“Dear, let’s not be dramatic.”

June stares at both her parents. “Is Kolya the only thing that saved me from being disowned, too?” she asks coldly.

Luke doesn’t even look at June. He only has eyes for me. “You’ll have your hands full with this one, Kolya. Best of luck to you.”

“I don’t need luck,” I say, speaking up for the first time in several minutes. “And if you actually listened to your daughter every once in a while, you wouldn’t, either.”

Both Luke and Bridget turn wide-eyed the moment they realize I’m criticizing them.

“Well, now, Kolya—”

“I hope your campaign goes well,” I say abruptly, cutting the old man off. “As for me, I will be sure to donate to your opponent, whoever he might be. Now, I think it’s best we end this visit here. June needs to rest.”

When no one makes a move to leave, I get to my feet. Both Luke and Bridget look lost for words.

“You know,” Luke says, making one last stab at getting into my good graces, “having an attorney general for a father-in-law would serve you well, Kolya. I’m not unaware that there are a few rumored criminal investigations into your Bratva. If I were elected, I could make them go away.”

“If I need assistance in that regard, there are more reliable people I can turn to. You are not one of them. Nor will you ever be, at least until you start treating my wife with a little more respect.”

Luke clears his throat awkwardly and looks away from me. “Bridget, let’s go,” he says gruffly.

She hems and haws for a few moments. When neither June nor I make an attempt to stop them from leaving, she follows her husband out of the room with her nose in the air.

17

JUNE

Kolya sits down on the piano bench. I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I’m not sure why watching him at the piano inspires that reaction, but I can’t look away now.

“Thank you,” I whisper. “You didn’t need to do that for me.”

He strokes a key and a sad, lonely note rings out. “You don’t deserve to be treated like that,” he murmurs as it fades.

“No,” I say. “I don’t. And I’m just starting to realize it. You showed me that.”

He chuckles humorlessly, eyes fixed on the keyboard. “Good to know I made an impression.”

I scoff. “Don’t play humble; it doesn’t suit you. You always make an impression.”

Kolya raises his eyes to mine. “Ms. Cole, are you flirting with me?”

I blush and look away, desperate not to let myself get reeled back in. His charm is far more intoxicating than Adrian’s ever was. He’s the same in so many ways, but with the intensity turned up so much higher. He’s Adrian, if you cranked the volume so far past ten that you broke the knob off.

I wonder what that was like for Adrian. Growing up as the poor, pale shadow of a better version of yourself.