Page 42 of Legacy

Was this some game?

Then she continued, “He would tell me the same story of how he met Mama at a bakery near here, and she didn’t like him.”

A trip down memory lane was probably a bad idea. It might remind her my father had killed her mother.

“Well, that changed.”

She smiled. “Not before she tried to run Papa over with a car.”

I stopped to look at her, and she nodded. “Mama was learning to drive, and Papa jumped out in front of her, and she says she forgot to brake.”

Avra air-quoted theforgotpart.

“Is that how they fell in love?”

“No. It took Papa another few months. Papa said she hated him until she couldn’t help but love him.”

Her words seemed to have solidified something between us that I refused to acknowledge.

Instead, I changed the subject. “I’m sure you’ve explored other favorite spots since you returned?”

She smiled. “Laya and I, yes. Cali, on the other hand, is on a mission to discover the best dance clubs.”

I almost gave in to a smile in kind. “She’s young and has yet to discover life. We can’t expect anything else.”

“Laya likes barhopping, even if she thinks I don’t know about it.” Avra grinned. “Since Laya enjoys my adventures and Cali doesn’t complain too much when we make her join us, I let them have fun.”

Avra fiercely protected her sisters, but seeing her give this insight into their bond was like learning a secret. I looked forward to learning more about them. Sooner or later, I’d need to find matches for them. As Avra’s husband, that responsibility should fall on my shoulders.

“Layana does seem more…athletic than Calista.”

“That’s an understatement. Laya loves combat training of any type. Cali, not so much, but she does the required practice Vik assigns. We accept Cali for who she is. As long as we add in architecture and take her to the tourist spots, she’s a good sport about all the extra walking.”

I took a chance, grabbing her hand to hold it. This more straightforward, more basic form of intimacy and affection was harder to get used to than the raw, harder kind of fucking her. As she loosened up and talked more about landmarks and other things she and her sisters enjoyed, holding her hand and reminding her that she was mine felt natural.

“I was in Prague six months ago,” I replied when she asked if I cared to travel. “The day after the holiday, I met an associate at a fantastic new restaurant, Gilded.”

She turned toward me, eyes wide. Her fingers remained twined within mine as we walked. “Gilded? My sisters and I often went there.”

I wondered if we’d visited on the same day, at the same time, probably passing each other without realizing it.

“It seemed like a popular place,” I said as I gestured to a shadier path toward our house.

As soon as we changed our route, I noticed a young girl out of the corner of my eye. She was walking by herself. Someone that young, maybe three or four years old, wouldn’t be left alone to roam.

My senses prickled. This child shouldn’t be here.

Avra continued talking about Prague and the delicaciesshe enjoyed there. Then, her tone grew quieter as she took in the state of the little girl farther down the street.

Her fingers flexed in mine when a man approached the child.

“He’s not her father. She’s afraid of him,” Avra whispered. “Do you see her body language?”

I nodded and tugged both of us into the shadows of the building. Whatever this fucker planned, it wouldn’t come to fruition.

“Do you know where your mommy is?” he asked.

She shook her head, glancing back toward the small market stall we’d passed.

---