Page 143 of Brutal Reign

“Oh.” I raise an eyebrow, putting the final touches on the dessert table. “Does that mean you’re ready to pull the goalie?”

She giggles. “Maybe, once my next dance school is up and running.”

Liza passes me the candles for the cake. “How’s Kin adjusting to… everything?”

The everything she’s referring to encompasses so much, from learning Pavel is his father to surviving the nightmare with Simon and settling into this life and our forever home. It’s beensix months since that horrible night on the plane, and I’m still processing it myself.

“Better than I dared hope,” I say honestly. “When we told him about Pavel being his biological father, he just nodded and said, ‘I already knew. We have the same serious face.’ Then he asked if that meant he could call Pavel ‘Papa’ now.”

Liza presses a hand to her heart. “That’s the sweetest thing ever.”

I smile at the memory. “Pavel melted into a puddle.”

Sofiya shakes her head sadly. “What happened with Simon had to be terrifying for him.”

I take a deep breath, thinking about those dark weeks after it all went down—the nightmares, the clinginess, the way Kin would panic if Pavel or I left his side for even a moment.

“He had nightmares for a while,” I admit. “But Pavel found him an amazing therapist who specializes in childhood trauma, and we were honest with him. We explained that Simon was a bad man who tried to hurt our family, but that he’s gone now and can’t hurt us again.”

“It was scary for everyone. To think someone made it into the compound—it practically gave me nightmares.” Liza shivers, a hand on her belly.

Kira throws an arm over her friend. “It’ll never happen again.”

We later learned that the person who abducted Kin had inside help. He was a gardener who’d only been with us a few months. He passed every background check, but he’d been recruited by Simon’s people. Let’s just say he won’t be a problem anymore. Now, we use facial recognition and layered checkpoints. No one gets in or out unseen.

Kira turns to me, remorse etched across her features. “I’m so sorry about that, Hope. We’ve never had a staff member betrayus before. I wish we didn’t have to learn that lesson the hard way, but it’ll never happen again.”

“It’s not your fault,” I assure her. Simon had threatened to kill the gardener’s family if he didn’t help him, because that’s the kind of evil he was. And I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, because Chen was no better.

We discovered Chen’s men had murdered one of the delivery drivers bringing in supplies. Then, dressed in his uniform, he loaded the weapons into crates and walked right through the club’s back door.

Pavel’s brothers have endlessly apologized for how badly everything went down in the club, but I don’t blame them at all. We underestimated the lengths Chen and Simon were willing to go to get what they wanted.

I shake my head, clearing the bad memories. “All that matters is that Kin’s doing so much better now, and I have all of you to thank.” My gaze drifts out the window again, watching as Kin whispers something in Pavel’s ear that makes my husband laugh. “Having friends, having stability, having a father who adores him… it’s been healing for all of us.”

“And we’re so glad you’re part of this crazy family of ours.” Sofiya beams, lifting her glass in a toast.

“Jesus, now I’m crying,” Liza blurts, wiping her eyes. “Damn pregnancy hormones.”

Kira snorts and hands her a tissue. “Don’t blame the hormones; you were always a leaky faucet.” Her eyes soften as they land on me. “Seriously, Hope, I’m just so fucking happy for you and Pavel… you two were meant to be.”

When Kira starts tearing up, Liza elbows her gently in the ribs. “See? I’m not the only one.”

Outside, Kin spots us through the glass and practically vibrates with excitement, tugging on Pavel’s shirt and pointingtoward the kitchen. Pavel catches my eye and grins, that slow smile that still makes my pulse race.

“I think we’ve been spotted,” Sofiya laughs, balancing her snack bowls. “I’ll go put these outside.”

“Time to face the music,” Kira agrees, lifting the fruit platter and following Sofiya out the glass doors.

I light the five candles, watching the small flames flicker to life. Five years of Kin’s beautiful existence, and somehow we’ve ended up here, surrounded by love, celebrating in a place that feels like home. That feels safe.

“You good?” Liza asks, collecting the plates and cups.

“Better than good.” I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

After a brief trip to Hong Kong last month, my inheritance was finally released to me. I put every penny into a trust for Kin. We don’t need the money, and after everything, it feels tainted.

I’ve also finally started researching that book about rebellious women in history I always dreamed of. The writing itself intimidates me, which is why Pavel has been encouraging me to take some online classes. He says I have all the time in the world now to become the writer I want to be, and I guess he’s right.