by K. J. Dahlen
Nick just glared at his back.
Chapter Thirteen
New Orleans
Iosif knocked on Yuri’s door and waited for someone to answer. When Raven opened the door, she glared at him. “What do you want now?”
“I’m sorry about what happened earlier.” He shrugged. “My father can be a bear when things aren’t going his way.”
“That doesn’t excuse what he did to Roman and Stevie.”
“I understand that. I was hoping I could speak to Roman on my own. Without my father, I mean. I’d like the chance to explain why my father is the way he is.”
Raven shook her head. “That might not be possible.”
“Please I just need a moment,” Iosif argued.
“You don’t understand something.” Raven sighed heavily. “Stevie was attacked right after you left this morning. She’s been fighting to stay alive all day and Roman is with her. I don’t think now is a good time to pull him away from her.”
“Is she all right?” Iosif frowned. “What happened?”
“An assassin followed you in here this morning and stabbed her. He was masquerading as wait staff and just slipped inside after you and your father came in. My husband and the others caught him but Stevie is still in critical condition and I doubt Roman will leave her side.”
“We had no knowledge of any assassin this morning.” Iosif tried to tell her.
“I know. He’d been after her for a few days before he got to her this morning.”
“And the baby?” Iosif asked. His heart stopped beating for a moment while he thought about the situation. He knew how much Roman wanted his own family and that didn’t necessarily include himself or his father.
“The baby is still with them for the moment but anything could trigger a miscarriage at this point.”
“My father and I are in room 211. Please let us know if anything changes or if Roman will speak to us. We can stay as long as we need to.” Iosif assured her.
“I’ll let Yuri know. Noka.” Raven closed the door on him.
At least she was polite by using the Russian goodbye, Iosif turned and headed to the elevator.
Slipping the key card into the lock on his room Iosif walked into he was sharing with his father.
Timor looked up and noted the paleness of his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone attacked Roman’s woman this morning after we left. He almost murdered her.”
“What? Are you serious?” Timor got to his feet. “Is Roman all right?”
Iosif glared at the other man. “Yes, Roman is fine. His woman is fighting for her life and that of her child but Roman is fine.”
“Don’t get huffy with me,” Timor demanded. “I’m not in the mood for this bullshit.”
“In case you missed it this morning, Roman loves that woman very much.”
“What you and your brother do not seem to understand is that a man cannot be held hostage by his feelings. When a woman has you by the cock, she’ll ruin you quicker than a bullet would.”
Iosif glared at his father. He’s always seen the harsher side of him growing up but this was different. This was downright stupidity on Timor’s part. Shaking his head he told his father, “You know this is never going to work don’t you? He’s never going to be part of our lives.”
“Of course, he will. He has no choice. He is my son the same as you are.” Timor assured him.
“Yes, he may be your son but he’s never going to be part of your empire. His life is right here. With these men he calls his brothers and a woman who means everything to him.” Iosif shook his head. “That’s just the way it is. Accept it and move on. And you have to move on if you want him in your life at all. He will never give her or them up.”
“And you can accept this?” Timor wanted to know.
“Yes I can,” Iosif nodded. “I want to get to know him and I can accept the way things are because I have no other choice. We have led lives different than I would have wanted, different than he wanted too, but we are grown men now. We can’t go back to being small children nor would I want to. Growing up the first time was hard enough.”
“Was I that bad to deal with as a parent?” Timor asked.
Iosif shook his head. “Not at all. I was lucky the day you found me. I just wish you would’ve found Roman that day as well. I think I always knew something was missing from my life. I did but I just didn’t know what it was. It was him all these years.” Shrugging he said, “We can’t get those years back, but we can move forward, if we can accept Roman on his terms. He isn’t someone you can intimidate into doing your bidding. You have to accept him for who and what he has become or not at all. I can accept that, can you?”
Timor began to pace running his fingers through his short hair. “I guess I don’t have any other option do I?”
“No father, you really don’t.” Iosif grinned. “I think he’s inherited your stubbornness.”
Timor barked out a laugh. “Yeah, well that may not be a good thing in this respect.”
“No it might not be, but it’s going to be interesting to watch the two butt heads.” Iosif chuckled.
“Do you think he would really give us a chance?”
Iosif nodded. “You have to be willing to give as well as take though and that means accepting his family and more importantly… his woman.”
Timor grinned. “Well, she is carrying my first grandchild after all.” His grin faded as he remembered what happened this morning. “Is she going to live?”
Iosif shrugged. “They are hopeful right now.”
“And the baby?”
“The baby is still where it ought to be for now. The next few days will tell the tale.”
“And the killer?” Timor curled his lip.
“The killer is taken care of,” Iosif told him.
“What about the man who hired him?”
Iosif shrugged. “That I couldn’t say. You’ll have to ask Sergi.”
“Oh, I’ll be sure to do just that.” Timor narrowed his eyes and glared out the window to the streets below.
