“Are you sure I don’t look stupid?” Laney asked anxiously, turning away from the mirror to face the room.
She rolled her eyes at herself and laughed. She was asking a freshly turned six-year-old and a blind woman for fashion advice. Jin insisted on wearing a seriously bright pink Hello Kitty tutu as her flower girl’s dress. Laney, Boris and Rosa had been helpless in the face of her wide-eyed begging. Addison’s blindness prevented her from contributing any meaningful input, and Claudia hadn’t been able to help with her usual fashion sense. Jin was in the process of spinning is circles to see if she could make the rose petals fly out of her basket. She was discovering that, indeed, the petals would fly out of the basket at a high velocity when she spun.
“I’m sure you look lovely,” Addison said with a reassuring smile. She wore a figure hugging red dress that managed to show her curves off to perfection while hiding enough not to cause a massacre when Daniel saw her wearing it in public. Claudia definitely knew how to help her friends pick clothes. Unfortunately, a seriously nasty bout of flu, followed by a lengthy recovery had kept Claudia and King in the United States and unable to attend the wedding. Claudia had been upset and insisted on seeing all of the pictures as soon as they could physically upload them to her.
“Okay, what just hit me in the face?” Addison gasped batting her hand in front of her face. Both Laney and Jin giggled at the look on Addison’s face.
“Flower,” Laney said, turning back to the mirror. “Jinny, baby. Time to pick up the petals and stop throwing them around the room. It’s almost aisle time.”
“You little monster!” Addison snorted with laughter tossing the petals in what she thought was Jin’s direction.
Addison and Jin had gotten along like two peas in a pod since Addison’s arrival in Russia the week before. Like children, the two had snuck away from Jin’s nanny and played games, eaten treats and generally caused mayhem on the Grekov estate. It was official, everyone that came within Jin’s vicinity fell instantly under her powerful influence. Like the spirit she was named after, she turned everyone around her into putty in her tiny hands. Even Daniel unbent enough to teach her a few tricks so she and Addison could more easily slip away from her nanny and guards. Of course, like a shadow, he was never far behind, ensuring their safety while they talked and played.
There had been a few tense moments when Laney had finally come face to face with Daniel. She had insisted Boris allow her to do it alone. Boris had paced outside the door of his office, ready to tear the door off its hinges at the first hint of aggression from Laney’s former employer. Laney had taken Daniel through the balcony in Boris’ office and out along a path in the woods nearby where no one could disturb them. There she had turned to one of the deadliest men on the planet and offered him a bleak explanation for her betrayal.
“When I met Addison, I told her she should leave you,” she had told him.
“Why?” he asked, his dark eyes unfathomable as always. With Daniel, a person never knew if he was about to murder them or walk away.
“Because I thought I saw myself in you,” she said honestly. “We both grew up only knowing death. The people we touched… they had to die. It was the way of our kind. I was sent to kill Boris. I didn’t realize that Addison was your salvation, that she was saving you with her love.”
He grunted, but didn’t speak. Laney continued. “If I had known, I would have told her to hang on to you and never let go, because… because you needed her. Because people like us need someone to love. Boris loves me, as I love him, and I’m never letting that go. I would kill anyone that tried.”
He nodded and grunted. “Good.”
“And I would kill anyone that touched any of my friends,” she said fiercely.
Again, he nodded. They both stood for a moment looking at each other. They were the same. She had seen it from the beginning and hidden it from him. As angry as he’d been to learn of her deception, he now understood he had an ally in this little ninja assassin. She’d been raised very much the same as him. And now that they were discovering what family meant, they would not allow anything to to take it away. They would unite to take down any threat.
“Okay, now what’s that in my face?” Addison complained with a startled laugh.
Jin giggled evilly, holding up the kitten Boris had given her for her birthday, its fuzzy calico tail swishing in Addison’s face. Addison took the kitten from the girl, placed it gently on a footstool and then tickled the girl until she was screaming and laughing hysterically. The door opened behind them and Jane Sitnikov walked in with Daniel. As always, they were arguing.
