Page 104 of Born into Darkness

“I will,” I say again, not even slightly bothered by the death threat.

He laughs and pats me on the back before Valeri does the same.

“We’ve already given him the talk,” Dima says. He nudges his brother’s arm. “Bran told him what would happen if he didn’t.”

“So what about the rest of us?” Niki asks. “How will visits work? What if I want to come and see my brother?”

We all sit back down while Vasily says, “You all have a standing invitation to come and visit whenever you like.”

“Thank you,” my dad says. “The same is true for here, of course. We’ll set up a couple of apartments in one of our buildings, and you’re all welcome to use them anytime you want.”

“Thank you,” Vasily says. “My wife will appreciate that.”

“You can always choose to stay here at the house, too,” I remind him. “It’s not at all my intention to keep Talia from any of you. I know how close she is to you all.” Checking my watch, I ask, “Is everything all set up for Wallace?”

Dima grins. “Yeah, they should be landing in an hour.”

“One of our guys will pick him up and bring him here,” my dad says.

“I brought a bunch of dog supplies,” Sasha says. “I had to make another trip for Chort. He ripped his latest bed to shreds.” He laughs, not even slightly bothered by it, and I can’t help but smile at the name he chose. From the stories I’ve heard, I guess naming him after a demonic creature in Slavic folklore is fitting.

“That dog is never going near my son,” Luka says.

“Agreed,” Sasha says with another laugh. “He can’t be trusted.”

“Thanks for the supplies,” I tell him. “From what I hear Wallace is nothing like Chort, so I’m sure the stuff will last.”

“Wallace is amazing,” Dima says while Bran nods in agreement. “You’re going to love that dog.”

Bran mimes throwing a ball, and Dima laughs. “Yeah, invest in a shit ton of tennis balls, because he loves to play fetch.”

“I will,” I tell them.

“Are we allowed to come back out now?” Talia calls out from the living room. “All done with the man talk?”

“Yeah, baby, come on out. We’re all done with the man talk,” I say loud enough for her to hear me.

“Anyone want cake?” my Uncle Vitaly asks.

“There’s cake?” Valeri asks.

“Ice cream cake,” my uncle clarifies, making Valeri grin and stand up to follow him back into the kitchen.

“Oh my god there’s two of them,” Volodya says with a groan.

“They went and got waffle cones together last night,” Aleks, Valeri’s son says.

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” my Uncle Lev says with a laugh. “It’s like they went on a date.”

“Why are you all laughing?” my Uncle Vitaly yells from the kitchen.

“Just talking about your bromance,” my Uncle Matvey hollers back.

“Fuckers,” my Uncle Vitaly yells in response, but there’s no anger in it. He’s too busy slicing cake and enjoying his bromance.

By the time they all get up to leave, it’s almost time for Wallace’s flight to land. They all know what’s about to happen, so they say their goodbyes to give us privacy. When my dad pulls me in for a hug, he slips me the small, velvet box he’d picked up for me earlier and says, “Your mom and I are so happy for you, son.”

I hug him back, and then pull my brother in for one as well. He grumbles and then returns it with a laugh. The truth is I’m going to miss my family like crazy when I’m in Oregon.

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