Lucia nodded. "I want to stay. I feel safe here. I know what you said about the danger, but I still feel safe. I just want to go to sleep for a while and not be terrified."
Maxim stood up and went to her. He dropped his hand on top of the girl's head. "I'm home now. No one is going to get past Benito or me."
"They killed Papa," she pointed out.
"Your papa was a good man. I'm mean, honey. I hunt men like the ones who killed your papa. They won't get past me."
Is it a good thing to tell them that?
It's the truth, baby, whether you like it or not, that's who I am.
19
JONAS Harrington arrived at eight o'clock in the morning, and he didn't come alone. It was the second man Maxim studied. Harrington looked like a man who could handle himself, but it was the other one introduced as Damon Wilder that Airiana was afraid of. Anyone she was afraid of wasn't welcome in their home, as far as Maxim was concerned, yet she smiled graciously and opened the door to allow both entry.
Maxim slipped into the background, blurring his image just enough so that when he went completely still, he all but disappeared.
"Jonas," Airiana greeted. "The children aren't up yet. Apparently they haven't been sleeping very well and now that we're home, they can actually rest."
Maxim winced. She'd used the word we're and Harrington was quick on the pick-up. His eyes scanned the room and then moved through it a second time much more slowly, as if sensing they weren't alone. He spotted Maxim standing just in the shadows across the room where he had a clear shot to either man.
"I understand, Airiana," Jonas said smoothly, "but you can understand the urgency of our business. You were taken from your home, and not too long after, the children arrived, and then we got a message that you were safe. We also understand that a ship was discovered, one with dead men strewn from one end to the other and evidence of human trafficking in the luxury cabins. Strange though, a couple of the cabins were wiped down so there were no fingerprints, no evidence of who had been there." While he talked in his easygoing manner, Jonas Harrington looked directly at Maxim. Unlike Damon, Jonas didn't take the seat Airiana offered. "Who's your friend?"
Airiana's gaze flicked to Maxim. She smiled, her bright, loving smile that always melted his heart. He didn't step from the shadows. Airiana started toward him.
Walk around the chairs. Don't get between us.
She looked startled but obeyed him. When she got to his side, she put one hand on his arm, instead of taking his hand. He was grateful to her for that. She learned fast.
"Jonas, this is my fiance, Max Walberg. Max, Jonas Harrington, our local sheriff, and his brother-in-law, Damon Wilder." Airiana performed the introductions.
"Don't get up," Maxim said to Damon in as gracious a tone as he could manage. Damon had started to rise. His limp was very pronounced, and Maxim wracked his brain for information on the man. The name was familiar, and it only took seconds for him to recall that Damon Wilder was the United States equivalent to Theodotus Solovyov. "It isn't necessary."
Maxim stepped forward as Jonas put out his hand toward him. The moment he came out of the shadows, he saw recognition on Harrington's face. The man knew he was a Prakenskii. His first instinct was to kill him, the second was to remember this man knew his youngest brother. Somehow the two men were friends. If he could recognize Maxim, he had to know about Stefan and Lev.
"Max Walberg, is it? Strange, but you look very Russian to me."
Jonas took his hand in a firm grip, but didn't indulge in petty games to see who was stronger and that told Maxim he was even more dangerous than he appeared.
"My grandmother on my mother's side was Russian," Maxim said smoothly. "I had no idea it showed."
Jonas nodded and stepped back to allow Maxim to precede him to the cluster of furniture. Maxim didn't move.
Airiana smiled up at Maxim as if unaware of the undercurrent. "Would you mind terribly getting the coffee? Jonas will drink tea, but he does love his coffee in the morning, at least that's what Blythe tells me."
Clever woman. I'm marrying a genius, aren't I? She'd given him the perfect excuse to move away from the men without turning his back.
Absolutely you are.
You don't need to know whether another man prefers coffee or tea.
Her laughter drifted through his mind, a sweet melody that relaxed him as he glided to the door. "Either of you take sugar or cream?"
Both Jonas and Damon shook their heads. Airiana smiled at the two men as she dropped into a chair. "It's good to be home. I understand Hannah had the baby last night."
"A very stubborn baby," Jonas clarified, his first genuine smile spreading across his face. "Libby delivered, but it took nearly all night. Hannah called her when she first started having signs of labor and Libby managed to make it back fairly quickly. I think Tyson hired a private jet. Sarah was there as well, so it was quite the event."
"Congratulations. Is Hannah all right? Boy? Girl?" Airiana prompted.
The way the house was built, the sitting room fl
owed into the kitchen. The large archway leading to the kitchen allowed occupants to be part of the conversation in the sitting room. Maxim was grateful for the design as he could easily keep an eye on Airiana. He doubted that either man was there to harm her, but with Wilder coming along for the police report, he knew Airiana was very uneasy.
"We had a boy. We haven't decided on a name yet, but we're working on it. Hannah is fine, but very tired."
"That's so wonderful, Jonas," Airiana said sincerely. "I'm happy for you."
Jonas leaned toward her. "Thank you, Airiana. Now tell me what the hell happened."
Maxim winced at the tone. The man was good. Chitchat. Put her at ease. Then go all commanding on her. The teakettle whistled. "Tea in a moment, honey," he announced unnecessarily to give her a chance to collect herself. He shouldn't have worried.
Airiana sank back into her chair. "Can you believe my birth father had me kidnapped? I've never laid eyes on the man. I didn't even know he actually existed, let alone who he was. It seems my mother met him when she attended the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. You know the story, it happens all the time. He was married. She was young, and he was a superstar in physics. They had an affair, and I was the result."
It was Damon who leaned forward, his gaze intent. "Who is your father, Airiana?"
"Theodotus Solovyov."
"Of course." Damon all but rubbed his hands together. "That explains so much. A brilliant man, Jonas. Absolutely brilliant. You inherited that from him, Airiana."
Her smile faded. "My mother was brilliant. Whatever my father is, he's nothing to me. He was willing to turn me over to the Russian government even when I told him I was a citizen of the United States and I wanted to come home."
Maxim came in with coffee for both men. He handed the steaming mugs to them and then moved behind Airiana's chair without sitting down on the pretense that he had to get the tea for her. He brushed a kiss on top of her head.
Are you all right? I can ask them to leave . . . politely.
Her gaze jumped to his face and he saw the love there. Amusement filled his mind. Politely? Did you plan on shooting bullets at their feet?
Of course not. Chucking them out the window is a much better solution. No possible hard feelings that way.