Page 63 of The Brigadier
The need to keep Chantel not just indefinitely but forever.
CHAPTER 19
Nikolay
Forever was a mighty long time.
Was I really prepared to have a family that I needed to protect at all costs every hour of the day? The thought was daunting, but I wasn’t certain it was possible to care how hard it would be any longer.
Not at this point.
The woman had gotten all the way under my skin.
I rubbed my eyes for the fifth time that day as I headed out of the room, first walking toward the playroom that attached to Damien’s bedroom. I was amazed at how colorful the playroom was. And how full of books and toys. He wasn’t inside. But I couldn’t help but notice a lovely and very colorful painting on an easel.
Unable to help myself, I walked inside, studying the amazing piece of art that would never have occurred before Chantel cameinto our lives. My God. It was of a family including a dog. The sun was shining, flowers were blooming, trees swaying, and a perfect house behind.
The most incredible thing about the watercolor, other than the fact my son had painted it, was that the woman had dark auburn hair, not the intense blonde Ginger Lee had. A strange and very electric sensation tore through me.
He was already thinking of us as a family. I wasn’t entirely certain if that was good or bad this soon.
And because of the difficult circumstances. But it was still considered progress in my mind.
The door was cracked to his bedroom and I barely pushed it open, peeking in.
A nap. He’d had his favorite peanut butter sandwich, had played on the beach with Chantel, and likely had done the painting afterward. For my little man, it had been a very full day. With the sea air, which had the same kind of intoxicating effect on dear ole Dad, no wonder he was napping.
It was another moment where everything felt almost normal, which was just about as troubling as it should be.
The house seemed far too quiet, although I could still hear the ocean waves, the wind slightly more intense than when we’d arrived. For me, a man who planned out everything and was usually so well organized, this was a surreal period in my life.
As I headed into the kitchen, I thought about Vissarian. It was time to talk to the man even if it meant lying to him for now. At least I could tell him his daughter was safe. While grilling him.
I made a drink, remaining in the kitchen. I could see her sitting outside. She was wrapped in a warm throw she’d found, her feet curled under her as she sat staring at the ocean with a glass of wine in her hand. There was nowhere either inside or out where Damien couldn’t be heard.
With the connection strong, I made the call.
“I was wondering if I’d hear from you,” he said by way of greeting.
“I was busy cleaning up a mess.”
He laughed. “Isn’t that your job as Brigadier?”
“It’s more personal this time, an attack on my home in Brighton Beach, the death of two of my men.”
“Whoa. What the fuck is going on?”
“The empire is being attacked as I mentioned. The threats are escalating, which meant I moved us to what I consider my safehouse.”
“Where?”
Even my brother hadn’t been told where this coastal house was located. The fewer who knew, the better. “A safe location.”
“And you aren’t going to tell me. Is my daughter with you?”
“She’s here. Thankfully, she accepted the nanny position and she’s amazing with Damien.”
“I tried to call her.”