Roman jerked awake. He’d fallen asleep in the chair beside the bed. Stevie was still asleep and when he lifted his head off the mattress where he’d slumped to sleep hours ago, she didn’t stir. He frowned but noted the rise and fall of her chest. She was simply sleeping. He touched her hand and noted that she didn’t seem feverous. He got to his feet and leaned over to kiss her forehead. Looking around the room, he smiled when he saw Benny sleeping in the corner.
He went over to where the boy was and nudged him with his foot.
Benny snapped his eyes open and stared at Roman for a moment before turning his head to glance at Stevie. Looking back at Roman, he saw him hold his finger over his lips. Benny nodded when he motioned toward the door.
Following him out to the living area, they both saw Yuri sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.
Yuri looked up from reading the paper and asked, “How is she this morning?”
“She seems good.” Roman he poured himself a cup of coffee. Benny reached for a glass of juice and they both sat down at the table. “She doesn’t have a fever but she’s still weak. I had to help her to the bathroom last night and she almost didn’t make it.”
“Hey, she’s on the mend.” Yuri assured him. “Doctor Gladden told me before he left he had no doubts and that she would make it. She’s not out of the woods yet, but she’s getting stronger every hour and she’ll rally very soon.”
Benny reached out and grabbed Roman’s hand. “I hope so. She’s all I got and if anything happens to her I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Hey buddy, you’ll always have a home with me. I hope you know that.” Roman stared at his face.
“You don’t understand,” Benny spoke softly. “Stevie has been my rock for most of my life. She’s protected me against the nightmares and bad guys since I was three years old. I tried to protect her too, but I’m just a kid. There isn’t much I can do for her.” He hung hi
s head briefly then looked at Roman. “I’m not worried about me so much but I’d like to be there for her and the baby. I know I still can’t do much, I am still a kid, but I need her to know I’m there for her. I need her to know she can count on me.”
“I think she already knows that kiddo.” Yuri smiled.
“I hope she does because I love her so much.” Benny avoided their eyes.
“And I’m pretty sure she loves you just as much.” Roman nodded.
“Oh, I know she does,” Raven’s voice called out from the doorway. She was standing there with Dominic in her arms. She came toward the table and handed the baby off to Yuri. Then she knelt down in front of Benny. “She begged me days ago before she was injured that if anything happened to her she asked if we would take care of you.” She glanced over at Roman. “She wanted us to be there for both of you. She told me she loved you both so much. You guys are her family and she didn’t want to lose either of you.”
“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” Benny announced. Turning his head, he glared at Roman. “What about you big guy?”
“I’m not going anywhere either.” Roman’s eyes met his determined gaze. “Not without her anyway.”
“Then I guess we’re a family now,” Benny declared.
Yuri cleared his throat. “Speaking of family, your brother stopped by yesterday. He wanted to speak to you but when he found out about Stevie he just asked that we relay a message to have you call him when you were free.”
Roman’s lips tightened but he minded the fact that Benny was sitting there. “I’ll call him later this morning. Thanks for passing that along.” He took a sip of his coffee and asked, “Was there any word from Pappy on the situation in Baton Rouge?”
Yuri smiled and nodded. “Yes, the trial is beginning today and they don’t expect any problems. The DA thinks everyone will plead out rather than go through the public humiliation of having their crimes splashed in the newspapers. Also, I heard through the grapevine that Nick Bennett was arrested for Eugene Harris’s murder. The DA was able to find the correct cause of death. They were able to dig up a copy of the autopsy report that no one ever saw regarding Seth Bennett. It seems that Nick coated his hand with bee venom and shook Eugene’s hand transferring the venom to him.” Yuri chuckled. “Eugene died in the same manner as his father Seth Bennett. Seth happens to be Nick’s old man too.”
Roman shook his head. “So Nick pulled a Cain and Able on Eugene huh? Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“What surprised the hell out of me was the fact that Regina Bennett was also arrested for her husband’s murder fifteen years ago.”
“Really?” Roman wasn’t surprised. “Seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree then does it?”
“So now… the only thing we have to remedy is your brother and father,” Yuri stated.
“There is nothing to remedy there.’ Roman shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere, so whatever plans Maxim has will be his own disappointment. I have all I want right here.” He glanced over at Raven. “I’d like to ask you to plan a wedding, just something simple as soon as you can throw it together. I want Stevie to have my name before the baby is born.”
“I think she’d like that.” Raven nodded.
They all heard a knock on the door and she turned to answer it. Moments later she came back with Iosif and Timor Maxim.
Roman got to his feet and glared at Timor. “What do you want now?”
Timor held up his hand. “I didn’t come here to fight with you again. I came here to apologize for my behavior earlier. I had no right to insist that you come home with me. I just found out about you and I wanted all the years we’ve been apart back.” Timor shook his head. “Iosif made me understand that you weren’t a child anymore but that you were a grown man with a life of your own. He also pointed out that if we wanted to be a part of your life, we have to give you a choice.”
“I’m not willing to give up what I’ve already got and if you want to be part of my life you have to understand that.” Roman gazed steadily them both.
