Romance: Wanted by the Alpha Lion (A BBW Paranormal Suspense Romance) (Heroes of Shifter Creek Book 2) (40 page)

V.

The next day after the show, Janie, Minka, Vasily, Jones, and Leo walked around the local market, escaping their safety shelter briefly for food. Leo felt completely drained – it wasn’t because he’d played, the show but rather, it was because he’d had to plan so much for such a letdown. He figured if there were a story about his life, the story would completely skip the show altogether because nothing happened. No intel was gained; no musical masterpieces were created. It was just two guys playing for a large group of very uninterested, very rich, very powerful people. It was like they hadn’t even existed there.

Vasily walked around looking at the stands, but didn’t run as he usually did. Minka watched him, her head wrapped in a scarf and her body swathed in loose fabric.

“He’s so tired!” Minka said, marveling at him. “He’s normally not so slow.”

“He had a fun time,” Leo answered. “Went around and talked to everyone. Handed out information about the nonexistent band we have to all the politicians.”

“He is talker,” she smiled. “Maybe he be politician one day.”

“He sure can win over a crowd, I know that. They all loved him.”

“I’m glad. It is good to have government on your side.”

“But the government is so corrupt,” Janie butted in to the playful banter.

“Good to keep enemies close,” Minka said.

Leo shrugged, “I guess that’s true. I have very few enemies though, so I don’t like to think of that.”

“You are very well-liked?” Jones asked with a grin, his hands brushing against Janie’s.

“You should know that, Vince. People are very taken with me.”

Vince laughed, “Okay. If that’s what you think.”

“I think people are very taken with you also, Minka,” Janie commented. “You look like a babushka.”

“No babushka,” Minka answered, sounding offended. “I like to cover hair.”

“What is a babushka?” Leo asked.

“It’s like a grandma, an old woman,” Janie answered, pointing to an older woman passing them with similar garb to Minka. “See?”

“Wow, you are kind of dressed like a babushka.” Jones laughed.

“No babushka.” Minka frowned.

Janie and Jones laughed. She then dragged him off, explaining that she wanted to show him her favorite artist’s booth. Leo walked with Minka quietly, unsure of what to say at that point. She made him nervous and excited at the same time, and he couldn’t quite keep his head on his shoulders.

“Do you have few friends as well as few enemies?” she asked softly.

“What?” he raised an eyebrow.

“You say you have few enemies. Do you have few friends too?”

“I think I mostly just keep to myself.” She looked at him blankly. “I don’t meet a lot of people, you know?”

She nodded. “I do not meet a lot of people too. I stay inside all day unless I have to go.”

“Like now?”

“Like now. It is nice to be with someone here though.”

“Are you afraid to leave?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. I went out when my sister was here. But she not here now.”

“Where is she?”

She didn’t answer for a moment, only sat and thought. She stared at an invisible something in the corner of the room, cocking her head as she did so.
What is she looking at?

“Government took her, I think,” she said finally. “I don’t know where. They don’t tell me where.”

“Who?”

She froze and looked at him with wide-eyes. “You will think I…” She made the crazy gesture with her finger.

He laughed, “I doubt that. I think you’re pretty wonderful, and my opinion isn’t going to change that easily.”

“You think I am…
wonderful
?”

“Yeah, that’s a good thing. It’s like…”

“I know what it means. Very strange to hear from you. So smart.”

“You don’t think you’re wonderful?”

“I think I am normal.”

“I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met.”

She smiled. “That very nice to say.”

“I mean it.” He grasped her hand. “I think you’re even more gorgeous because you’re so strong. It reminds me of my mother.”

She looked over his shoulder slightly, but only smiled. Vasily returned with a grin, holding an orange in his hand. He held it up to her, proclaiming in Russian that it had been given to him. Leo didn’t know enough Russian yet to know by who. Minka stooped to speak to him on his level. She held his arms and smiled, staring deeply into his eyes. Leo could see how much she adored her son, and it made his heart lift in his chest. He felt like Dr. Seuss’s Grinch – his heart grew multiple sizes just watching her.

“Let’s get home, huh?” Janie said as she approached. “It looks like the Gestapo are coming out.”

