by K. J. Dahlen
She looked into his eyes. “They are still my family. The only family I ever had, the only family I’ve ever known. Others will judge me by what they did. They will condemn me for the actions of my father and grandfather and I can’t live with that.” She looked over his shoulder and saw Misha standing in her living room. “Even your own son has judged me by my family connections. Their actions happened long before I was even born and I’m still tainted by them.”
“I misjudged you.” Misha shrugged. “But I don’t know you well enough to make up my mind about you. All I really know about you is the fact that you showed up yesterday and claimed I have a brother I didn’t know about. A son my father was unaware of either. I didn’t know what to think. If I misjudged you then and I’m sorry.” He stared at her for a long moment before he told her, “All my life, its been just my father and I after my mother died. He never told me he met you before and then there you were, with a son I didn’t know about. You claimed he was my brother. My father has a great deal of wealth and power not only in Russia but here as well. You’ll forgive me if I doubt what your intentions were and are. I will always protect his back.”
“You’ll forgive me if I do the same for my mother.” Levi glared at him. “She’s all I’ve ever known as well.”
Misha held up his hands in surrender.
“I still want you beside me,” Sergi insisted. “Levi is my son, even if neither of us knew it all his life, he is still a Constantine and he needs to know his heritage. What he does with that knowledge is up to him but he needs to learn what it is.”
Anita looked back at Sergi. “I never regretted what we were together when we met all those years ago. I don’t regret loving you then and I still love you now. When I found out Levi was on his way, I finally had something good in my life. I had no way to contact you. I never knew who you were. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing but I never regretted having him. He was my one link with you, even if you didn’t know about him. But I can’t go with you. I will not be judged anymore for things I had no control over. My father and grandfather did terrible things. They deserve to be judged for their actions but I won’t be there to judge them. I turned my back on them a long time ago or maybe they turned their backs on me a long time ago. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“At least stay with me long enough for us to sort this out,” Sergi pleaded. “I have a feeling there is much more for us to discover about the events we now know.” He stepped toward her and she didn’t step back. Sergi took that as a good sign. He grabbed her hands and drew her to him gently. “Give us a chance to be a family…a chance to know each other again. I’ve missed you every day since we were together last. Give us a chance to know you and Levi and allow yourself to know me again.”
“Please don’t hurt me again,” she begged him in a whisper.
Sergi shook his head. “I’m not looking to hurt you. Or Levi. I just want you to give me a chance.”
Anita looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. “Okay, I can do that much.”
“Thank you.” Sergi closed his eyes and his heart began beating in his chest again. He looked around her small home and smiled. “As much as I like the home you raised our son in, I need more room and more access to Nikoli. Why don’t you both pack a few things and move into the suite at the hotel I have?”
Anita shook her head. “I can’t. I have a job to go back to tomorrow.”
Sergi looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. “My woman does not need to work.”
“But I’m not your woman, am I?” Anita replied.
“You are my woman and have been for a number of years. You just never knew it until now,” Sergi told her.
“Mom?” Levi called out gently.
Anita turned to look at her son.
“Are you going to give him a chance?”
Anita nodded slowly. “I think we owe him that. I want you to know him and for him to know you.”
“Don’t do this just for me,” Levi warned. “Do this because you want it. You have more to lose than I do.”
Anita smiled. “I am doing this for me too.” She looked at both younger men. “I have loved this man since the day I met him, twenty-four years ago. I ever knew who he was or what he was but that didn’t matter to me then and it doesn’t matter to me now. I know you think I used him, but I didn’t. He became my whole world for those three days we were together.”
Sergi turned her to face him. “The next few days are not going to be easy for any of us. You will face people who will judge you for things that you had no control over. Can you handle their questions? I don’t want you to run away again, not from me, never from me. I promise that it will get better.”
“I’ll try.” She shrugged. “That’s all I can do is try. But you have to do something for me too.”
“And what would that be?” Sergi asked as he raised a brow at her and kept his jubilance inside himself.
“I need you to believe I had nothing to do with the events of over forty years ago or twenty- four years ago. If you can’t give me your full support then I’m better off staying here.”
“I can do that,” Sergi promised her. “Easily.
“Ok, then I’ll come back with you.” Anita gave him a slow nod of her dark head.
Misha looked at her.
Anita looked back at him.
Levi sighed as he and his half-brother then stared at each other.
Sergi kept the absolute feeling of joy that wanted to burst through inside. He would make this work.
A new family.
The Constantine’s.
The next few days flew by. Sergi was extremely busy while constantly in touch with Russia and the High Council. It took some doing but they managed to get permission for Levi and Anita to get into the country.
They also made preparations to bring Gavril and Nico back to Russia to face charges of murder for Sergi’s wife. Gavril and Nico both demanded that Anita visit with them but she refused both times they asked. She wanted nothing more to do with either of them.
