MOTY (The Lady Kingpin Series Book 1)

by J Hoffman

  “All of them?” He questioned.

  “I just kind of said it to the whole room, ya know?”

  Judah leaned his head back against the headboard and rolled his eyes. “Of course it was the whole room, because that was almost easy”

  Natalee chuckled, “I am pretty good at complicating things, aren’t I?”

  “You’re the best.” He squeezed her and planted a kiss on the top of her head. He rubbed her back until she calmed down and drifted off to sleep. Once he knew she was in a deep enough sleep, he pulled his arm out from under her and rolled over. He stared at the frustratingly red numbers illuminating from his alarm clock and he spent a few moments counting everything he was grateful for before he fell asleep.

  Twelve

  The next few days went by in a blur, especially for Jonah who ended up suffering from a moderate concussion. Another visit to the emergency room because he had started vomiting, and then a follow-up with his doctor led to him missing school for another week to ensure no further damage had been done. At one point, the concern of internal bleeding had come up because of how bad his bruising was, but they managed to escape that tragedy.

  Svetlana and Yana were in and out of the house frequently. After their first couple of days, they seemed to have adapted to the time difference. Neither of them had ever mentioned how long they planned to stay, or why they were constantly running errands. Yana never said much of anything, but her presence was noticeable.

  Judah was in and out of the house too, picking up short flights when he could for extra money and extra time at home. When he was home, Natalee and Jonah tried to finagle his time out of the house, to keep their family time to just the three of them.

  Natalee noticed her headaches had lessened significantly, almost in nonexistence. Every day, even if only in passing, Svetlana would ask if she already had one, or hand her a branch when she knew she hadn’t. The taste wasn’t growing on her, and the mush still seemed impossible to swallow, but it was the only thing she could contribute to her headaches disappearing. She hadn’t changed her diet and hadn’t exercised. Her stress levels were through the roof so it couldn’t have been any of those that made such a significant change. She enjoyed waking up knowing she wasn’t going to suffer through the entire day, so she continued to gag through the mushy bush twig once a day, every day.

  Finally, the day had come, not only for Jonah to finally return to school but for Svetlana to return to Russia. Natalee decided to schedule a lunch date, just the two of them. Yana was instructed to pack the bags while the two of them were out and they promised to bring her some lunch back in return. Once Svetlana and Natalee were out on their own, Svetlana seemed to relax significantly.

  “I am so grateful for you, Natty.”

  Natalee cooed, “Aww, I am grateful for you too, Svet.”

  “No, I am not being a high school cheerleader. As an adult female, I appreciate you for who you are.”

  Natalee squeezed her hand. “You’re my best friend, Svetlana, you know that.”

  “I know,” Svetlana tilted her head back and closed her eyes for a moment while she squeezed Natalee’s hand back.

  “Thanks for the bush. I haven’t had a headache since you got here.”

  Svetlana raised her eyes to look at her. “I thought you would like it.”

  “What do people do with the roots if they don’t eat them?”

  “Put them in tea.”

  “Tea?”

  “Yes, roots go in tea, leaves go in the rubbish bin.”

  “Why do the leaves go in the trash?”

  Svetlana waved her off nonchalantly. “Their only purpose is to show us how ripe.”

  Natalee nodded. “Understood.”

  “You need friends, Natalee.”

  “I have you! And Judah! And Jonah!”

  Svetlana shook her head. “More lady friends. Someone you can do this with. I cannot be here much. You need a chance to enjoy yourself. Find some friends, Natalee.”

  Natalee tilted her glass and watched the ice tap against the inside of the cup. “I’m pretty much banned from most every school event forever because I called all the other moms bitches and put my son in serious danger because of it.”

  Svetlana shrugged. “So what? Jonah is okay and they probably were being bitches. Most women in this country are bitches. They are not grateful for anything.”

  Natalee snorted, “Gee, thanks.”