“I’m just saying, you think you’re all superior because you have a legit job in security now? Everyone knows what you used to do Mister big bucks mercenary. I heard you left quite the body count in Brazil before moving on out to the desert and racking up even more bodies. So, don’t even pretend like you’re better than my husband,” Jane snapped as she stomped into the room wearing a black mini dress and high heels.
“Didn’t say I was better than him, just you,” Daniel replied, following her in.
“I seriously did not just hear you insult the woman that saved my life last spring, did I?!” Addison said in a rush, jumping to her feet. When Jane burst out laughing, Addison swung around to face her, “Nor did I just hear you use the words ‘body count’ in front of our precious Jin!”
Jin gathered up her kitten, who was busy cleaning her underside, and stood in front of Addison. “Yeah, no using dirty words in front of precious!”
Laney watched in amusement as Daniel came as close as she’d ever seen him to smiling as he watched Laney’s spitfire daughter stand protectively in front of his woman. He held up his hands. “My apologies.”
“Not accepted,” Jane grumbled, tugging on the short skirt of her Gucci dress. “I fucking hate dresses. Where the fuck do I put my gun? People need to stop getting married all the damn time.”
“Right?!” Laney was in complete agreement, despite it being her wedding that was causing Jane’s ire.
“Okay,” Addison said loudly, covering Jin’s ears, “we’re going to find our seats. You too, Jane. The ceremony starts in ten minutes and last I heard the groom sounded like he was ready to tear the place apart if he didn’t get his bride soon.”
The door closed behind Jin, Addison and Jane. Laney turned back to the mirror and studied herself silently. This was definitely the most formal outfit she had ever worn and it made her extremely nervous. What if she fell and accidentally stabbed herself on one of the hidden knives? She wasn’t known for being particularly graceless, but nerves did strange things to people. She pressed her hands against the white satin panel at the waist of her wedding dress.
The gorgeous gown was traditional kimono style with a few additional lace and rose touches in homage to Laney’s British mother. Her hair was braided and piled on top of her head with red roses woven throughout the mass and her nails were painted a deep red colour as well. This was certainly the most feminine she had ever looked. She breathed deeply and reached for the single red rose that she was going to carry with her to meet the groom.
“Beautiful,” Daniel said gruffly from behind her. His golden eyes met hers in the mirror. She gave him a nervous smile and turned toward him.
“I don’t like being the centre of attention,” she admitted, adjusting the sheer lace shawl around her shoulder.
He nodded and reached out to help her, his blunt fingers working surprisingly quickly with such delicate fabric. “We work better in the shadows,” he said, smoothing the lace and letting it flutter over her bare arm.
She smiled. He understood.
“You armed?” he asked.
“Of course,” she replied.
He turned and gave her his arm. “Good. Let’s go give the bride away. Hate to have to kill your groom because he found me in here alone with you.”
Laney laughed and allowed him to lead her out of the bedroom, through the mansion and out into the rose garden where a small gathering of family and friends awaited them. Daniel led her to the back of the aisle where they stood watching as Addison and Jin walked together. Poor Addison was being jerked around by the hand while Jin threw rose petals energetically in every direction. When they reached the head of the aisle, Boris picked Jin up in his arms, gave her a crushing hug and passed her off to Rosa, who sat with the little girl. Jane Sitnikov helped Addison find her place, standing next to where the bride would be before resuming her own seat. Vladimir Sitnikov stood tall and sinister next to Boris.
Laney kept her eyes on Boris as Daniel led her toward the man she would soon marry. Even as a girl she hadn’t bothered to dream of this moment. It was never a possibility for her. Until now. Boris had given her this gift. As soon as she was close enough, she reached for him, knowing he would always be there to catch her. His big, warm hand engulfed hers and he pulled her in tight against his massive body.
She sighed and took the first normal breath she had managed all day. Before the minister, a man that spoke all three of their birth languages, could say a word, Boris whispered, “Love me, Laney kotenok?”
She smiled up at him, showing him with her wide blue eyes how much she would love him forever. “Always, Godzilla.”
THE END