When I woke up, I felt well rested. Viktor was still asleep too, my head on his chest. His arm was around my waist, and we were both nice and warm, tucked against each other. I could feel his fingers on my hip, where my shirt had ridden up a little. I was hoping when he woke up that he would say I hadn’t woken him up all night long. I slipped out of his arms and out of the bed, getting dressed before grabbing my phone and letting Viktor sleep longer. Walking down the hall, I checked the time on my phone and gave my head a shake. How the hell was it ten am, and we were both still sleeping. I never had time to sleep that long. 

Checking my messages, Yuri had sent me a text telling me he sent me an email. I knew what email he meant too, the one he set up for an information pathway. I knew waking up Viktor was the smart thing to do, so why wasn’t I going back to do that?

I could handle this easily, and I was itching for something to take my frustrations out on. Maybe that was why, while I checked the email for all the information, I made sure there was no one around to see me. Viktor was going to be livid when he woke up, but that was to be expected. He wanted Klara to deal with the casino shit. Oh well, I guess I could include Klara. 

Heading down the stairs, I heard Ilya laughing, and it brought a soft smile to my face. His laughter was coming from the kitchen, setting my hand on the door. I was ready to turn the handle and head inside, but Klara stopped me. She held her hand up to her mouth and then gave me a hand sign to follow her. Quietly, I did just that. 

In the lounge a fair distance away, she sat down and let out a sigh. “Sorry, I didn’t want you to ruin their fun. They’ve been making breakfast together in there for a bit and they sounded joyous.”

“It’s fine. I was looking for you, anyway.” I muttered. 

“For me? The great Nikita was looking for me.” she chuckled, and leaned closer. “Do tell me why you’re looking for little ole me.”

“I have the information on your casino crook, but I want in.”

“Nikita. Viktor would have my fucking head on display for that.” She hissed. 

“Guess you’re going to sit this one out. I just figured you might want to come along too.” I said, standing up. 

“What the hell do you mean I’m going to sit this one out? You’re the one with the broken arm!”

“Ah, that’s nothing. I’ve had worse, believe me.” I laughed and started walking away. 

“Wait! Nikita. Let me get my men, and I’ll fucking join you. But I’m putting all the blame on you if I get into shit.” Klara said and crossed her arms. 

“Alright, I’m ok with that. Just don’t take too long to get ready. You have thirty minutes, and don’t you dare wake Viktor up.”

“Of course you would pull this shit while he is sleeping.” Klara muttered, standing up and leaving the room. I waited a few moments and left the room, too. I went back to Viktor’s hall, and to the room he gave me. I opened my suitcase and pulled out my BPV, black combat pants, and sweater. I had arm guards, but right now it would be pretty useless to use them. Slipping my foot into my last boot, I looked up and Viktor was standing in the doorway, sweatpants hanging dangerously on his hips. 

“Do I even want to know what the fuck you’re doing?”

“Most likely not.” I said, pulling on the laces of my boots. “I’m just problem solving. I invited Klara to help.” 

He sighed and walked into the bedroom, sitting on the other side of the bed. “If this is something you plan to do every time, I want you to tell me.”

“Viktor, this is what I do for a living, you know this.” I chuckled. “But I don’t mind informing you.”

“I don’t like that you’re already injured, but I know this isn’t a big injury to you.” He muttered. He was right, though. This wasn’t a big injury. I had a pretty high pain tolerance, but that was because of Lev. There was no time for rest. I’m not bleeding, and I’m not dying. I could go back to working.

Viktor sat by while I dressed and strapped weapons down, and then he put the arm guard on me, tightening it. He looked around the room and sighed. “Bring him back to me in one piece, Nikita. I want him alive.”

“Alright. I’ll make sure that I bring him back alive.” 

Viktor tossed a shirt on, before he walked with me down to the foyer where I was to meet with Klara and her men. Klara went stiff when she saw Viktor. 

“Inviting him wasn’t my idea.” She said and looked at the floor. 

“I know that. Nikita invited you,” he said, and crossed his arms. “Nikita, a word before you leave with them.”

I walked over and he grabbed my chin and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss was dominating and made me feel like he was showing them all my importance to him. “Make sure you come back safe.” 