  Svetlana shook her head. “Not you, Ms. American. You are grateful for me and I am not… What is that phrase? Easy…” she faltered.

  “An easy pill to swallow?”

  “That is it!” Svetlana snapped her fingers.

  Natalee chuckled and took a long sip of her vodka-laced orange juice. “You are definitely a hard pill to swallow, that’s for sure.”

  Svetlana faked a gasp and fanned herself with her hand. “How dare you!” The two of them fell into a fit of giggles.

  As they sat and chatted, Natalee felt an overwhelming urge she could not hold onto any longer. She set her fork down and leaned back in her chair. “Svetlana, who is Yana?”

  Svet’s face darkened and she chewed her bite a bit longer than she normally did. Once she swallowed, she leaned back in her chair, too. “Why do you do this to me?”

  “Do what?”

  “Ask all these questions,” she muttered as she patted her mouth with the napkin.

  “Well because you’re my best friend, I thought we’ve established this on more than one occasion.”

  Svetlana nodded then held her hand up to ask her to wait as she took a large gulp from her cup to wash everything down. “I understand that we are friends, yes. I do not understand why you are so concerned with my assistant.”

  Natalee shrugged. “She just seems so young.”

  Svetlana nodded but did not respond.

  “What is so awful about her that you can’t talk to me about?” Natalee sighed and stacked their plates at the edge of the table.

  “She did not come from a good place,” she stated sternly.

  “So, you saved her life? That’s amazing and something you shouldn’t be ashamed of.”

  Svetlana shook her head. “Not exactly. Her life with me is no better than the life she could have had.”

  “But she does have a life, right? And that’s good.”

  Svetlana took a moment to mull her words over. “She has an existence and for her, that is enough.”

  “I just hate how you talk about her, and command her to do things constantly. Especially in Russian because I have no idea what you’re saying. Not that I’m not respectful of your private conversations. I just wish I knew if what you say to her sounds as… Mean… In Russian, as it does to a non-Russian speaker.” Natalee thought through her words as she spoke them.

  Svetlana smirked. “Probably not, but I truly hope.”

  “It does sound pretty scary,” she chuckled.

  Svetlana giggled with her, “You probably thought I was always scolding her.”

  “I did!” Natalee roared.

  Svetlana sat back, quiet, with a stony face. “I was. She is of no importance to the situation and there is no reason for you to ask as many questions as you do.”

  Natalee brought her laughter to an abrupt stop. “Are you being serious right now?”

  “Do not concern yourself with her, you have enough on your plate.”

  “I feel like you’re scolding me now,” she frowned.

  Svetlana nodded and then shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not.”

  During the ride back to her house, Natalee felt small next to Svetlana. She didn’t know how to react to what she said back at the restaurant, and she wasn’t sure how to bring their conversation back to life. The two of them were quiet the whole way, and once they pulled into the driveway, it felt like neither of them could get out of the car fast enough. In the kitchen, Natalee finally spoke up. “Do you need a ride to the airport?”

  “That will not be necessary.”

  Svetlana
was almost all the way to the set of stairs leading to the second floor, before she turned around, pausing for a moment, “Thank you for the offer, Ms. American.”

  Natalee nodded and smiled with hopes that she was able to convey her friendliness. Something seemed odd about their conversation and the way Svetlana handled it. After replaying it in her mind a few times, Natalee decided to be grateful that she was leaving and that their friendship would return to what it was for so many years before that.

  Thirteen

  Svetlana and Yana met at the front door with Natalee and Jonah. They exchanged hugs and kisses, and even a couple of tears.

  “Thank you so much for coming, even if it was seemingly unplanned and a little hectic.” Natalee squeezed Svetlana close one more time.

  Svetlana responded with a tight squeeze. “You do not forget to tend to the korenchudo. Keep yourself healthy, you understand? It is my gift to you, long lasting life.”

  Natalee’s eyes burned with more tears as she nodded. “Thank you.”