“The Gestapo are German,” Jones chuckled.

“Same concept. Secret police, you know?”

Minka held Vasily’s hand tight, sneaking looks at Leo every so often. Though they knew each other for only a short time, Leo felt their connection grow. She let down her wall a little more with every time they saw each other yet, she always stayed strong and stubborn. It would take a while for her to trust him, he thought.
Perhaps I just need to up my game.

“I am thinking we should have a dance party,” Janie said, a skip in her voice, but not in her step.

“A dance party, huh?” Jones asked. “How do you expect to do that?”

“I have music. I have space in my apartment. We can dance.”

Vasily started to dance to symbolize he understood. Minka gave only a slight smile and whispered to him to stop. Her body seemed more tense than usual, especially as they passed the woods a little far off from the apartment. She looked around her fearfully as though they were being followed by unseen phantoms.

“I could do a dance party, I suppose,” Leo said. “If it’s okay with Jones.”

“It’s up to you, Mr. Jones,” Janie grinned. “Are we allowed to have fun?”

He shrugged, “I am strictly against fun. You should probably ask Minka.”

Minka looked at him soberly, “Ask Minka what?”

“Can we have a dance party, babushka?” Janie smirked.

“No babushka.” She frowned. “Dance party may be okay.”

Leo smiled close-lipped at her. She only slightly smiled back, but he felt a warmth in her. As her eyes met his, he saw the wild fear in them start to fade. She felt safe with him. Vasily held out his other hand for Leo to hold, so the man moved to him and held it. Leo felt his heart grow even larger. Janie chattered with Jones in front of them, her eyes full and friendly as she looked at him. He kept his hands in his pockets, his back slouched, and his eyes to the ground as his smile grew.

When they got back to the apartment, Janie led the way with the skip in her voice now in her step. She greeted anyone they passed and say the group was going to hold a dance party. The artists laughed, but declined – they had work to do. In her apartment, she put on a record.

“I just got this, and I have been listening to it nonstop,” she said. “Now you all have to dance with me to it.”

The music was soft, but danceable. Leo had heard the music coming her room before, and Jones seemed to recognize it. He chuckled, but held out his hand for Janie to take. They started to dance together, perfectly in sync with each other. Their bodies looked familiar with each other. Leo thought perhaps he could ask Jones about it later, but he figured it wasn’t his business.

Vasily started to dance on his own, spinning around the room. Leo laughed as he watched the boy spin. Minka stood uncomfortably, the scarf still around her head.
She does look like a babushka.

“Would you like to dance?” Leo asked.

Her eyes grew. “I do not dance.”

“If you want to prove you’re not a babushka, you have to have some fun,” Janie laughed.

“Yes! Fun!” Vasily yelled.

Minka frowned. “No babushka.” 

She removed the scarf from her head, letting her hair fall, then grabbed Leo’s hand. Once they stood face to face, her quick resolve seemed to vanish. She looked over his shoulder at something he could not see and shivered. He placed one of her hands on his shoulder, and then wrapped his hand around her waist. He then took her hand in his as if they were doing a waltz, and glided her across the room. Jones laughed, whispering something to Janie as he watched them. She laughed too, her face bright and radiant.

Leo forgot for a moment that they were Navy SEALs in hiding. He forgot about all the danger and only lived for the moment. It was the first time he saw Jones drop his commander act completely. They both were just men in the courting phase – as though they were at a high school dance awkwardly making moves.

“Dancing! Fun!” Vasily yelled again.

Jones laughed, detaching from Janie to pick up the boy and swing him. Janie twirled around them with a bright smile. Minka began to smile too, and her wall came down a little more.

“You’re a sublime dancer,” Leo whispered.

She looked to him, “Sublime?”

“Very good. A very good dancer.”

“Thank you.” She blushed, looking down. “You are sublime dancer too.”

“It’s only because I have such a good partner.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder and let him lead, the room full of joy and fun as the music continued filling their ears.

VI.

Leo helped Minka put the excited Vasily to bed after the dance party ended. Janie and Jones stayed in the room together, keeping it going but quieter than before. Leo could sense something between them, but he also sensed a restlessness in Janie. As Anatoly said the first day, the writers normally didn’t stick around long.

