by Faith Gibson
“Are you okay?” Natalia asked, squatting to check on him.
He stared at her with wide eyes. “Your hair is funny. You look like a lollipop,” he said, grinning.
Natalia couldn’t help but smile back. “I do, huh?”
The little boy nodded. Natalia helped him to his feet. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Natalia. What’s yours?” She probably shouldn’t be so chatty with a runaway child, but he was just too cute. His mom had to be somewhere close by.
“Marshall? Marshall!” a man’s frantic voice yelled from close by.
“I’m here with the lollipop!” Marshall grinned at her again.
“But we’ve already passed the candy—” A gorgeous blond rounded the corner, his frantic demeanor morphing into that of relief when he found the boy. Kneeling, he said, “Marshall, you can’t run away like that. I was worried.”
“Sorry, Daddo. I was just looking.”
Maveryck Lazlo, the man she was searching for, was there in front of her. Natalia stood entranced as he hugged his son. One of his sons. There was another child hanging onto their cart, and from what Natalia could tell, they were twins. They didn’t appear to be identical, but they were darn close. The one who wasn’t Marshall had more freckles across his nose, his face was fuller, and he had a cowlick in his bangs. They both had the same piercing blue eyes as their father. And if there were kids, there was a Mrs. Lazlo.
Maveryck finally noticed Natalia. “I’m so sorry, Miss...?”
“Her name’s Tolly!” Marshall said.
“Natalia,” she corrected.
Marshall squirmed, and Maveryck set him on his feet. His brother stepped closer and peered up at her. “Lolly?”
“Tolly,” Marshall said.
“Lolly,” his brother volleyed.
“Lollipop!” they sang together, giggling. “I told you, you look like a lollipop,” Marshall declared.
Natalia couldn’t help but laugh. She turned her eyes from the boys to their father who was staring at her, and her smile faded. “I’m sorry. He ran around the corner straight into my cart. I was just making sure he was okay.”
“No, no. I appreciate that. You just...” Maveryck cocked his head, eyes narrowed.
“Well, if everyone is okay, I’ll let you get back to your wife.”
“No wife,” Maveryck muttered. Well, wasn’t that interesting? But there had to be a mother out there somewhere.
“We’re having a party. It’s for our birthday. You wanna come? We’re having cake,” Marshall asked.
“Oh, uh.” Natalia glanced at Maveryck, who was still staring. “That’s really sweet of you, but I need to get home. Thank you for the offer, though.”
“You’re pretty,” Not-Marshall said.
“Why, thank you. What’s your name?” She couldn’t keep thinking of him as “Not-Marshall.”
“Major. I’m oldest.”
Marshall rolled his eyes, and Natalia grinned. She bet that was a thorn in Marshall’s side.
“It’s nice to meet you. All of you, but I really should be going.” Natalia had to get away from Maveryck Lazlo and his adorable twins before she did something regrettably stupid.
“Come on, boys. Let’s let Natalia finish her shopping. We still have to go get a cake.”
“Cake!” both boys yelled and did a funny little wiggle dance. Natalia couldn’t have stopped the laugh that left her throat if she tried.
“You have some adorable boys, Mister...?”
“Maveryck. Lazlo. Mav. Uh, just Mav. And thank you.” Maveryck stumbled over his words, and if she hadn’t seen the blush come over his cheeks, she wouldn’t have believed this big, strong biker was capable.
“You’re welcome, just Mav. Boys, I hope you enjoy your party.” Natalia ruffled Marshall’s hair and turned her cart to head away from so much temptation.
“Bye, Lolly!” one of them yelled, and the other followed up with, “Bye, Tolly!” Giggling, they started chanting, “Tolly, Lolly, lollipop.” Natalia grinned to herself as she headed straight for the checkout counter without turning to see the boys enjoying themselves. No way was she finishing her shopping list, not with her mark so close. The smart thing to do would have been to accept the invitation to the party. That would give her a chance to observe the man close up. Since Maveryck didn’t extend the invitation, she didn’t think he would appreciate her saying yes to his son.
“Come on, boys. What kind of cake do you like?” Maveryck asked as they walked behind her to the bakery. That was odd. Why didn’t he know what kind of cake his own kids liked? Against her better judgment, Natalia turned to watch father and sons. Maveryck looked back over his shoulder at her, his expression one of confusion.
“Chocolate!” the twins shouted in unison.
“Ma’am, are you ready to check out?” the cashier asked. Natalia apologized and began setting her items on the conveyor belt. After loading her things in the back of her vehicle, Natalia had to make herself turn the engine over and drive away. She wondered if Maveryck – Mav – had found the envelope. Did he realize he was in danger? And if so, why was he out in public with his kids?
God, but those boys were cute. As she drove, Natalia allowed herself to daydream about being their mom. Not that she would dream of replacing their current mom, but damn. All that energy? Maveryck had his hands full, that was for certain. He had been visibly worried about Marshall when he wasn’t within sight, so maybe Maveryck had found the information she left. No, that didn’t make sense. If he had, there’s no way a father who cared for his sons would willingly put them in harm’s way, unless he thought the contract was a joke. Maybe she should go to his house and tell him it was one-hundred-percent true. But then she’d have to tell him how she knew it wasn’t a joke.
