Andrei cocked his head to the side and then stepped back to let me into his apartment. “I didn’t know you even knew where I lived,” he said, sounding amused.

I sighed and shook my head. This wasn’t a social call and he knew it.

“All right, all right, quit looking like the world is ending,” Andrei said, gesturing for me to sit down on one of his couches. He flopped down across from me. “So, I take it Uncle Evgeni still isn’t talking to you?”

I shook my head. “I’ve been iced out of the family, basically,” I told him.

“Dima and I are still here for you,” Andrei pointed out, as though I didn’t already know that. “There’s nothing stronger than the bond of brothers.”

I winced, remembering Diego. Diego had been as close to my brother as anyone could be without sharing blood. And look what I’d done to him.

“Well, the good news is, the Garda is cracking down on Audaz, but they’re leaving us mostly alone. I think they figure that we’ve already been mostly wiped out, based on what they found in the warehouse—mostly our guys, and very few of theirs. Anyway, Audaz has quite a few enemies in this area, not just us. Maybe the Garda thinks it’s time to finally get rid of them.”

“Right,” I said, my stomach turning. I frowned. “So if we wanted to go after Audaz ourselves, now would be the time?”

Andrei was quiet for a long moment. “Is that really what you want, Kolya?” he asked softly.

I blinked at him. “What do you mean?” I asked. “I swore, as Diego was dying, that I would avenge his death. I plan to go after Javier, for his role in what happened to Emily as well.”

“How is Emily anyway?” Andrei asked. “In all the commotion, no one seemed to know, although I assumed you must have found her since you were remarkably quiet over the past few weeks.”

I thought back to how I’d left Emily that morning, asleep in my bed, the sheets pulled up around her shoulders and her hair fanning out across the pillows. She’d looked beautiful, like an angel, as cliché as that might sound. I was already growing used to waking up next to her, and I wouldn’t have things any other way.

“She’s good,” I said quietly. “She’s…pregnant, actually.”

She had told me that news the previous day. And she’d looked so nervous, so pale as she’d asked what I wanted to do about it. Clearly, she’d expected me to be upset, to kick her out. But instead, I’d swept her into my arms, kissing her, already dreaming of the family that we’d build together. Things were moving way too fast between us, and I knew that there would be minor problems along the way as we both found out each others’ quirks, but I was so happy to have her in my life, and I couldn’t imagine that ever changing.

“Congratulations!” Andrei said, looking surprised. He stood up and went to his liquor cabinet. “Why didn’t you tell me that we were celebrating?”

I shook my head. “That’s not what I’m here for,” I protested, but I didn’t stop him from pouring out a couple glasses of the good Russian vodka.

“Right, you’re here to discuss your plans for revenge, when you’ve got a wife and a child who would like you to come home each night,” Andrei said, a hint of steel to his voice.

“She’s not my wife,” I reminded him.

Andrei rolled his eyes. “Does it really matter, at this point? She’s someone that you were willing to save at the risk of everything else in your life. I think that shows your feelings for her, better than anything else.”

“But Diego-“

“Is dead,” Andrei said flatly. “And whether or not you avenge him, he’s still going to be dead. You could take out the entirety of Audaz, and it’s still not going to bring Diego back. So how many more people have to die before you’re willing to give it up and settle down and live your life?”

I shook my head. “It’s different for you,” I complained. “You were only brought over here recently. You weren’t raised into this family like I was.”

“And maybe that’s a good thing,” Andrei said, rolling his eyes. He took a big sip of his vodka. “Go on, tell me about it. Tell me why you’re so hell-bent on avenging Diego.”

“He was like a brother to me,” I told Andrei. “And he died because I just had to go after Emily.” I ran a hand back through my hair. “For all I know, Evgeni was right when he said that they would get bored and realize that holding her captive wasn’t going to do anything. Maybe nobody needed to die.”

“Don’t torture yourself,” Andrei said, shaking his head. “Sure, there are a thousand different ways that things could have played out, but at this point, it’s useless to think them all through. Again, it’s not going to bring Diego back.”

“I swore that I’d avenge him,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “It’s a matter of honor.”

Andrei thought that over for a moment. “And what about Emily?” he asked. “She’s carrying your child. And she’s decided to stay with you, even though you got her kidnapped already, on your second date. Don’t you think that you owe her something? Where does honor play into that?”

I chewed that over. “You’re surprisingly wise, younger brother,” I told him.

Andrei laughed. “Probably because I spent so many years out in the countryside with our spinster aunts,” he joked, and I had to laugh as well.

Andrei shook his head. “Listen, there are plenty of other people who want to make Audaz pay for various crimes,” he said. “It’s not up to only you to avenge Diego. And you’ve got more than most to lose. Maybe you should leave the battle to someone else. I think Diego would have wanted you to.”

“But Diego could have left the battle to someone else, and he didn’t,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, and look where that got him,” Andrei growled. “I don’t want to see you dead, brother. For Emily’s sake as well as your own.”

I stared at him for a long moment, thinking over what he had said. I had to admit that he was right. Wasn’t that exactly the lesson that Diego had been trying to tell me? The same lesson that he’d ignored, the one that had cost him the ultimate price.

Uncle Evgeni was already mad enough at me. And I had already made enough of my own money, outside the family funds, that I was set for life. There was no reason to keep risking my life, as much as I loved my family. Maybe it was time to walk away. My time gambling my life was over.

I nodded to Andrei and stood up. “Thank you,” I told him.  

Andrei stood up as well and pulled me close, clapping me heartily on the back. “I just hope you do the right thing,” he said.

When I got home, Emily had moved from the bed to the couch, but she was wearing only a flimsy silk robe that I had bought her when it became clear that she was going to be staying there regularly. In fact, she hadn’t gone home a single night over the past few weeks, admitting that she was scared to be alone. I couldn’t blame her for that, and I definitely wasn’t about to kick her out.

I smiled at her, and she smiled back at me. “Family business?” she asked.

I thought back to my conversation with Andrei. With this sexy, wonderful woman nearly naked in front of me on my couch, the answer seemed obvious. I didn’t have to think to know that I wasn’t willing to lose this.

So I slowly shook my head. “Not family business,” I told her. “I won’t be doing any of that anymore.”

Emily stared at me for a long moment, as though trying to judge whether I was telling the truth. Then, I could see relief break out across her face. She stood deliberately and came to my side, pulling me down by my lapels and kissing me passionately.

“Good,” she breathed as we broke apart.

“Yes,” I agreed, resting my hand against her stomach. “It’s time for a different kind of family business.”