Page 60 of Romi

It was all over for us here, but Marko confirmed that the fight was still raging over at the Lab. It was both worrying and disconcerting to be here safe now while the others were still fighting. I couldn't help but feel that the luck we'd had here couldn't possibly hold out, but I hoped I was wrong.

Marko was still monitoring the situation, so while we waited for more news, I helped the others clear up the bodies from the grounds. We loaded them into body bags and then into several vans, ready to be transported to the C for disposal as soon as we had word that the Lab was secure.

Dariusz and I discussed what else needed to be done and set appropriate tasks. Then he sent some of his men off to look for our enemies' vehicles so they could also be disposed of. They would be driven either to a chop shop belonging to the Glowacki's or their scrapyard to be crushed. It didn't matter to me as long as we got rid of them quickly.

Sonia and Gracie joined us just as Dariusz got a call on his mobile. He started shouting in Polish, and it wasn't difficult to figure out that it was bad news. As it turned out, his home was attacked after all. Someone had left a package with an explosive inside, and one of the guards opened it. Stupid idiot! Naturally, he didn't survive, but thankfully, he was the only one who died.

Apparently, the house had received a fair amount of damage, though, so it would need to be partially rebuilt, and the situation had to be covered up. So, Dariusz left to go home to deal with the situation while we continued to put the Estate back in order and get rid of all evidence of the battle.

I wasn't a religious man, but I sent up a silent prayer of thanks that his family, and especially young Magdalena, were here when it occurred.

By the time we had everything tidied up, all bodies and weapons hidden, and the enemy vehicles removed, we finally heard from Marko that the lab battle was over. Miki, Ash, and Daniel were fine, thank goodness, but some of the others weren't quite so lucky, including Glowacki. They were taking him over to Doctor Rawlins at the C for emergency surgery.

Shit, I really hoped he'd survive. Firstly, because I liked the guy and it would break little Magdalena's heart if he didn't. Secondly, if he died, Dariusz would be the new Polish boss. There had been problems within their brotherhood for years since Lev Petrov had been planning his takeover, but the fact that traitors continued to appear meant that there was unrest and dissent in their ranks that needed to be properly addressed.

A change of leadership at a time when the Poles were already vulnerable could be disastrous to them and, as a result, to us. That would mean he'd need our alliance more than ever, and despite any misgivings he might have about an arranged marriage, he'd need it. Damn! It seemed that fate was determined to keep Sonia and me apart.

Well, I wouldn't let it. Nothing would stop me from claiming Sonia. Nothing!

A sharp pain behind my eyes made me wince. My head ached, and not solely from the bashing it had taken. The small lump that had risen on my forehead throbbed like it had a pulse of its own. I should have grabbed some pain medication when I was downstairs, I thought with a heavy sigh.

Right now, life seemed like a constant struggle, but at least we had won this battle. The Broxys and most of the Malia boys were dead. Unfortunately, Siri and a few of his men escaped, and although Daniel had gone after them, somehow, the guy had a helicopter waiting nearby and managed to get away.

The Malia Boys didn’t have the cash for that kind of thing, and I doubted Siri would have the forethought to plan such an escape either. So, it looked like whoever was pulling his strings had arranged it. We really had to find out who that was, and we had to get a hold of Siri.

Not only had he played a part in Krissa’s murder, but he’d also been conspiring against us for years and led the recent attacks and tonight’s war. It was just a matter of time before we hunted the bastard down, and when we found him, he would pay. Although not before we got all the information we could out of him, including anything we could find out about Jadwa. The guy might have run, but he was a dead man walking, and his freedom wouldn’t last long.

CHAPTER 30

SONIA

TWO WEEKS LATER – SECRET LIAISON

It had been two weeks since the attacks, and we had both so busy clearing up the aftermath that we’d barely manage to sneak a few minutes alone. It was driving me crazy.

We were still hosting the Glowacki family while their home was being rebuilt, and so the house was always teeming with people. Also, like the rest of the guys, Romi had been caught up in paperwork and organising builders to fix the damage caused by the pretend attacks that had taken place. Aunt Marta and I had arranged the discreet funerals for those of our men who had died and made sure their families were properly taken care of.

As expected, the police were kept far too busy on the evening of the attacks to deal with the noise complaints that they inevitably received. So, by the time they investigated late the following day, all evidence of any battles was gone, and our party with the fireworks story was accepted.

The cover story for the Farm where the Lab was located was simply that the noise there had been due to kids messing about in the fields with air rifles before finally being chased off by the family who ran the Farm for us. Having no evidence to the contrary, the police seemed satisfied with both stories.

Things seemed to be settling down now, and I was hopeful that it would mean we could finally spend some time together again. There was so much we still had to talk about and plans we needed to make, not to mention the fact that we just needed to hold one another.

“Hi, Tetya Marta,” I said to Aunt Marta as she emerged from Glowacki’s room with Magdalena. She had decided to remain here for a while as she had become close to Magdalena. They’d been spending a lot of time together.

“How’s your tata, Magdalena?” I asked Magdalena, referencing her dad in Polish.

She smiled at my effort. She’d been learning Russian from Aunt Marta, who was, in turn, attempting to learn some Polish from her, so I thought I would give it a shot, too.

“He’s getting better. Isn’t he, Marta?” she said, beaming at me.

“Yes, sweetie, he is indeed,” Marta agreed, smiling indulgently at her.

“It's slow progress, but there has been some definite improvement in the last few days, and he's even getting an appetite back,” Marta confirmed.

“That's wonderful,” I told her.

“We're off to get him a snack. See you later,” Magdalena said, pulling Aunt Marta away.