Her nights were filled with Sergi and once again, she felt the love they shared twenty four years ago. While her days were filled with learning all she could about who he really was. She also got to know Misha a little better and Levi got to know both Misha and Sergi too.
Anita regaled both men with stories of Levi growing up much to his chagrin. They all shared memories and grew closer as the two days flew by.
On the morning of the third day, Sergi came into their bedroom and woke her up with a kiss.
When he broke the kiss, she had to catch her breath. He did that every time he kissed her a certain way. Only this time, he looked troubled and she couldn’t help but wonder why. “What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.
Sergi sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “There is a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“A problem with your birth certificate.”
Anita frowned. “What’s wrong with it?”
“My man Nikoli has proven it to be fake.”
Anita sat up and grabbed his cheeks to turn his head so she could look into his eyes. “How can my birth certificate be fake? I don’t understand?”
Sergi looked at her and said, “He traced it and found it to be fake because there is no other record of you being born at that hospital on that day or any other near it.”
“What?” she exclaimed in confusion. “Oh course, I was born. I’m here aren’t I? I had to have been born at some point.”
“I know it doesn’t make sense to me either, but its true. Your birth certificate is not real.”
Anita flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling in stunned surprise. After a moment or two, she looked over at Sergi, “Then who am I? All my life, I’ve always been Anita Anya Turchan. If that’s not true then what is my name?”
“Your father would know,” he reminded her softly.
Anita began shaking her head. “I wouldn’t ask that man anythin
g. He’s done nothing but lie to me my whole life.” She turned over to her side and hid her face from him.
Sergi could see her shoulders shaking as she cried silently. He couldn’t stand to see her pain but he didn’t know how to help her. “He is the only one who does know who you really are.”
Anita shook her head. “I will not make a deal with that man. Not even to find out who I really am.” She turned her tear-filled eyes to him. “He will try to gain his freedom just for the information he has about me. I know he will. That wouldn’t be fair to you. Besides, he deserves to be judged for his role in your wife’s death.”
“But we need the truth about you as well,” Sergi argued. “You deserve that much if not more from him.”
Anita shook her head and for a moment, she couldn’t say anything. Her throat was blocked by tears. “I don’t want you to make any kind of deal with him. Not about this. Now, I know why he never loved me the way a father should love a child. Why he didn’t think anything about setting me up to distract you, why he never cared about me as a child and could have cared less about me as I grew up. He never loved anyone but himself and to hell with me and Levi.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore.” Sergi sighed. “You were better off without him and his kind.”
“Now, I really am a nobody,” she stated quietly after a long moment. She pushed the covers off her and got up from the bed she shared with Sergi. She didn’t say anything but instead, she went to the bathroom and quietly closed the door behind her.
Sergi shook his head then got up and left the bedroom. He found his boys sitting in the living enjoying their coffee. “Misha, I need you to come with me,” Sergi told his oldest son.
“What’s going on?” Levi asked as he got to his feet. “Where is my mother?”
Sergi shook his head. “I want you to stay here with her. Please don’t let her leave this suite.”
“What did you do to her?” Levi asked angrily.
“I didn’t do anything. I just told her that her birth certificate wasn’t real. We haven’t yet uncovered who she really is but her father has those answers. I’m on my way to ask him that question.”
“Oh… no.” Levi shook his head. “She will never allow that.”
“It’s not her choice is it?” Sergi countered.
Misha sighed at this statement. He knew how stubborn his father was.
“Wait a minute here.” Levi shook his head. “Please don’t do something without her permission. Knowing the man we’re dealing with, he will want something in exchange for the information you need and that something won’t come cheap. Not for you and certainly for her. If you make a deal behind her back, she may never forgive you.”
Sergi nodded. “She already told me that. But the difference is I’m willing to risk whatever he wants to find out the truth.”
Levi looked troubled by this statement. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. My mother has been lost most of her life. All she wanted to be was loved and accepted for who she was. You gave her that. I’ve never seen her happier than she has been with you. Now she finds out this news? She wouldn’t want you to make a deal with that man for anything.”
Sergi went over to him and looked him in the eye. “I want your mother. I can offer her the world on a platter and I will do just that. After my wife died, I had to let that go. I had a son to raise and an empire to build. I also had a man to find and make him pay for what he did when he took my Tasha. It took me forty years to find this man. But it was with her help that I discovered him. He will pay for the part he took in killing my wife. Nico is just as guilty as his father is but he has knowledge I need for your mother’s sake. I loved my wife but I also love your mother. She gave me a second chance at life and love when I thought my time had passed. She gave me another son and in doing so, she gave me her all. She raised you alone but she did it because she gave me her all. She could do no less and neither can I. I will ask that bastard for the details of your mother’s birth and I will make a deal with the devil himself to give her the answers she needs.” Sergi stepped back and looked at his sons. “I don’t want to lose her again. I need to know she will be here when I return.” Staring at Levi, he asked. “Can you keep her here?”
