Vik (Shot Callers 2)

I grinned, and she half-heartedly shooed me away.

“Help yourself to a muffin.” I took three. “And don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing, young lady. Dinner is at six sharp, and if you ruin your appetite, I’ll be very disappointed.”

The moment I walked into the back yard, juggling muffins and the box I’d been carrying, I spotted Lev sitting at the outdoor setting with Sasha while Lidiya ran circles around Mina, who was blowing bubbles much to the enjoyment of the almost four-year-old.

I did the obligatory thing and greeted my brothers first, leaning down to their proffered cheeks and pecking them lightly before placing everything on the table and heading out to my niece at a full-blown run. Once she spotted me, she did that gorgeous little gasp-laugh she always did when she was excited and shrieked, running in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going?” I damn near snorted when she tripped and rolled but righted herself and kept on running.

Shit, she was quick.

Mina called out, holding back a laugh, “Faster, Lidi. Faster!”

I was huffing and puffing by the time I caught up to her, and when I scooped her up in my arms, the ear-piercing squeal she let out almost burst my ear drums. I growled and snorted like a monster, kissing her chubby cheek a thousand times before putting my nose to her dark-brown curls as she wiggled in my arms, trying her hardest to escape and have me chase her again. Her scent was baby powder and strawberries. It had been since the second she was born. It was something that was forever etched in the deepest pits of my brain.

I honestly didn’t think I could love anyone as much as my little chubby dumpling, Lidiya.

Sitting her high up on my hips, she continued to wriggle until I said, “I got you something. You want a present?”

Lidi stilled immediately and peered up at me with wide eyes the color of gooey caramel, framed by the longest lashes you ever did see. Her squeaky little voice was enough to make me ovulate. “A pwesent for me?”

Lev frowned. “Nastasia, must you spoil her?”

What a question. I shot him a puzzled look. “Uh, yeah. I must.”

I walked Lidi to the table, then set her down by the edge, taking the box and handing it to her. It was too big to fit in her hands, so I held it while she took a good look at the pictures. The moment she saw what it was, her mouth rounded in a comically round O, and she gasped none too quietly, looking around the table to see if everyone else was seeing what she was seeing.

My smile was gargantuan. Nothing made me feel the way I felt when I spoiled my niece.

“Fairies,” she whispered, and her eyes sparkled. She looked up at me, and her squeaky voice enquired, “Dey live in dis one?” Her stubby little finger pointed at the box.

I nodded at the image of the toadstool fairy house. “They sure do. And if you’re really quiet and watch very closely, you might even see one. But you have to be quiet, or you’ll scare them away.”

Lidi breathed in deeply, her expression full of awe, like she’d just discovered the meaning of life.

“Oh my. A quiet toy.” Mina’s face was reverent. She placed her hands together, the image of the Madonna herself, then spoke a soft, “God bless you, Nas.”

I winked at Mina and just couldn’t help myself. I hurled Lidi back into my arms and held her tight, melting as she giggled. This time, she put her chubby arm rolls around me and hugged me back, resting her head on my shoulder. There really was no greater feeling in the world than being trusted by a child in this capacity.

I dared someone to hurt my little fluffy doughnut. God help the person who tried. They’d have to answer to me, and I didn’t give a shit if you were five years old or fifty.

I would cut a bitch.

The back door opened, and believing it was Ada, I didn’t turn to see who it was. But then he spoke.

“What the hell? Y’all are having a party? I guess my invite was lost in the mail.”

Lev uttered, “You’re family, Viktor. Your invitation is implied.”

“Not one of you rang the doorbell. You realize that, don’t you?” Sasha scowled. “I think it’s time I changed the locks.”

I spun just in time to see Vik approach, and when he did, he said, “Hey, baby.”

Call it habit.

“Hi” was my breathy response, because he looked like sex in gray sweats worn low on his hips and a black tee that hugged every muscular ridge of his torso in an obscene way.

He stopped a foot away and watched me with sly eyes, as if searching for any sign of my falling apart. When he was satisfied that I was okay, he reached out and took my niece out of my arms. Without falter, Lidi went to him, and when he held her fast and looked down at her with love in his eyes, he said, “Hey, baby,” a second a time, and my stomach dropped right out of my asshole.