Natalia didn’t want those boys to be in danger. As unsure as she was about their father, Natalia knew she had to do something to protect the twins. But what? She had already warned Maveryck. That was the best she could do. Wasn’t it?
When she arrived home, Natalia put away the few groceries she’d managed to purchase. Her plan to cook now took a back seat to her worry about the twins. Okay, maybe she was worried about their father, but that was stupid. She didn’t know him. Her phone rang. Not her personal one, but the burner she used for work. No doubt Nix was calling for a report.
“Hello?”
“Myshka, is there a reason you’re turning down all contracts? I know you wanted a vacation, but we need you back in the field.”
“What are you talking about? I’m on assignment. I know it’s taking me longer than normal to complete the job, but I’ve only just located the mark today. I still have to do recon.”
“What assignment?”
“The one you emailed to me. The one I accepted.”
“When was this?”
Natalia pulled up the assignment and looked at the time stamp. She relayed the exact date and time.
“I did not send you that contract, Myshka. Who was it from?”
“Well, that’s the thing. There was no contact information. I thought it was probably a glitch.”
“Forward it to me immediately. And wait for me to get back to you before you proceed further.” Nix disconnected without saying goodbye.
Oh, God. What if this wasn’t a legitimate contract? What if she’d found Maveryck Lazlo and taken him out? Natalia went to the bedroom and got her laptop out of its hiding place. She forwarded the email to Nix. Instead of shutting it back down, she left it open in case Nix emailed her back. Natalia paced back and forth, biting the side of her thumb. Two sets of bright blue eyes haunted her. What if she had pulled the trigger and orphaned those two precious boys? You’ve orphaned other children. Yes, but she hadn’t met the other children of the scum she took out. Natalia jumped when the email notification sounded in the room. Rushing to her laptop, Natalia swallowed hard when she read Nix’s response.
“This did not come from me. Cease looking into this man. Consider the contract
null and void. You will be paid for your time. Feel free to accept a different job, but this time, make sure it comes from me.”
“Damnit!” Natalia yelled to no one then sent a reply. “Is this man in danger?”
It took several minutes before she received a response. “Do not concern yourself with it.”
How could she not? Maveryck was most likely an innocent man with a price on his head. But why would...? Gah! Natalia didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t like she could drive to the man’s home and talk to him about it. Same issue as before; she would have to explain how she knew about the contract, and she couldn’t do that. She had already warned him via the documents, so she would have to trust him to watch his own back. And that of his boys.
Before Nix’s email, Natalia had been hungry. Now, she was afraid she’d throw up if she tried to eat anything. This wasn’t like her. She’d been raised to be uncaring. To not worry about other people. To only concern herself with that of her father’s well-being. Anatoly had done his best to train emotions right out of her. It hadn’t worked. She’d held onto the love of her mother, hiding away the photo she had managed to save when her father tossed all her mother’s things after her death. Anatoly had gotten rid of all evidence Bellona Volkova had existed. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t erase Natalia’s memories. Every day, she looked at the photo. Every day, she reminded herself of what she had shared with the woman who brought her into the world. Twenty years later, and Natalia could still remember what her mother’s voice sounded like. How soft her hair was. The way she smelled.
Natalia always wanted to have a daughter so she could name the child after her mother. She wanted to honor the woman in more ways than hanging onto one photo. Natalia walked down the short hallway to her bedroom and picked up the photo she kept in a frame on her nightstand. “Mama, I wish you were here.” Natalia often spoke to the photo, but some days, like today, she missed her more than ever. If her mother had lived, would Bellona have allowed Anatoly to turn Natalia into the killer she was? She liked to think not. She tried to imagine how differently her life would have turned out. How much better her life would have been. Natalia had plenty of money, but other than that? She had nothing. No one.
Hers was a lonely existence.
So, do something about it.
Yes, but what?
Chapter Twelve
Maveryck
Maveryck couldn’t shake the feeling he had met Natalia before. She wasn’t his usual type, but something about the female called to him. The same way the blonde on the sidewalk had. Those handful of minutes in the grocery store had been more than enough for Mav to know he needed Natalia in his life. As he watched her interact with the boys, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. His Gryphon had pushed at him, saying she was theirs, but Maveryck couldn’t make himself ask her out. The twins had just come into his life, and they needed to be his focus. She was pixie cute with her lavender hair. Her dark eyes were expressive, and she had made a hell of an impression on the boys.
When they finally got around to choosing a birthday cake, Marshall insisted on getting one with purple balloons, because they reminded him of Tolly. Major agreed, so that’s what they got. The twins didn’t stop talking about “Lollipop” all the way home.
When they got to the house, Mav tried to get their minds on something else, so he busied the boys with helping put the groceries away. At least the things they could reach in the pantry or fridge. While they did that, he told them a little about his brothers. He had asked them all to stagger the times they arrived so the boys wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
War and Kerrigan were the first to show up. Mav had asked them to come by earlier than the others so they would have some one-on-one time with the twins. All were equally smitten with each other. As soon as introductions were out of the way, the boys were pulling War and Kerrigan upstairs to see their bedroom. Maveryck stood in the doorway as Major animatedly talked about their new things, and Marshall silently nodded his agreement.