Timor chuckled. “Your brother also pointed out that our tempers are about the same. I never saw myself in another man before and it was a rude awakening.”
Roman barked out a laugh. “I’ve known my temper all my life. It took four boys to knock me down a peg or two growing up but I finally learned to control myself.”
“Oh, really?” Yuri asked. “I thought that was an ongoing thing for you.”
Roman chuckled and threw a napkin at his friend and brother.
“So how is your woman Stevie feeling today?” Iosif asked. “Are she and the baby ok?”
Roman nodded and turned his attention to his brother. “I hope so. They had a bit of a rough night so hopefully today, she will start to improve. The baby is hanging in there, so I’m hoping she’ll continue to improve.”
“So you really are going to marry this woman?” Timor asked.
“Yes, I am,” Roman stated in no uncertain terms. “As soon as I can get the paperwork done. I’m going to give her and the baby my name.”
Timor exhaled loudly. “I hope you will allow us time between now and then to get to know you. I’d really like that. We have a lot of time to catch up on.”
“Maybe we can work on that,” Roman agreed. “But most of my time will be with Stevie. By the way, this is Stevie’s brother Benny. They come as a package set, so you’ll be seeing a lot of him around as well.”
Iosif stepped forward and took Benny’s hand. “It’s good to meet you young man.”
Benny shook his hand and stepped back. He looked at Timor with uncertainty in his eyes.
Timor stepped up and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And you,” Benny murmured. Turning to Roman he said, “I’m going to go and check on Stevie.”
Roman watched as he disappeared down the hall.He turned back to watch his father carefully. He could sense the tension between Benny and him and wasn’t quite sure where it was coming from.
Just then, Iosif joined him. “I wanted to thank you for giving us another chance. Father can be a hard ass when he wants something and can’t get it immediately. He wants you and can’t accept that you might not want the same thing.”
Roman shrugged. “I think you both needed to realize something here. I’m not a lost child anymore. I grew up a long time ago and I am my own man now. I lost the brother I knew thirty four years ago. I’d hoped you got the chance to grow up for all this time but until I saw you again, I never knew what happened to you. Him, I don’t know at all and he isn’t making it easy for me. He claims to be my father but I’ve never seen him before yesterday and he wants me to fall into line and obey his every command. I cannot do that. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere. If he wants to get to know me that’s fine. I’ll allow that but I will not allow him to disrespect me or my family.”
Iosif nodded. “He is a strong man where I grew up. He feels he’s earned his position in this life and he expects respect from everyone. He taught me to never back down from anyone or anything. The Maxim name stands for something in our world. Being Bratva is something to be proud of in his eyes. The fact that you are also Bratva.” He shrugged, “That means something to him. He just learned of your existence a few years ago and he almost went crazy trying to find you.” Iosif paused then looked at his brother with no emotion in his eyes. “When he found our mother for the third time and she finally told him the truth about both of us he got so enraged at her he almost killed her for leaving us in that damn apartment in Moscow. The fact that she didn’t really care what happened to us meant something to him.”
Roman shrugged. “From what I can remember of our mother, she wasn’t a caring person unless it was worth her while, unless she got something out of the deal. You and I, we did nothing for her.”
Iosif nodded. “That is what Timor found as well.”
Roman glared at his brother. “I did not appreciate the fact that he treated Stevie like crap
. I may be older than she is but she is my woman and that boy you met earlier is her brother. If he can’t treat them like they belong, then it’s better if he leaves me alone altogether. I won’t have her disrespected in any way.”
Iosif agreed. “I know but he’s still learning. He’s better dealing with grown men who know what to expect.’ He paused then said, “I hope that you and I can get to know each other again. All my life, I’ve felt there’s been something missing. I want to know you, hear what your life was like growing up, I want to know the man you’ve become.”
Roman held out his hand and when Iosif shook it, he told him, “I’d like that. For most of my life, I had no one except the four friends I found along the way. Now I have my brother back and I do not want to lose you again.”
“I’m glad your Stevie is getting better. I did enjoy meeting her yesterday before everything went to shit.” He chuckled. “She seems to have some spirit and that is always a good thing.”
Roman nodded. ‘Yes she has spirit all right. She’s the perfect woman for me.” He turned and watched as Benny returned and sat down in a corner by himself.
Roman would have joined him but Sergi, Misha and Nikoli joined the group just then. Yuri took a moment to catch them up on everything that was happening in Baton Rouge.
Roman noticed Timor joined Benny and he waited to see what would happen, although he was prepared to step in if his father got out of hand.
Timor glanced at the young boy he joined. Exhaling deeply, he began to speak, “I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier…”
Benny shook his head. “I doubt that.” He couldn’t look at the man next to him, instead he looked at the floor.
“Look you don’t know me and I don’t know you…” Timor began again.
Benny lifted his head and stared straight into his eyes. “I do know you. I’ve known men like you all my life. Men like you look down on someone like me and Stevie, you always have.”