“He fell asleep so quickly.” Minka smiled as she exited the bedroom she and her son shared. “We should have dance party more.”

Leo laughed. “It was pretty fun. You loosened up pretty quickly.”

“I never been much of a dancer. But it was fun.”

“You are definitely not a babushka.”

“No babushka,” she said softly, sitting next to him on the couch and looking at her folded hands in her lap. “You brought up your mother earlier.”

He thought back. “I think I did. Why?”

“Is your mother…” She looked into his eyes, then a little over his shoulder. “Is she dead?”

Leo shrank back for a brief second, but sat up again. “Why do you ask?”

“I see a woman with you. She’s always there, watching you.”

He looked around him. “What do you mean? I don’t see anyone.”

“The dead live around us, Leo. I see them.”

He stared at her for a moment.
That’s why she thought I’d think she was crazy. But do I?
“They are the ones who haven’t told you where your sister is?”

“Yes. But I know she’s not dead because she hasn’t come around.”

He nodded. “Why did the government take her?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. She was… how you say… heroin lover?”

“A drug addict?”

“Yes. They don’t like drug addicts who cause trouble.”

“So, they didn’t take her because she’s an artist like you?”

“She poet, like me. But she better.”

“If you see the dead, you must have some amazing poetry in that mind of yours.”

“I do not talk to them. I only see them. I do not want to talk to them.”

“Why not?”

“Too sad.” She paused, looking behind him again. He turned to look, and she chuckled. “No one there.”

“I’ll admit, you freaked me out a little bit.” She looked at him blankly again. “You scared me a little bit. It was a creepy.”

“Ah. I am sorry. I have told no one except my sister. That’s how I know she’ll come back to me.”

“Will you talk to her if she comes back?”

“Yes. Do you want me to say something to your mother?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I think that’d be a little too much for me.”

“You don’t have good relationship with her?”

“No, I did. The best relationship. I just…. Her death was very hard on me. It kind of… destroyed me for a while.”

“How she die?”

He licked his lips for a moment, looking up at her and thinking if he wanted to tell her. He felt it always changed things when people knew about his mother. It made him more vulnerable, in a way; yet, he wanted to be vulnerable with her. He wanted to get to know her, to love her. If he wanted to be that close, he’d have to tell her eventually.

“My dad was a harsh man. He’d been in Vietnam?”

“Vietnam? The country?”

“The Vietnam War. Do you know about that?”

She shook her head, “Russia involved?”

“No, Russia wasn’t involved. It was America and Vietnam. We lost.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

He laughed. “You don’t need to say sorry to me. Anyway, he was different because of that. He saw a lot of death, experienced a lot of terrible things.”

“I’m sorry for your father.”

He shook his head and put his hand on her thigh and his hand tingled and shook. “Don’t be. My mom met him while he was finishing college. He wasn’t as angry then. But when she became more successful than him, he started to become angrier with her. When I was born, she tried to keep it together, but ultimately she thought it would be better for both of us if she left.”

“My mother left my father too. He drank.”

“My dad did too. When my mom left, he couldn’t let it go. He called her and came by a lot. She got a restraining order, which is meant to keep people away from you legally.”

“Did it work?”

“No. It didn’t.”

“He come by still?”

“Yes. One day he came by while I was at school, and he… he shot her. And she died.”

“Your dad… killed your mom?”

“Yes. He’s in jail now. He tried to kill himself, but he used all the bullets before the cops came.”

“I’m sorry,” she said then held his hand tightly. “Your mother loves you though.”

“Yeah, she did.”

“She still do.”

He smiled. “I still love her too.”

He looked into her eyes, trying not to let out the tears trying to escape break the barrier of his eyelids. He’d lived with his grandparents after the murder and avoided letters from his father. He liked not to think about it, but after killing the man in their final battle, he wondered if he had his dad in him. Could he kill someone he loved without remorse if he could kill someone he didn’t even know without batting an eye?

“I have never loved anyone,” Minka said softly. “Besides Vasily.”

“What about your sister?”

“She more like… companion. Family love different. I guess this not really related.”

He laughed, “No, no. It lightens the mood from all that death and sadness.”

