we’ll have some luck.”
“It’s probably in the most obvious place.” She taps her chin and looks around.
“And where might that be?”
Stasia moves to the bookcase. “You haven’t gone through the books yet, have you?”
“No.” I run my hand across a stack. “I guess we can start here. Maybe we’ll find a key or a note hidden within the pages.”
“Should we do a little ritual and call in your parent’s ghosts?”
“What would that entail?” I grab two small footstools and set them in front of the bookcase. “Do we close our eyes and beg them to guide us?”
“Sure.”
I grab her hands and close my eyes. “Mama and Papa, guide us for the highest good and show us where the treasure is hidden.”
“Amen,” Stasia says quietly before dropping down on a stool and pulling out a book. “Do you think Viktor and Inessa have resumed their love story in Heaven?”
I pull several books from the shelf as a warm feeling suffuses my body. “Wouldn’t that be lovely, a second chance at a happy ever after?”
“If you don’t get it right on earth, it would be great to believe you can have another go when you pass the pearly gates.”
“Speaking of love stories, how are things going with Luka?” A smile tugs at the corners of my friend’s mouth.
“I really like him.” She rests her hands on the book. “He’s shown me nothing but green flags, and if things continue going well, I could see a future together.”
Leaning over, I hug her tightly. “I’m so freaking happy.”
Straightening, she waves her hand. “Let’s not jinx it.”
“Of course.” I pull out several books. “But I will start on the sketches for your wedding dress, just in case.”
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt anything.”
“Not at all.” I squeeze her shoulder and silently pray we can make the love story we’ve always dreamed of possible.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Yuri
Striding down the hallway to the Vor’s office, I roll my shoulders and pray he’s had some success in offloading the real estate albatross hanging around our necks. I tip my chin to his barracuda of an assistant as I pass and then stand in the doorway. “Here as requested.” He motions me in and I take a seat facing the desk.
Waving to the stacks of reports, statements, and contracts littering his desk, Alexey sighs with frustration. “Had I known running a criminal empire required so much paperwork, I might’ve rethought my career path.”
“Never give up on a dream, Vor. Tap dancing on Broadway is still possible.”
Snorting, he leans back in his chair. “And suddenly, my feared enforcer has a sense of humor.”
“You told me that marriage wouldn’t leave me unchanged, and clearly, you were right.”
“Jokes and torture. Our enemies have a lot to look forward to.”
“Speaking of enemies, is there any update on the ones who attacked my wife?”
“It was you they wanted.” He runs his hand over his leg.
“Who wanted me? The Cartels or the Russian brats?”
