This is the direct continuation for Chapter 9! Also, I cant believe that Russian Bastard jumped from 200+ votes to 405 votes in one week omg thank you all so much! This week's goal is 510 votes!

Lots of love<3

Chapter 10

Tatiana

"Are you warm now?" Zeke asked.

"Yes, thank you," Tatiana said, rubbing her hands and holding them up in front of one of the many makeshift fire pits scattered around the frozen lake in the park.

Once they had emerged from the trees, their guards had followed them back to the central area of the park. They had left the clearing and walked back towards the area where most people had gathered by the lake to skate on while it was still frozen. Near the lake, a band consisting of acoustic guitars, a piano, and singer were playing soft tunes that flowed through the air while children and adults alike milled around the pop-up food stalls and makeshift ice rink.

"You know, I never used to go out as much in winter. It's just way too cold," she said, her breath freezing as she spoke.

"It's not so bad once you get used to it." He leaned against a rail that circled the makeshift rink that was the lake next to them.

As they continued chatting, the band that was playing by the lake paused for a short break.

"Can you play something for me?" Tatiana asked, gesturing to the piano that the band had. "You played beautifully at the party last time."

He looked at her, his eyes searching her face, his expression warm. "What would you like to hear?" he finally asked and she beamed at him, taking his hand and leading him over to the piano and other instruments that the band had left. Hopefully they didn't mind, she thought.

"Anything," she said as she tugged him down and settled them both side by side on the piano stool.

He pursed his lips slightly, pondering for a moment before he placed his hands on the piano and music flowed through the air, his fingers skillfully moving across the keys, a melody forming. She was in awe as she looked at his face, full of concentration. Her heart bled at the sorrow, angst, and melancholy that the heart of the song bled, a feeling so strong that it almost brought tears in her eyes. The piece was unfamiliar to her but it was such a lovely song, placing her in a small trance.

"This is beautiful," she said, voice filled with wonder as he continued to play. "Who composed it?"

"I did," he said softly as notes kept flowing through the air. She was all the more captivated by the song, knowing that this piece was written by the beautiful, vulnerable man sitting next to her.

He continued the song, a beautiful melody flowing in waves. However, as he slowed to a stop, she couldn't help but feel that the song wasn't over, incomplete, and her heart ached to know how it would end.

"I haven't gotten a chance to finish it yet," he said apologetically, turning to her. Their faces were so close to each other that she could feel each breath he breathed softly on her face, his eyes burning deep into hers.

She shook her head. "No, no. That was beautiful," she said. "Does the piece have a name?"

"Not yet." He shook his head slightly, his eyes piercing into hers. "But I may have an idea."

She didn't reply, just continued to look at his face, trying to commit the moment, the day, to memory. The way his eyes twinkled in the light, the way he acted so free, each time they touched, she wanted to remember it all, because she knew that at the end of the day, he didn't always act like this. That day, she got a glimpse of who Zeke Vasiliev really was, without his father or his men watching his every move, the weight of being a Don's son off his shoulders, just for a few hours.

"Ms. Tatiana, it's time to go," Benji said hesitantly, standing a few ways away from them, shattering the moment. Their entourage remained far enough away to give them some semblance of privacy.

She blinked, snapping out of their small bubble, looking at him.

"Alright." She sighed. "I'll be there in a moment," she said and he walked back to his post.

She turned back to Zeke. "I should go," she said reluctantly, trying to prolong having to leave him.

He smiled at her softly, as if he knew how she felt and didn't want her to go either.

"A setting sun still whispers a promise of tomorrow," he quoted to her faintly, staring into her eyes before standing and helping her up as well.

"I had a wonderful evening Zeke, thank you," she said quietly, and sincerely.

He smiled, kissing her hand softly. "As did I."

"Ms. Tatiana," Benji called for her again, a slight urgency to his tone. She sighed, smiling at him apologetically.

"Goodbye, Zeke," she said, gently removing her hand from his grasp and turning away from him.

"Until next time, mon ange," he said softly into the freezing, howling wind as she walked away from him.

***

Zeke

"The hills?" Zeke suggested to his father as they were going through some files. It was later in the evening and they were currently in his father's office, discussing possible hideouts for Tatiana.

As he looked at the various properties they had in the hills, he thought back to the day he had spent with her. How the sun had shown in her hair, the small smile that she always seemed to wear, and the way her emerald green eyes had shined in wonder when he had brought her to the clearing. She was the first person he had ever brought to such a personal place. Not even Bianca knew about it. As he continued to think about the day that they had, Francesco walked in with a grim expression, effectively shattering his daydream of the beautiful day he had.

"There's been an incident in one of the warehouses." Francesco said, walking into their fathers office. "Ivan's down there right now inspecting the damage."

"Casualties?" Father asked, setting down the files he held, folding his fingers under his chin.

"None, but the front of the warehouse was bombed, some craters of snow were damaged and a couple were also stolen. The paintings are all still safe," Francesco answered.

Father sighed, massaging his forehead. "Which warehouse is it?"

"Miami," Francesco said and that was when Zeke started to really worry. Their Miami warehouse had a few of their floor plans for a club they were planning to open up down there. It was going to be a new pick up point for their drugs.

"Check if the vaults were disturbed. Don't let the men know about it, personally see to that matter," father said. Francesco nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

"I guess the hills are out of the question then." Zeke threw the file he held back onto the pile, leaning back and sighing tiredly. The past few days have been absolute chaos. They not only had to deal with their illegal activities but they had to spin a whole story for their board members at Vas and Co., their family company that specialized in shipping crates of products around the world. Because he wasn't a pure Vasiliev, Francesco and Ivanov had to be the ones to deal with the board while he was left to deal with security matters, cartel deals, and keep their mafia business going, and he was thoroughly exhausted.

"I think it's time that you visit your mother," his father said nonchalantly.

Zeke glanced at him sharply. "No," he said firmly. "I refuse to drag my mother into this mess and put her in danger."

"You won't be putting her in danger, moy syn. Dahlia is very capable of taking care of herself and she has multiple properties where you can stay in France. She needn't be there when you are."

He knew he was right. Attacks have been getting more frequent in various states in the country and right now, France would be the safest place he was familiar with to lay low for a few days.

"I don't like this." Zeke pursed his lips in disapproval.

"You don't have to like it. You just have to follow orders.

After pondering over it for a few moments, he finally spoke. "Fine."

"Good. I'll talk to Vincent and inform him of the new arrangement." father said, grabbing the phone. Zeke only nodded before leaving the office and closing the door. He leaned on the door for a few moments, rubbing his temple in exhaustion. He was gonna go up to his bedroom and get some much needed sleep. Just as he was about to straighten up, he heard his father talking to his uncle.

"Yes, he'll be staying with Dahlia... Maybe fly in next week... So you've decided to agree to the Verratti deal?" his father asked, surprised. "That's good to hear." His body stiffened when he heard that his uncle had agreed to the deal as his father continued conversing. When his uncle, Vincent Boucher retired, he was going to take over his famiglia in France since his uncle was incapable of having children of his own. Unfortunately, that meant he had a say in who he was going to marry.

He thought back to Tatiana and the moment they had shared earlier that day.

Fuck, he was screwed.

Translations

French:

mon ange - my angel

"A setting sun still whispers a promise of tomorrow." – Jeff Dickerson

Don't forget to vote and comment! I'd really appreciate it <3