Her laughter filled the room, “I wanted to become poet because of sad poems. I like Akhmatova because I think I could write like her – she confident. But I cannot write like Marina Tsvetaeva. She was in love.”

“She has a lot of sad poems. I think she had love poems too.”

“Unrequited love. That is what I know. You ever love someone?”

“I had a high school sweetheart. She went to Yale, and we broke up.”

“Yale good college?”

“Yale is a very good college.”

“Were you sad?”

He shrugged, “I went into the milit…. I traveled abroad to get over it.”

“You go into military?”

She caught you.
“Into the Navy, yes.”
Just don’t tell her about the SEALs
. “Didn’t you love Vasily’s father?”

She leaned back into the couch. “My sister loved him. That’s why she wrote better poetry.”

“You stole your sister’s boyfriend?”

She laughed, “No, no. My sister uh… pregnant with Vasily. I raise him.”

“So, he’s actually your sister’s son?”

“He’s
my
son.”

“I mean, biologically he’s your sister’s?”

“Biologically… pregnant?”

“Yes, like my mother is my biological mother because she gave birth to me.”

“Oh, I see. Yes. Vasily born drug addict – addicted to heroin. I raise him. My sister not mother.”

“Does he know?”

“He knows. But he knows I am his mother.”

“His father came by though, didn’t he?”

She sighed, looking into the corner again. “He did. He asked about my sister and wanted to know how he could help us. They were young when they had Vasily – he still living with his parents.”

“So he wanted to give you money?”

She nodded. “He said he had good paying job, but didn’t tell me what was.”

“Has he come by again?”

She kept her eyes on the corner. “Not alive.”

Leo looked into the corner to see if he could see anything. He couldn’t. He felt a chill though, rolling up his spine. She knew how to make his body react, that was for sure.

“You don’t know what happened to him?” Leo asked.

“I think someone killed him. I think he involved in… crime.”

“Why do you think that?”

“When I saw him the first time, when he came back, he showed me a wound--” she pointed to the middle of her head-- “here. He said he made a mistake.”

“I thought you said you didn’t talk to them.”

“He liked to talk. I don’t let him now.”

Leo thought of the man he killed, the hole in the middle of his head. Would she see him? Would the man follow him around like his mother? Would he tell her who killed him?

She put her hand on his again. “Do not worry. They do not scare me. They not always around.”

“It’s all right. You can’t scare me off that easily.”

She smiled wide, her face beautifully illuminated in a way he barely saw. He wasn’t sure why she responded to him now, but he figured he should take a shot. He scooted toward her and leaned forward slowly. He thought she might pull away, but she didn’t – she stayed deathly still as if frightened. He put his hand on her cheek, looked into her eyes, and kept leaning in. Tenderly, he kissed her soft, warm lips. She tasted like strawberries and mint.

Vasily’s soft voice interrupted them. He called for her and asked for water.Leo had just learned how to say ‘I want water,’ so it made him feel good to understand the boy. Minka quickly rose and went to the kitchen to get the water. Vasily stared at Leo in the gloom with a somber look.

“Good evening, Vasily. Sleeping well?” Leo asked him.

“Yes,” Vasily answered. “Talking wake me up.”

“Sorry,” Minka said. “You should probably go, Leo. Can we come by tomorrow?”

“That should be okay. I’ll have to ask Vince.”

She nodded, walked to hand the water to Vasily, and then approached Leo. She gave him a tight hug before letting him go. Leo felt like he walked on air as he moved to the door and back to his apartment. When he entered, Jones was nowhere in sight. He laid on the couch and went to sleep, dreaming of kissing Minka all over her body. She tasted like the sweetest fruit imaginable and felt more amazing than anything he’d ever experienced.

In the morning, he woke up to see Jones sitting near the window, staring out at the darkness.

“Janie left today,” he said when he noticed Leo awake.

“What? You guys were just having the dance party.”

“That was her last hurrah, I guess.”

“Where did she go?”

He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Should we talk about the show since I’m awake?”

“Not now.”

Leo decided to keep his own happiness and dreams to himself. Jones didn’t seem to be in the mood for happy talk just then.