Page 105 of Thorns of Silence

I leaned back against the headboard in my room. I was staying in the Hilton, determined not to slum it in case I had to bring Skye here. My bag remained packed, money secured inside the backpack and its secret pockets.

I wanted to be ready when shit hit the fan. When; not if. It was inevitable that it would.

I had followed Branka Nikolaev for the past week, trying to get some sense of her routine. She didn’t have one. The woman was all over the place, which had me pulling out my hair. I thought children needed a routine, but apparently I was wrong.

I even started “dating” one of the Nikolaev guards. It took two dates and a reluctant kiss to learn that Sasha and Branka Nikolaev spent a large part of the year in Russia, but usually avoided winter there. My window was closing, and unless I caught a break soon, I’d lose Skye again.

Any moment not spent following Branka or her scary husband, I spent in the park where I first met Skye, hoping she’d make it back there somehow.

She never did.

My fingers wrapped tightly around my new iPhone, a smile spreading on my lips. I even downloaded a few educational apps for children, just in case.

My eyes moved over the hotel room, wishing I had Skye already so we could get going. I bought two airplane tickets with a flexible date so whenever this went down, we’d be on the first flight out of here.

Greece would be our destination. I’d never been, but I didn’t know of any Greek mobsters. It’d be safe there. After Greece, who knew.

The world was a big place, and we’d spend the rest of our lives on the run, so we might as well see every corner of it.

But first, I’d have to find a way to get to Skye.

FORTY-TWO

PHOENIX

It had been two weeks since my encounter with Skye.

Now that we were in the same city and I’d met her, I yearned to have her by my side. Talk to her. Get to know everything about her.

Branka and Sasha officially adopted Skye three months ago. I was three months too late.

I strolled through the French Quarter, the warm February breeze like a gentle caress on my skin. St. Charles Avenue was busy in preparation for the upcoming Mardi Gras.

The street painters filled the square. The Crescent City boasted, in its style, a variety of cultures and foods. The vibrancy of this city was undeniable as I followed the woman who had my baby.

Casually strolling through the streets, I tailed her for about a block. This was her fifth store, and I was about to feign running into her when I caught a glimpse of blonde hair. My steps faltered and I froze as I watched Tatiana Konstantin—Isla’s sister-in-law—being guided out of a car by her guards.

Pressure grew in my chest, and for once, I applied my sister’s breathing techniques. I tapped my chest a few times as if that would deflate the bubble that threatened to burst.

The two women hugged tenderly and my heart twisted. I’d been truly cut off from my sister for the first time in our lives, and it was starting to get to me. Still, I couldn’t stop now. I’d met my daughter; I was so close to finally having her in my life.

I pretended to study the knickknacks on the shelves while looking back at them in an overhead mirror, making a show of picking up figurines and holding them high as I inspected the women. I positioned myself so I could read their lips and see their expressions.

“You’re looking good!” Tatiana gushed while I focused on reading her lips. “You’re shopping without me though. Are you avoiding me?”

“No, of course not.” Branka glanced around. “Where’s your husband?”

Tatiana shrugged. “Busy. Something with the Omertà. He wouldn’t say.”

God, I hoped it had nothing to do with me.

“There’s always something going on in the underworld.” Branka wasn’t wrong. Even though Reina and I didn’t grow up with Papà, we knew enough to know there was always a new problem or a new enemy to worry about.

“How are things with my brother Sasha? Still getting your freak on?” Branka turned ten shades of red and suddenly all her attention was on the beads in her hands as if she were seriously going to buy them. “Planning on wearing beads and nothing else, huh?”

“First of all, eww. Second of all, that’s none of your business.”

It didn’t seem to deter Tatiana. She just flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Maybe I’ll do the same with Illias when he gets back. I’ve been in the mood for something kinky.”