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T
he funeral was a grand affair, with the foyer of the enormous mansion that had been Aleksandar’s home in America packed with mourners. Many were from the former ghetto and were now living in the four towers Üstrel Corporation had constructed. The entire volunteer staff at the four soup kitchens Aleksandar had favoured had come as well. The man from the Swedish Deli Stoyan frequented was there, with his family. Meaghan had also arrived, braving the media frenzy at the gate of the estate to pay her respects to her former employer, to Stoyan and the five private security guards who were killed trying to protect them.
Lucan moved through the crowd, ensuring the mourners were well taken care of as they murmured quietly to each other.
Standing by a photograph of Aleksandar, which had been festooned with gifts of flowers and trinkets, Brendon munched mindlessly on a finger sandwich, listening to the low hum of quiet chatter as he stared at the photo. In his hand he held the papers given to him at the reading of the will earlier that morning. He had, at Aleksandar’s request, been given the funds he needed to attend any university anywhere he chose. They were in a trust account, the control of which was given over to Alicia Wilde, who had invited Brendon to stay with her.
Not wanting to be constantly surrounded by reminders of the two father figures he had lost, Brendon had jumped at the chance. He trusted Alicia. He could cope with the smaller house and the tiny bedroom on offer. He didn’t want to get too used to luxury, in any case. Aleksandar had died saving a lot of people. Brendon had decided that was the example to live by. He was going to be a detective, like Alicia was now, and save people.
“Ready, kid?” Alicia asked, appearing at Brendon’s side and pulling him back from his thoughts with a jolt.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m ready.” Brendon smiled at Alicia and followed her to the door where Dmitri stood, greeting guests as they arrived and thanking those who were departing.
“Detective Wilde,” Dmitri said, taking Alicia’s hand and kissing it lightly.
“Alicia,” Alicia corrected him. “Lucan tells me you were elected recently to head the Üstrel Corporation.”
Dmitri grimaced. “I was,” he said. He sighed and looked over the crowd. “So many to protect. I don’t know how Aleksandar managed it.”
Alicia smiled. “You’ll do,” she said.
Dmitri grunted. He turned to Brendon and offered him a hand, which Brendon took. “You both made Aleksandar happier than I thought he was capable of being, you know. Thank you. We were fond of him. It was good to see him happy.”
“While it lasted,” Alicia murmured.
“That is life,” Dmitri replied. “Nothing lasts.”
“Good luck, Mr...”
“Zograf,” Dmitri said. “In honour of the family that gave us our greatest prince.”
Smiling, Alicia took Brendon by the shoulders and led him outside. As they walked to the car, the overcast sky cleared, streaming warm sunlight over the driveway. Brendon and Alicia both stopped. They turned their faces towards the light and closed their eyes, letting the warmth spread over them. The breech in the clouds lasted several minutes, before the light vanished again.
Alicia turned to Brendon.
“Come on, then. Let’s get you home.”
