Page 116 of Born into Darkness

She nods and smiles when she hears Wallace bark again. Bran took him for a walk earlier, and he must be throwing the ball for him on the beach now.

Before I let her get up, I wrap my arms around her and kiss her cheek. The truth is I love my life here, and I love it back home. The Medvedevs have welcomed me in, and the new bear tattoo that Nikolai inked on my chest is proof of it. I may not have all the dexterity back in my hand, but it’s working well enough to shoot a gun, and I’ve earned the respect of their men over the last few months. Our families work well together, and I think it’s an alliance that will only grow with time.

“Come on, baby,” I tell her, patting her cute ass and kissing her belly when she stands. “Let’s go meet Bran and Wallace. I need to practice the new signs I’ve been learning. My brother and Damien are way ahead of me. I need to catch up.”

Talia smiles and cups my face. “I love you, Max Melnikov.”

I grin up at her, resting my hands on her pregnant belly. “I love you, Talia Melnikov.”

The smile she gives me lights up her whole face, and all I can do is stare, unable to comprehend how I could be so lucky. I’ll never deserve her, I’ve known that from the beginning, and I’ll spend every day being grateful that she chose me anyway.

I kiss her stomach and then help her get dressed before throwing my own clothes back on. We leave the room together, slowly making our way downstairs. Every room has a view of the ocean, and no matter how many times I see it, I never get tired of it. One of the first things we’d done after moving in was knock beach sex off our sex to-dolist, and it was just as much fun as I imagined it’d be. And, even though we’re constantly adding to the list, we often repeat that one.

“Don’t forget we’re supposed to go out on the boat this weekend with everyone. Allie’s already texted me a reminder,” she says with a laugh.

“I won’t forget, baby,” I tell her.

“And don’t forget mybabushkawants us to have supper with her tomorrow night.”

I smile and kiss her head. “We’ll be there. She promised me she’d makemedovik. I wouldn’t miss that dessert for the world,” I say, letting out a groan at the thought of the layered honey cake. “It almost tastes as good as your pussy.”

“Please don’t tell my grandma that.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Never, baby. I promise.”

Threading my fingers through hers, I lead her out onto the large deck and then down the small trail that leads to the beach. The waves crash in front of us, and Talia’s laugh carries on the breeze when she sees Wallace jump into the water to retrieve the tennis ball Bran threw.

When he comes out, he shakes his fur and then wags his tail like crazy when he spots us. Bran notices and turns his head to look. Lifting a hand when he sees us, he signs a quick hi and uses both our name signs. He’d given me mine shortly after I married his sister. It’s the letter M held close to his chest before he moves the hand outward with a quick wiggle of his fingers. The piano playing bit was obvious, but Talia had to explain to me that the fist at the chest means strength. It felt a lot like an honor being given that name, and the very unmanly hug I’d given him surprised us both. I’m still working on that balance between work me and family-man me. I have a feeling it’s only going to get worse after our daughter is born.

We walk towards the water while Wallace takes off running again, and I can’t imagine a life more perfect than this. We went through hell to get here, but every second of that darkness was worth it because it brought me here, to the love of my life and to a future that I can’t wait to step into. Pulling her closer, I kiss her head and breathe in the salty sea air. With my wife and baby in my arms and the song I composed for her still playing in my head, I know with absolute certainty that we’re ready for whatever life has in store for us next.

Sitting down, I pull her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her and resting my hands on her round stomach.

“I can’t wait until I can feel her kick,” I say, lightly caressing her with my thumb while my palms stay pressed to the firm bump that I’m still in absolute awe of.

“The doctor said you might start feeling her in a few weeks,” Talia says, placing her hands on mine and lightly stroking my skin. She loves my hands. She’s always touching them, and now that I can use the right one, she’s taking full advantage of it. When you mix her pregnancy hormones in, it means I’ve been a very busy man, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

She leans her head against my chest and watches Bran throw the ball for Wallace while I think about all the things I’m going to do to her before we go to sleep. When I start to whisper all the things I’m planning into her ear, she smiles and lets out a sexy moan.

“You are perfect,svetik moy,” I tell her because she is, and so is the life we’re building together, and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it.

Epilogue

Bran

The drive is peaceful. The rising sun filters through the trees on my left as I follow the winding road. The black Jeep is fun to drive, but it’ll never compare to my bike. I needed the four-wheel drive for today, though, so the Jeep it is. I feel the vibrations through the seat and in my hand every time I change gears, and when I hit the four-way stop, I head right, going further up into the woods and away from the city that lies below.

During the hour-long drive, I don’t pass any other vehicles, and by the time I get to the top of the steep hill, the sun is cresting the tops of the trees and the sky is clear. After parking near a line of trees, I get out and make a slow circle, studying everything, looking for any signs that I’m not alone. I was just up here last night, and everything looks the same. No new tire tracks, no footprints, no broken limbs along the tree line, everything is the same, and when I’m convinced of it, I open the back of the Jeep and reach for the large, custom-made case that holds my most prized possession.

The AXMC rifle is ready to go, already cleaned, thoroughly checked, and calibrated for the shot I need to take. Grabbing the rifle and tripod, I walk over to the edge of the hill and lay down on my stomach. Getting into position is as familiar to me as breathing at this point, and my heart speeds up as the excitement starts to take hold. My movements are sure and steady as I get everything into position.

The grass in front of me bends with the wind, and I check it every few seconds to make sure the direction doesn’t change. The HUD synced to my rifle near the scope shows me everything I need to know, but it’s an ingrained habit to check for visual cues rather than the Heads-Up Display. There’s a wired remote switch near my right thumb that allows me to toggle through displays that show everything from wind speed and humidity levels to the elevation and angle to my target. It’s fucking brilliant, but I still like to visually see the way the grass bends.

I insert the loaded magazine and cycle the bolt to chamber the first round as everything inside me grows still. I’ve never thought of being deaf as a handicap, because fuck that. There’s nothingwrongwith me. Different doesn’t mean less than, and when I’m holding my rifle, being deaf always feels like an advantage. Nothing distracts me when I’m looking through the scope with my finger near the trigger. I’ll never fuck up a shot because a loud noise spooked me, and I can read visual clues that others usually miss because they aren’t used to looking for them.

With my cheek resting on the padded riser, I dig the sides of my boots into the dirt and brace my forearms as I look through the scope. It’s early, but I came here prepared to wait. Patience has never been a problem for me. Dima would already be fidgeting beside me if I’d brought him along, but I can keep still for as long as the job requires.

I keep my eye on the building, watching as the first car enters the lot, parking near the back entrance. The large man who gets out stays in my sights until he enters the building, but I don’t pull the trigger. He’s not the person I came here to kill.

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