  Svetlana kissed Jonah on the forehead once more before they grabbed their bags. A slick black, short limousine was waiting for them in the street.

  “Nice ride,” Jonah exclaimed.

  “You always take the upgrade,” Svetlana tapped his nose with a smile.

  Once they were safely on their way to the airport, Natalee collapsed onto the couch with a sigh of relief. “Well that was an adventure, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, did you ever find out where Yana came from?”

  Natalee tossed her hands in the air and wiggled her index and middle fingers on both hands, an attempt at air quotations, but exhaustion overwhelmed her. “A bad place.”

  Jonah nodded all-knowingly. “Oh, yes of course. I could hear it in her accent.”

  Natalee smirked. “You’re rude.”

  “I get it from the best,” Jonah shrugged.

  Natalee gasped, then smiled slyly. “Yeah, your father.”

  “I’m telling him you said that,” Jonah joked.

  Natalee sat up and shoved throw pillows behind her back and head. “Do you know what she told me when we went to lunch yesterday?”

  “That she’s part of the Russian mafia and if you leave the state, you’ll die?”

  Natalee stared at him for a moment. “No, why? Did she tell you that?”

  Jonah laughed with a shake of his head. “No, I was just watching a Russian spy movie.”

  Natalee took a deep breath. “Oh, thank God. I was really scared for a second. No, she told me to get some friends.”

  Jonah crumpled into a fit of laughter. “Seriously? The lady who literally created the resting bitch face told you to find friends?”

  Natalee threw a pillow at him. “Don’t talk like that!” She laughed as she realized it sounded much more ridiculous than she originally thought.

  Jonah took a moment to calm herself down. “I mean, I can agree with her. But, she’s not the person I expected to say that sort of thing. I mean how many friends does she have?”

  Natalee shrugged. “I have no idea, she never talked about friends, just ‘business’.” She used air quotes again.

  The two of them sat and talked about how the last few days had gone and agreed it was worth another fifteen-year wait to see her again. They clogged up the living room and got caught up on their favorite paranormal show until Judah walked through the door with two bags of fast food.

  “Yes!” Jonah jumped up to help him and started digging through the bags before they even made it to the dining room.

  “Easy, easy!” Natalee demanded as she pulled out plates and silverware to set their spots at the table. She paused as she passed Judah to give him a kiss. “Hey, handsome.”

  He winked at her. “My beautiful wife.”

  The three of them sat down together to enjoy their far from home-cooked meal. They discussed the events of the day, the conversation with Svetlana, her weird goodbye, and even a few places they had seen on the show they were watching without Judah. They both asked him how his day had been, and he was quiet about it but insisted everything went fine. Natalee briefly worried he was having trouble at work, but knew if she pried in front of Jonah, she was never going to get anything out of him. She made a mental note to ask him again when they were alone.

  The next day, after Natalee dropped Jonah off at school, she pulled through a drive-thru and ordered a frozen coffee. As she sat in the parking lot, taking time in between each sip to savor it, she thought about Svetlana’s suggestion. While she wasn’t the best person to suggest it, something in Natalee told her the messenger was the worst part about the message.

  She checked the time and date and realized the coffee club was still going on. She double checked herself in the mirror and acknowledged that she was going to need to make another hair appointment. Otherwise, she looked not only entirely fine, but she also looked approachable. She pulled up to the coffee house they usually met at and took a few more sips of her coffee, then sucked it down before she entered the building.

  Immediately, Natalee spotted the gaggle of women toward the back of the shop. They had control over the couches and comfy chairs, and Natalee felt like leaving on the spot. She took a few deep breaths and attempted to keep her anxiety to a minimum.

  As she approached the couch area, she was noticed. Dana was the first to say something.

  “Oh my God, the nerve!”

  Natalee reserved the feeling to roll her eyes. “Okay guys, I’m sorry.” She held her hands up in surrender, “I acted out of anger and I apologize.”