“War and Kerrigan are the ones who bought your toys and clothes. Can you tell them thank you?”
“Thank you!” they called out together. They insisted on showing Kerrigan each toy even though she’d helped pick them out.
War came over to stand next to Mav, a smile on his face. “They sure are something else.”
“Right?” Maveryck turned away and wiped his eyes. War gripped Mav’s shoulders and placed his forehead against the back of Mav’s head. Blowing out a breath, he admitted, “I lost Marshall in the store today. I about had a heart attack.”
“I see you found him, though. Where was he?”
Mav turned around, having his emotions under control. “The next aisle over. He ran into this really cute woman with lavender hair, and he called her a lollipop.”
War barked out a laugh, and Mav shook his head. “War, I don’t know what it is about her, but I think I made a mistake not getting her phone number.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because, I just got the boys. I have to focus on them right now, not a love life.”
“Love life? Who are you and what have you done with my twin who only has one-and-dones?”
“Not the point. I don’t have time for that either. Their lives have been uprooted, and until I feel they’re settled, I’m going to be here with them every step of the way.”
“I get that, but what about work? Are you going on hiatus?”
“Yes. No. Fuck. I don’t know. This is all so new. Mom’s already said she’ll help out, but I’m not going to take on any new jobs for at least a couple weeks.”
“Kerrigan and I will be glad to help. All you have to do is ask. We’ve already discussed setting up one of the spare rooms for them for when they need ‘cool uncle’ time away from their overbearing father.”
Mav shoved War’s shoulder, laughing. “I’ll show you overbearing.”
War got a funny look on his face when he turned his attention back to his mate and the boys. Mav asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just reminds me of all the time I missed with Lucy. At least you only missed four years. I practically missed her whole life.”
“So did Ryker with Mac. But hey. We’ve got our kids in our lives now, and all we can do is make sure they know they’re loved going forward.”
“You’re right, but you and Ryker didn’t have a choice. I did. And I made the wrong one.”
Mav squeezed his twin’s neck. “You’ve got to forgive yourself, Brother. Lucy has, so why can’t you?”
Major walked up and asked, “Daddo! Is it time for cake yet?”
“Not yet, Buddy. We have to wait until everyone else gets here. Then we’re going to eat burgers and hotdogs.”
“That’s gonna be foreeeeeeever.”
“I tell you what. Let’s go downstairs, and Uncle War and I will get the grill fired up. The others should be here—”
“The fun uncle has arrived!” Kyllian yelled from downstairs.
“And that would be me,” Hayden said.
“Come on, boys. Looks like the party is getting started.” Mav brushed his hand over Major’s head as he took off toward the stairs.
“Wait for me!” Marshall yelled after his brother. Mav and War stepped back so they didn’t get run over.
“And here I thought they were going to be nervous about meeting everyone.” Mav shook his head, grinning.
By the time he, War, and Kerrigan got to the living room, Hayden and Kyllian were sitting on the floor, each with a twin on his lap. “I grabbed your mail on my way in. I put it on the kitchen counter. There’s an envelope you might want to check out,” Hayden told Maveryck.
“Yeah, okay.” Maveryck started toward the kitchen when a short knock sounded, and the front door opened. Ryker walked in, followed by their parents.
“Hey, boys,” Sutton said.
Ryker stood just inside the room, staring down at the twins. “Well, there’s no denying who these two belong to. I’m Ryker.” His voice was gentl
e, and he was actually smiling. He took a step closer, squatting. “You must be Major,” he said, touching the older twin on the knee. Major nodded, and Ryker said, “That means you’re Marshall. I’m really glad to meet you.”
The boys both gave Ryker little waves, but they didn’t move to get up from where they sat on their other uncles’ laps. Rory and Sutton sat on the sofa, asking the boys how they were. Marshall started telling them all about Natalia, and everyone laughed when the boys sing-songed the names they’d given the woman.
With the boys taken care of and talking animatedly, Mav moved to the kitchen to get lunch going. “If you want to start the grill, I’ll get the meat ready,” he told War.
“You got it.” War kissed Kerrigan’s temple before heading out to the deck.
“What can I do to help?” Kerrigan asked.
“If you want to get the tomatoes sliced and the lettuce washed, that would be great.”
Maveryck went to work on the hamburger patties. He added a couple spices and some steak sauce to most of them. He left out the spicy sauce on two burgers for the boys. When they were patted out, he washed his hands. As he was reaching for a paper towel, he noticed the mail. A manilla envelope with no postage or return address sat on top. Mav tore it open and peered inside before pulling the stack of sheets out. When he saw what it was, he fell back against the counter.
“Are you okay?” Kerrigan asked.
“Yeah, I... Ryker? Can you come outside for a second?” Mav didn’t wait on his brother to follow. He needed air.
“What’s up?” Ryker asked, closing the French door behind him.
Mav handed him the papers. “This was in the mailbox.”
“What the fuck?” Ryker asked.