Chapter 20 Nor should you , he promptly agrees . Anatoly With a single snap of his fingers , two burly bodyguards emerge at my door . Now , Im speechless . Whoever this Grisha guy is , hes like the fairy godmother of mobsters . The fairy Godfather , if you will Without a word , the two henchmen begin to cart down my belongings : four boxes , three bags , two suitcases . All thats missing is the partridge in the pear tree . Speaking of , I make my way over to Buttons . Behave while Im gone , I tell him sternly , looking him straight in his only remaining eye . No more playing Tarzan with the curtains . Or my skirts , June adds . Or Junes skirts . Buttons doesnt give me any sign of life . Not that I expected differently : ever since he turned ten , hes become the laziest couch potato in history . He offers me a slow blink and curls back up on the cushions . Then , just in case hes gotten into trouble , he starts purring . You big , fat ruffian . Im gonna miss you , too . Thank you , I say , turning to June . For looking after him . June rolls her eyes , but theres a smile on her face . What was I gonna do , feed him to the wolves ? To the subway rats , maybe . Theyve gotten bigger than him , havent they ? Speaking of transportation , I whirl around , addressing Grisha this time . Our cars still in the hospital parking lot . I dont suppose you could … ? put my people on it , he assures me . I try to give him the keys , but hes already gone . Relax , June says , picking up the keys from my palm . I think the Bratva can handle recovering a Honda Civic . Theyre gonna hotwire it , arent they ? You know theyre gonna . I slump on the couch , sighing , as June adds , Besides that guy looks like he knows what hes doing . I catch her trying to ogle Grisha , whos making a call on the balcony . My An Chapter 20 June . June , no . Absolutely not . What ? she says defensively . He aint bad to look at . Thats what I said last time I met a Russian mobster ! I point out , flailing my arms . Look where that got me ! It got you this Nugget right here , June coos , making kissy faces at my belly . Didnt it ? Stop that . Whos a good Nugget ? Thats for dogs , June . She shrugs . Then , in a rare moment of seriousness , she asks , You know you can come back anytime , right ? I know why shes saying this . Why shes going through the trouble of spelling it out for me . For the longest time , I didnt have a home to return to . None that actually wanted me , anyway . I know , I murmur , feeling myself smile despite everything . Its Junes superpower : making me forget that Im in deep shit by jumping in right after me . Thanks , Jay . I love you . Love you too , Apes . Its pathetic two grown women trying not to break down into ugly sobs . Hold on til May , she whispers into my hair . Promise me . Its our secret mantra . Since were April and June , May is whenever were together . Its family and its the family we chose . No one else . I promise , I croak . Good , June says briskly , freeing me from the hug and scrambling for the kitchen . If shes trying to dry her eyes unseen , shes doing a poor job on the unseen part . But fuck it , so am I. Grisha appears from the balcony . Everythings ready , Ms. Flowers , he declares . After you . I give Buttons one last kiss on the head . Then I give Junes hand one last squeeze . Tell Baby Daddy Dearest to sleep with one eye open , June warns , a bit to me and a bit , terrifyingly , to Grisha . If he tries anything , Ill know . Please dont tell him that , I murmur to Grisha on our way down . 21:40 My Atonement . The Death of His Fur 20.1 % Chapter 20 Grisha gives a hearty chuckle . I dont think hed mind , Ms. The more people in your corner , the better . Right ? Sight . I mutter , wondering about those words : in my corner . Is Matvey in my corner ? Or is the baby all he wants from me ? Believe it or not . Im not a monster . Thats what he told me . He meant it I think . But I dont know if I believe him quite yet . From the car . I turn to look one last time at the home Im leaving behind . A temporary change , nothing more . So why does it feel so damn permanent ? Please . Grisha says , swiping the keycard to the penthouse and holding the door for me . Make yourself at home . Thank you . I didnt truly get a chance to look around before . I do now , taking in whats going to be my new home for the next few weeks ? Months ? I dont dare think years . Im not sure my heart could take it . The place is well , its a luxury hotel penthouse . That alone sets it apart from any apartment Ive ever seen . When I first went house hunting with June , two eighteen year old girls with pennies to our names , the nicest place we could afford was our current one bedroom in Brooklyn and even then , it took months ( and the adoption of a one eyed cat ) to chase out the rats . Chapter 21 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!