* * *
We spendhours combing through Viktor’s records, but it offers up almost nothing of value. The few French clients he’s dealt with in the past aren’t high rollers—they bought lower-priced girls, still large sums but nothing approaching a hundred million or even in that ballpark. The anonymous clientsarehigh spenders, but even they have never spent so high an amount. And the girls that Viktor sold to them were all immaculate—virgins, eighteen or nineteen years old, physically perfect in every way. There’s no indication that any of them would have paid a high price for a girl not in “perfect condition,” a term that makes me physically sick to think, but is a fact of the business that Viktor used to engage in.
I’m grateful that he no longer does. Particularly after seeing the terms of it so clearly, in black and white written out in front of me, I’m not sure I could have participated in an alliance with him if he still had. It unsettles me that it even occurred in the past, but if Viktor can look past the treachery of my family, I can make allowances for him as well.
Particularly if it helps me at all to find Ana.
“Luca and Sofia will be at my house for dinner this evening,” Viktor says, as we set aside the last of the boxes. “I’d like it if you would come as well. It would be good for us all to sit down together before the wedding.”
“Of course.” I nod. “I’d be glad to see everyone.”
I’ve only been to Viktor’s home once before, prior to his marriage to Caterina and everything that unfolded with Alexei. It’s much changed since then—some parts of it still closed off to renovations due to the damage that Alexei did, and other parts redecorated more to what I assume is Caterina’s taste. The décor before was rich to the point of almost being gaudy, but Caterina has given it an understated elegance that I can appreciate. It feels warmer, almost more homelike, despite the stone floors and exposed wood throughout the house.
“Liam!” Caterina gives me an equally warm welcome, embracing me and kissing me on both cheeks. “I’m glad that you’re here. Viktor said you might come for dinner.”
“I’m glad to be here as well. And to see that you’re looking better.” She does look much improved from the last time I saw her, her cheeks flushed pinker, and her figure filled out slightly, as if she’s put on a bit of weight. More than that, she looks happy, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her so at ease. Whatever happened between her and Viktor after we rescued her and the others from the chalet, it’s made a marked difference.
It’s even more evident in the way she lights up when Viktor enters the room behind us, walking directly towards her and giving his wife a quick, firm kiss on the mouth, which she returns with equal fervor. It’s clear that they’re in their honeymoon stage, behaving like newlyweds at last, and it makes my chest ache a little.
If I marry Saoirse, this won’t be the relationship that we have. And there’s no point in even imagining what it might be like to marry Ana. Just the task of saving her is far from being a foregone conclusion—anything beyond that might as well be an impossible fantasy.
“The others are sitting down already,” Caterina says, motioning towards the dining room. “Tell Levin to come sit with us too, and—” she glances behind me. “Who else is here with you?”
“Ah, I apologize. This is Niall Flanagan, my right hand.” I motion for him to step forward, and he does so, inclining his head respectfully to Caterina.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Andreyva,” he says, and she blushes lightly. I manage to keep the smirk off of my face just barely—Niall often has that effect on women. It’s amusing to see that he has it even on a woman as happily married now as Caterina and to a man like Viktor.
“It’s nice to meet you as well, Mr. Flanagan. Let’s all go sit, shall we? Hannah will be very disappointed if the food gets cold.”
There’s a roast dinner already assembled on the long dining table, the scents rising tantalizingly into the air as I take a seat on the left side of Viktor, Luca and Sofia to his right on the other side of Caterina. Max is seated next to me, and a little further down the table, Sasha is next to Anika and Yelena, both of whom look to be in much better health than the last time I saw them as well. Caterina seats Niall and Levin at the very end and then slips into her chair next to her husband, her cheeks glowing as she looks at him.
“We’re still in the process of replacing much of the staff,” Caterina explains as she picks up a dish and hands it down. “But Hannah is an excellent cook, and I think we can all manage to serve ourselves tonight.”
“Of course.” I’m not used to having as much staff as the Andreyevs and Romanos are. Even a family as high-ranking as mine rarely employs more than a housekeeper and cook, not the full staff that Italian or Bratva families are accustomed to. The Irish are independent and stubborn to a fault, even when blessed with the riches that the families of the Kings have acquired.
We’re always prepared for it to be gone in an instant and teach our children self-sufficiency as a result. I was always raised to depend only on myself—a trait that has come in handy, with my father dead and my brother lost.
“How have the children been?” I ask Caterina and Viktor quietly, when I see that they’re occupied with Sasha serving them their food. “They look well.”
“Anika is healing remarkably well,” Viktor says, a pleased look on his face. “Particularly now that we’re home with our own doctors. Her wound will scar, but there’s no permanent internal damage.”
“Both of them have been seeing a child psychologist,” Caterina says softly. “I insisted on it. They’re coping well, I think, considering. Yelena doesn’t fully understand what was happening or what Alexei’s plans were. Anika understands a little more, but not the scope of what he intended, I don’t think. Which is for the best,” she adds firmly. “They have nightmares still, particularly Yelena. But they’re doing well, considering how short a time it’s been. And Sasha has been a lifesaver in helping with them.”
I glance down the table at the pretty, slender strawberry blonde who is busily convincing Yelena to eat her green beans, occasionally glancing up to sneak glimpses in the direction of my side of the table. I know it’s not me that she’s looking at though, but Max, who is studiously slicing his roast into pieces and avoiding that end of the table entirely.
“They’re resilient.” I look back at Viktor and Caterina. “Like their parents, I think. And you?” I nod towards Sofia. “Are you recovering well?”
Sofia nods. She still looks paler than I recall, but she manages to smile. “I’ve been on bed rest for a couple of weeks while the doctors made sure that there was no damage to the baby. But we both seem to be fine. I haven’t been sleeping as well as before, but that’s to be expected, I think. I’ve been through plenty before this, and I’ll get through this, too.”
“Wewill,” Luca says firmly, squeezing his wife’s hand. “And this alliance among our three families is the beginning of that.” He looks between Viktor and me. “With a strong bond among us, men like Alexei will think twice before they try to overtake our territory again.”
I nod. “I intend to make sure that the Kings are in agreement with that.”
“Let’s not talk business,” Caterina says firmly. “A peaceful family dinner is what we all need, I think.”
The conversation turns to other things then—the wedding tomorrow, where Viktor and Caterina will go afterward, the happy news of Caterina’s pregnancy. After dinner, while Caterina, Sofia, and Sasha take the girls upstairs to get them ready for bed, Luca, Viktor, and I head towards his study with Max, Levin, and Niall following behind.
“You said the Kings will be on board with the peace?” Viktor goes to the bar at the far side of his study as we all take seats by the large, crackling fireplace. He pours glasses of vodka for himself and Levin, handing Luca a brandy and whiskey for Max, Niall, and myself. “I’ve heard rumors that there are some rumblings of unrest among them.”