*Adrik*
Sephie’s anger levels stayed at a smoldering level throughout the day. Andrei and Misha felt the difference, both asking me about it instead of asking her.
“Boss, is Sephie okay? She feels different and not necessarily in a good way,” Andrei asked when he and Misha walked into my office. Sephie had taken Stephen upstairs to help her, before any of the others could offer. She also asked me to keep them as busy as possible so she could have a little extra time with Stephen.
“Close the door,” I said.
Misha closed it, now concerned. “What’s going on, Boss?”
“Sephie found out about Stephen’s past. I don’t know details but it has to do with his sisters, who will be here tomorrow. Her anger is justifiable, but it’s different than it normally feels. It has me worried, to be honest. Her anger feels like mine. It’s very chaotic, which means she’s struggling to control it,” I said.
“Does he have to see his sisters when they’re here? I mean, if it’s that bad, why not just tell them to fuck off?” Misha asked.
“I said the same thing. So did she, but she also feels like Stephen needs to confront them. She feels like this is what’s holding him back from realizing what his gift is,” I said.
“What does he need from us?” Andrei asked.
“He’s not going anywhere near his sisters without all of us with him. I think we’re going to have to keep an eye on her to keep her from snapping his sisters’ necks. She already asked him if she could kill them and she wasn’t joking. Other than that, I think we let it play it out. Between Ivan and Sephie, those girls don’t stand a chance. I think Stephen might need to see his sisters for who they really are for once, instead of the monsters he remembers from his childhood.”
Misha clapped his hands, rubbing them together. “I love a good unraveling.”
--
That night, Stephen told everyone that his sisters were coming. He didn’t go into details, but he made it obvious that he was not in any way excited to see them.
“Don’t worry, man. We’re going with you. Or are they coming here?” Andrei asked.
“Noooo. They aren’t coming anywhere close to here. There’s no way in hell I would tell them where I live,” Stephen said. I had to admit to being slightly relieved about that. “I’m supposed to meet them for dinner tomorrow night. Surprisingly, they’re staying at Battista’s hotel.”
I knew how I could help. Sephie caught my mood shift and glanced at me, searching for her answer to her silent question. She didn’t say anything, but she added her own plans on top of it. We silently had a conversation that no one else in the room was aware of and I loved every second of it.
Later, once we were alone, I made sure I read her correctly. “I just want to make sure I’m correct. You caught my idea about the hotel?”
“I did. Battista seems to be very willing to help us out, but mostly because he thinks there’s something special about you and I that can be useful to him.”
“You’re okay with him seeing your eyes?”
“I’m okay with scaring the ever-loving shit out of Stephen’s sisters. If Battista helps us out and seeing my eyes is the payment for that, then I’m okay with it. Vitaliy can see too. He doesn’t know about them yet either,” she said. She was chewing on her bottom lip, still worrying over something.
“What’s going on in your head? What else are you thinking about?”
“I wish there was a way to push everything I felt when he shared his memories with me onto them. I don’t usually get emotions with memories like that, but it was very clear that I was experiencing it as he did, feelings and all. I want them to feel what he felt. I want them to know that pain. I want it to haunt them the same way it has him. They’re the ones that need to carry that burden, not him.”
“I agree with you, but I don’t know how to make that happen. Nor do I want you to hurt yourself by trying to make something happen that shouldn’t happen. You could push your anger to Andrei and Misha, but you’re also connected to them. You don’t have that connection with Stephen’s sisters, so I don’t know that it would work the same with them.”
“I know. That’s what I can’t figure out. Doesn’t mean I still can’t wish for it to happen, though.”
I pulled her to me, kissing her gently. “I have no doubt you will figure out how to make them suffer as much as possible while in your presence.” I had a small grin on my face, as I was loving the thought of being able to witness it. “Let me call Battista before it gets too late, love. Don’t stress about this too much. Otherwise we’ll have Ivan and the Wonder Twins back up here because they’re worried you’re going to burn the building down.”
She cut her eyes at me, a sly smile curling up one side of her plump lips. “Call Battista. I won’t burn anything down in the meantime,” she said. God, I love her.
Battista answered promptly when I called him. I told him as few details as I could while still explaining the situation to him. He was understandably hesitant, so I sweetened the deal for him. “You think there’s something special about Sephie and I, don’t you?” I asked. I heard him inhale. Then silence. “You’ll be able to answer that question if you make this happen.”
“The restaurant is yours,” he said. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
The next morning, I told Vitaliy what was happening. “There’s more to Sephie that you still don’t know about. She plans on using it on Stephen’s sisters tonight, but we needed Battista’s restaurant to give us a somewhat private venue to make it happen. His sisters aren’t coming here to the building. We told Battista he’d be able to answer his questions about us if he makes it happen. He agreed. You’ll also get a show if you join us,” I said.
“What more can she do?” Vitaliy asked.
“You’ll see,” I said, a smirk on my face.
He scoffed. “Now Battista is going to want to stay here longer. He drags me to so many lunches,” he said, rolling his eyes.
I chuckled. “You’ve already stayed much longer than you’d planned anyway. What’s a little longer?”