Levi nodded.
Sergi looked at Misha. “Then let’s go and talk to Nico.”
Misha nodded and followed him out.
Chapter Seven
Sergi, Misha, and Nikoli walked into the cell area.
Both men in the cells looked up at them.
Gavril sneered and said nothing.
Nico sat up and took note of all three looking at him in particular. He narrowed his eyes and glared at them. “You gentlemen look like you need some information. I can only guess mind you, but I think I know what you need.” His tone sounded smug and he gripped the side of the cot he was on with white knuckles.
“What do you think we need from you?” Nikoli asked.
“You found Anita isn’t who she claims to be, didn’t you?” Nico called out softly.
“You keep your mouth shut boy.” Gavril growled.
Nico snorted. “Why should I old man? I may as well try and work a deal with them. A deal that won’t see me at the end of a hang man’s noose.”
“If I’m going down boyo, so are you!” Gavril snapped.
“Not if I can help it old man, ” Nico grumbled and looked over at Sergi. “I’ll bet you got something I need and I got something you need. Maybe we can make a deal.”
“Is she even your daughter?” Sergi asked.
Nico nodded. “Yeah, she’s my spawn. As much as I want to deny it I can’t.” He watched as Sergi closed his fingers into a fist and inside Nico had to smile. He might just be able to avoid the noose if he played his cards close to his chest. He might not escape punishment altogether but maybe he wouldn’t’ hang alongside his old man.
“Why does she have a fake birth certificate? Where is her real one?” Nikoli asked.
Nico shrugged. “As far as I know, she doesn’t have a real one. I had to provide her something though. The government gets real suspicious if you don’t have a birth certificate when you go to school or start a job.”
“Where was she born?” Sergi wanted to know.
“What you going to do for me?” Nico bargained.
Sergi thought about his request for a moment then told him, “If you testify against your father for the murder of my wife, you won’t stand accused of her murder.”
“You’ll set me free?” Nico licked his lips in anticipation.
“I said you won’t stand accused of her murder.” Sergi worded it the way Nico wanted to hear. “But you have to testify against your father at the Tribunal.”
Nico laid back against the cot. “I can do that.”
Gavril sat up and glared at his son. “You ungrateful little bastard!”
Nico turned his head and laughed at the man he called his father. “Let’s face it Dad, you are the one who stabbed the little bitch. Her blood is on your hands.”
Sergi stood there as rage took him over. That this little pig would dare call his beloved wife a bitch was almost his undoing.
“You were right beside me boyo. You held her arms when she fought to get away. You are just as guilty as I am.” Gavril growled.
“Maybe I am but I won’t hang for it,” Nico told his dad smugly. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know about Anita only after the Tribunal, when I’m free and clear of all charges.”
Sergi seethed but nodded his agreement. “Very well. We leave for Russia in the morning. The Tribunal will be in three days. The High Council is gathering the members for the Tribunal.”
Nico grinned as he laid back on the cot. He figured he would walk out of the Tribunal a free man. He knew Sergi would keep his word. Bratva honor and all. Nico had no intention of telling the other men anything. The truth of Anita’s birth would put him on death row and he did not intend to go anywhere near that place.
Sergi walked into the suite f
ollowed by Misha and Nikoli. All three men were fighting different levels of a rage so fine, that they didn’t speak at all on the way over to the hotel. When he opened the door, Sergi saw Anita and Levi sitting on the sofa waiting for his return.
Anita got up and studied his face then her own fell, as she knew in her heart what he’d done. “You made a deal with him didn’t you?” she asked him softly.
Sergi stared at her but he didn’t have to answer her question. The answer was obvious.
“I wish you hadn’t done it. He will not hesitate to lie to you to get what he wants.”
Sergi nodded. “I know, little one.”
“What did you promise him?” Levi asked.
“I promised him he wouldn’t stand trial for my wife’s murder if he testified against his father at the trial. He agreed and he told us he would tell us about your birth after the trial was over.”
“You made a fool’s bargain then,” Anita spoke with bitterness. “He’ll never tell you what you want to know.”
“Perhaps but I know something he doesn’t.” Sergi raised a brow at her. “He won’t stand trial on my wife’s murder, but he will stand trial for dealing drugs in Russia and that sentence means he’ll be spending the rest of his natural life in a Siberian prison.”
Anita shook her head. “Still a fool’s bargain.”
He came toward her and wrapped her in his arms. “It’s a bargain I would make again, in a heartbeat.”
Anita rested her forehead on his chest and laughed. “Oh, you crazy stubborn man, what am I going to do with you?”
“Love me?” he whispered.