“Oh? That is amazing. I never figured you for the psychic type. You look so normal. I guess you never can tell with people.”
“Yes, you never can tell,” Tony said. Sophie saw that he was smiling again and she smiled to see it. She really hated when he was upset.
“Hey I was meaning to ask you; have you noticed the fireworks between Solomon and Katarina?” she asked him.
“What? Fireworks? When? Where? Spill,” Tony said.
“You’re such a gossip,” Sophie said indulgently. “You haven’t seen it? Seriously?”
“I haven’t been looking but now that you mention it, I certainly will.”
“Don’t. You’re going to be acting all weird and you might put the kibosh on things.”
“You’re okay with your brother dating her?”
“I’m okay with the way he brightens up when she’s around.”
“And the fact that she’s a single mom with an autistic kid…?”
“Details,” Sophie said as he handed her into the car.
***
Solomon decided to fix himself a sandwich since he was all alone in the house. As he extracted the ham and cheese from the fridge he looked out the window toward Katarina’s cottage. Her lights were on but he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her or her son since he’d put her to bed this afternoon. He didn’t know if she was avoiding him or just sleeping it off. He was guessing it was the former just because he was sure Sam would have come looking for him to draw some more if his mother was asleep. The fact that he hadn’t must mean she had stopped him from doing so, which would indicate she was awake…and avoiding him. He wondered if he should go and see if maybe he could talk to her but he didn’t want to act like a stalker. The last time he’d courted anyone he’d been fifteen and he’d invited her out for ice-cream. Her name had been Hannah and she’d been game. Mostly because she was mad at her mama and her mama was adamant about her not talking to boys. And now, here he was, nine years later with no game, and the most fascinating creature he’d ever met just a stone’s throw away.
“What are you gonna do about this Devereaux?” he asked himself thoughtfully as he made up the sandwich. Then he perked up. He could fix them supper and take it to them on the pretext that he’d thought maybe Katarina was still out of it and Sam would need to eat. Come to think of it, that could totally be true. He quickly assembled another sandwich and put it in a lunch box, took a deep breath and headed for the cottage.
He knocked tentatively at the door and he heard light footsteps coming to open it. He looked up expecting to see Katarina but had to adjust his vision downwards to see Sam standing there staring out into the night.
“Hey Sam. I thought I’d bring you some food since your mother wasn’t feeling well this afternoon.”
Sam stepped back still looking into the night or inward – Solomon couldn’t tell. He stepped slowly into the house and closed the door behind him. He held out his lunch box of sandwiches and slowly Sam took it.
They stood awkwardly for a while in the foyer before Solomon suggested they sit at the dining table. Katarina was sitting curled up on the sofa a blanket wrapped around her. She was sipping some water and looking miserable.
“Katarina? You alright?” Solomon asked tentatively.
Katarina looked at him then scrunched her eyes tight like she didn’t want to see him.
“I come in peace,” he said softly. Katarina still didn’t open her eyes.
Solomon sat down at the table and indicated that Sam should do the same. He opened the lunch box and handed Sam a sandwich.
“Eat,” he said.
Sam ate the sandwich slowly and Solomon sat back and watched them both.
“Why have you brought Sam food?” Katarina asked not looking at him.
“I thought maybe you were still asleep since you didn’t come back to the house.”
“I…was I expected back at the house? I thought everyone was out.”
“Everyone but me.”
“Exactly.”
“So…you didn’t want to see me?”
Katarina shrugged and avoided his eyes.
“Okay, cards on the table time,” Solomon said. Katarina stared at him in horror.
“Now?”
“Yes. Now.”
Katarina was silent, looking at anything but him. Sam continued to eat industriously.
“Thank you for making Sam a sandwich although I had already made him some soup. Obviously he’s still hungry though,” she said watching her son eat.
“No changing the subject.”
Katarina smiled. “Okay fine then. Cards on the table. I’m a mail order bride abandoned by her new husband when he discovered I was pregnant already. But not before he beat me half to death. Mikhail rescued me, and Anton gave me a job. I am happy and secure…I don’t want to jeopardize that.”
“Wow. That’s quite a story. Well you know mine so I guess we’re both damaged. Do you wanna be my girlfriend?”
“WHAT?!?” Katarina sat up and dropped her blanket in shock.
“I get that it’s a risk and you probably don’t want to get involved with someone with my history. And I can make no guarantees. I do know that I like you. A lot. More importantly, I like your son – I think he and I have a connection all our own. The rest is up to us. So you wanna take this ride with me?”