  Rachel stood and twisted her face into a scowl. “I’m pretty sure we made it clear that you were banned from any PTA meeting or event.”

  Natalee held her ground and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “And I’m pretty certain that nothing that goes on here has anything to do with either of those things.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes and glanced back at the other women. “Suit yourself, I’m sure I’m speaking for everyone when I say you are not welcome.”

  Natalee closed her eyes and attempted to center herself again. “I just wanted to apologize. See if we could, you know, start over?”

  Rachel cackled. “This is about your boy, isn’t it?”

  “It wasn’t but now it might be,” Natalee gaped. “Do any of you know anything about that?”

  The group was riddled with murmurs, but no one spoke up.

  Natalee sighed. “Okay, well I apologized, I guess the ball is in your court now. I’ll let y’all be.”

  As Natalee was turning to head back to her car, another mom’s words were just barely audible, “I’m so glad your boy handled it, Rach. I wanted to sic my dog on her.”

  Natalee swung around, her face growing hot with both anger and humiliation. The other women in the group gasped, as Rachel turned around to see what was happening. The moment they locked eyes, Natalee reared back her fist and connected with Rachel’s perfectly expensive nose.

  Some women screamed some gasped and covered their eyes, but Rachel stumbled backward, tripped over the small coffee table filled with conversational pieces and shattered the standing lamp behind her.

  “You bitch!” She yelled, cupping her face.

  “Now you can call me a bitch, you judgmental piece of shit.” Natalee turned on her heel as the energy in the shop swirled around her. Some people rushed to Rachel’s side to assist her, some immediately started dialing 9-1-1, and some even whistled and cheered for Natalee. All she could feel was adrenaline the entire way home. She felt like she could run a mile and not even notice. She walked into the house with a large grin on her face.

  Shortly after making it home her phone started to vibrate, almost non-stop. She picked it up and realized there were comments on her social media account. Natalee scrolled through her notifications until she found the one they were all stemming from: a video from the coffee shop.

  Whoever it was who shared the video had a great angle, Natalee thought. They started filming a few moments be
fore she had turned around, just catching the end of their conversation. The video continued until after she walked out the door, showing Rachel in a crumpled heap, sobbing and tilting her head back, pressing a napkin to her nose.

  Barely audible, Rachel could just be heard screaming, “My nose! I think she broke my nose!” There was an explosion of ‘Oh my God’s’ and questions about what and why it happened.

  Natalee decided to mute the notifications on her phone, but unfortunately, by the time Jonah was released from school, he had already seen it multiple times.

  He hopped in the car and threw his backpack into the front seat. “Seriously Mom?!”

  “What?” Natalee raised an eyebrow.

  “Was that really you?”

  She adjusted the rearview mirror to have a direct look at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “That video! You punched Shane Trier’s mom right in the face! You’re famous!”

  Natalee snorted, “Yeah, right.”

  “No, seriously! Give me your phone, I’ll show you.”

  “I’ve seen it.”

  “Have you seen it since you hit four million views?”

  Natalee glanced back at him, “Is that good?”

  “Mom, you’re viral.”

  “I don’t think that sounds as good as you’re making it out to be.”

  “It is. Everyone in school has seen it, even the principal. He called me into his office.”

  Natalee put the car in park and turned around to look at him directly. “What happened in the principal’s office?”

  “He said he was sorry he didn’t find out who pushed me sooner and he told me you need to come in and speak to him, but he can understand why this happened and he has no room to interject but he is on our side.”

  She ruffled her brows. “Our side? He didn’t even take the time to interview the kids in the hallway that day.”

  “I know, and he said he was sorry.”

  “Sorry doesn’t fix everything, Jonah.”

  He nodded in agreement. “I know but at least I didn’t get suspended.”

  “Why would you get suspended?”

  He paused and studied her face for a moment in contemplation. Finally, he let out a breath and quickly said, “After I saw the video and knew it was Shane, I slammed his hand in his locker.”