I didn’t hate the kiss, but I wasn’t fond of it either. But I let him get away with it. “Go have breakfast with Ilya and Vito. And behave, please Viktor.” I said, before following Klara out of the mansion and into an SUV. 

“How the fuck did you manage to get him to accept you going out like this?” Klara asked as the SUV pulled out of the driveway and another truck of guys was behind us, too. 

“Viktor is being reasonable.”

“Then that’s just not the Viktor I know,” she muttered, and gave her head a quick shake. “Whatever you’re doing to him, keep it up. You might make a real respectable Russo out of that man yet.”

Checking over the information on the man again that Yuri sent me. I felt pretty good about this. I could have handled this guy on my own, but this was alright too. The man in question was a middle-aged man with a prior history of casino scams and thefts. Yuri was able to give me all kinds of information, right down his banking history, credit score, and all prior run-ins with law enforcement. Yuri was wildly efficient, that was for sure. 

“So what did you find out about our guy?” Klara asked, and reached for my phone. 

“I’ll send you a copy if you would like.” 

“Alright, do you need my number?” she replied, and I frowned at her. 

“No. I still have your number unless it’s changed since then.” 

I sent her a text to make sure she still had the same number. Once she confirmed she got my text, I sent her a screenshot of the information Yuri had provided to me. She got the screenshot and started looking over it. I sent another message to Yuri to thank him for his work. Yuri texted me back his thanks for the appreciation. I then told him I would contact him if I had any further questions or couldn’t find our target. Leaving the conversation there, I relaxed in the backseat. This was pretty tame compared to the shit that Lev sent me to handle on the daily for years. 

“Nikita, I have a question. Call it something I overheard from an underboss. Is it true that you’re related to Lev, Don Alessio’s husband?” Klara asked, and I wondered what one of the underbosses knew I was Lev’s adopted brother, and how they knew. 

“I’m just his adopted brother. We aren’t actually related.” I muttered and let out a deep sigh. “How the hell did that underboss find out?”

“I’m really not sure, but I can look into it if you want me too?” Klara said, turning around in her seat to look at me. The other men in the car didn’t even pay attention to us, and I was glad. 

“If you feel the need. I could honestly careless, it was bound to be public news eventually, and it’s not like there’s really a reason I hid it. I just didn’t think it was important to bring up. They probably overheard a conversation between Viktor and I, or they found out from the men that were employed to protect me at Alessio’s complex.”

“Both are quite possible.” Klara said. She yawned and turned around in the chair again. “What did you ask for, like you know wedding present wise?”

“I never asked for a wedding present.”

“What! Why the hell not? Viktor could give you whatever you wanted, hell you could ask for a brand new car or—--”

I cut her off, sighing. “If I wanted a brand new car, I could get one, just like anything else I wanted. I have no need for more material things.”

“If that’s the case, then I am rather interested to know what Viktor will give you. Considering material things doesn’t seem to be something you long for.” She said and laughed. 

“They aren’t. What I long for is unweighted shoulders and a long restful nap.” I mumbled and looked out the window. I would trade most of my material goods if it meant I could sleep soundly, without nightmares again. It would honestly just be a blissful miracle to me. I was silent for a moment, then I said, “But it’ll never happen again.”

“Don’t say never, because you have no idea if never will actually be never or just for now.” Klara said, and double checked the address. “We are coming up on the guy’s last known sighting. If this doesn’t pan out, your contact included the guy’s place of residence and I am not above breaking the door down and waiting for him to come home.”

“Whatever works. I’ll lend a hand. We just have to bring him back alive. That’s all that Viktor asked.” I said, and double checked my handgun to make sure it was loaded and I at least had a few shots if I needed them. 

“Well, I guess it’s now or never.” Klara said as we pulled into the driveway of the place he was last spotted, and it wasn’t really public, but they filled it with cameras and that would be annoying. My phone buzzed, and I picked it up. 

“Get to work Nikita. I disabled the security for you as a gift. Don’t squander it.” Yuri said, and I knew he was watching us from the camera’s. 

“Thanks Yuri.” I said, hopping out of the parked SUV and hanging up on him. “Let’s get to work. We have a rodent to catch.”