Page 95 of Mafia and Scars

“She’ll explain,” Matvey grits out, pointing toward the hallway like a man sending me to my doom.

I turn just as Sofia bursts in, a fairy wand in one hand and a bag of pet treats in the other, her little face lit up.

“Do you like their makeover, Viktor?” she chirps, all innocence.

My jaw ticks.

My temple pulses.

My instincts sayrun.

“They’re superheroes,” she announces in her sweet voice. “They’re going to help you with your work today.”

My brow furrows as I try not to grimace. They look nothing like superheroes to me. The cat can barely keep her eyes open as per usual, and the dog is still chasing his tail in useless circles before colliding with the plant stand and sending Grigory’s favorite plant crashing to the ground.

“And what are they busy saving the world from?” Nikolai mutters under his breath. “Glitter? The color pink? Too much cutesy fucking nonsense? And what the hell will our rivals fucking think if they see we’ve got pets like this?”

Thankfully, Sofia doesn’t hear his complaints and cussing as she goes and kneels next to the animals. “The doggy and kitty cat were waiting for you, Viktor. They want to help you with your work today.”

I know I was okay about the toys in the office, but that’s because my brain had a little while to get used to the idea. But these animal outfits have been sprung on me. I know it’s not Sofia’s fault, and I tell myself to stay calm.Viktor, this is just an adjustment your brain needs to make…

But I swallow hard as I stare at the ridiculous capes.

This isnotmy life.

This isnotmy office.

And yet…

I gaze at the tiny person beside me. And clear my throat. “Have they, er, ever saved the world from an evil computer program?”

Sofia giggles so hard she tips sideways. “No!”

I find some extra chairs to set around my desk. And scooping one animal under each arm, not caring about their fur getting on my immaculate black suit, I sit them behind my desk like they’re my new business partners before adding a chair for Sofia. Because I don’t want to disappoint her. And I don’t want to break her heart.

And ten minutes later, we’re all playing a computer game together. Although Queenie has fallen asleep, and Albert is too busy snuffling his way through the bag of pet treats to be any real help.

Maybe I used to live for silence and control.

Now I’m babysitting among glittery animals and a cute six-year-old.

And for the first time ever, I don’t want the chaos to end.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

VIKTOR

By the time a couple of weeks have passed, Nikolai and Matvey aren’t joking any longer about the Excel situation.

And just for being such a pair of smartasses when they first saw the spreadsheets, I’m deliberately not sharing the black-and-white backups Avelina made especially for me.

Nikolai glares at the monitor, fighting the urge to squint. “Fuck me! There’s so much dumb neon pink in this spreadsheet, I’m pretty sure it just seared my retinas. The numbers aren’t numbers anymore. They’re glittering unicorn vomit…”

Across the table, Matvey groans like he’s being tortured. “My eyes,” he whimpers, dramatically throwing his head back. “No man should have to endure this.”

“Death would be a mercy at this stage,” Nikolai mutters, stabbing his finger at the screen. “Look at this,look at it. Column D has…are those sparkles? Actual fucking sparkles?”

“They’re emojis,” Matvey corrects. “Tiny sparkly emojis. Of CareBears!”