***
Crowley gave the password to the underground entrance of the club and walked in heading straight to the office. He knocked on the door and one of Konstantin’s bodyguards opened it. He stepped into the office where Kos was waiting with two men. They were engaged in conversation but stopped talking when Crowley stepped in.
“Kos,” Crowley said.
“Crowley,” Kos replied.
“I need the room,” Crowley said.
Kos looked at him and then at his two body guards. He nodded at them and they left the room.
“You have news for me?”
“Yes I do. Do you play darts?” Crowley asked, making Kos frown with puzzlement.
“No. Now do you have news for me?” Kos asked, his tone becoming slightly hostile.
“Yes I do,” Crowley said and removed a dart from his pocket. He examined it for a minute and then threw it. It landed smack in the middle of Kos’s neck, piercing him all the way through. For a minute, Konstantin looked comically surprised and then he dropped to his knees, eyes wide and trained on Crowley.
“Fifteen years ago, when you sent me to tamper with those brakes Kos, I didn’t know those people and I didn’t give a rat’s ass about them or what I was doing. Then you sent me to spy on Roman for you and report on everything he was doing. Get close to him, get to know him; be his friend…let him be mine. Well now he is my friend, he has saved my life more than once - and his family is in danger once again. Will you kill the little child his son’s wife carries this time? Will you send me to tamper with their brakes? I can’t do it. I quit. Consider this my resignation letter,” Crowley watched Konstantin sink to the floor and then he walked out. He told the guards at the door that Konstantin wanted to be alone for a while and then he walked away.
He fished his mobile out of his pocket as he waited on the train that would take him out of town, “Roman I have some news,” he said.
“Speak,” Roman said.
“Konstantin is dead.”
“Say again.”
“Konstantin is dead. All debts are paid. Go forth and be free or whatever.”
“What…when?” Roman asked.
“The less detail you know the better.”
“Where are you?”
“Like I said, the less you know the better. Goodbye Roman. And thank you for everything.”
“Goodbye…Crowley,” Roman said and waited for the phone to go dead. Somehow he knew he would not see Crowley again.
***
Sophie was in the living room sitting with her legs up, listening to Solomon tell her how he’d propositioned Katarina.
“I mean for a rookie that was pretty damn goo
d,” she said nodding.
“I know right?”
“So did she cry or giggle or what?”
“She just like…sat there for a bit not saying anything. And then Sam said ‘say yes Mama’. Then she started to cry.”
“So Sam is like your wingman now?”
“Yup,” Solomon said smiling with satisfaction.
The doorbell rang and they waited a moment to see if Katarina would answer. She was out back taking advantage of the weather to air out the beddings.
“I’ll get it,” Sophie said putting her legs down in preparation to stand up.
“Sit your pregnant ass down. I’ll get it,” Solomon said.
He leaped up and went to the door opening it without checking the eyehole.
“Mr. Roman!” he said in surprise when he saw who was on the other side.
“Solomon. You look well,” Roman said stepping into the house. “Is my son home?”
“Umm, yeah, he’s in the study. Shall I get him?”
“If you would be so kind.”
“Come in, sit down,” Solomon said leading Roman to the living room.
Sophie sat up in surprise when she saw him, he bowed to her and then straightened up and smiled. “My dear, how are you?”
Sophie stared at him in surprise. “I am well,” she said.
“Good,” Roman said.
“Papa. This is a surprise,” Tony said from the doorway.
“Indeed. I was hoping to have a word.”
“Have a seat then.”
Sophie stood up and went to pour out vodka. She suspected it would be that kind of word.
“Son, fifteen years ago a man named Konstantin came to me. He wanted a piece of my import/export business to run his money laundering and drug business through. I said no to him. He threatened my family and I still said no to him. So then the brakes failed on that car and your mother and brother were dead; but you were not. On the day of their funeral Konstantin sent me a cake with your face on it and a knife through the skull. That’s when I knew who had killed my family. I knew he would kill you too so I sent you to America to live with my brother. But Kos found you and he threatened my brother, his wife and you. So I gave in. I agreed to launder money for him and to store drugs in false bottoms of my bottles. He has had me by the neck for the last fifteen years. But he is dead now, and I am free. We are free. So I am here today to give you back your restaurant.”
Tony stared at him in shock.
“Just like that?” he asked.
“I only ever took it to protect you and your family from him. He would not have hesitated to terrorize them if he felt threatened.”
“Did you kill him?”
“No.”
“Papa…I don’t know what to say.”
“Just say you’ll let me see my grandchild now and again.”
Tony smiled and held his hand out to Sophia. “Of course Papa,” he said. “Anytime.”
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You Complete Me: A BWWM Single Parent Older Couple Romance (Brothers From Money Book 1) Page 19
