He peers into my eyes so I can see the truth relayed in his. “I’ve been working alongside the FBI the past six years.”
“You’ve been workingundercoverin the Popov compound for six years?” I ask through the bile sitting in the back of my throat.
I feel sick. My stomach is twisting so badly, I feel physically ill. When I attempt to scamper off Rico’s lap, he holds on tight, refusing to let me go.
“You lied to me. This whole time you’ve been lying to me?”
I’m stuck halfway between angry and grateful. Angry he never told me. Grateful he can tell me now.
I freeze and gasp in a quick breath. “Is Vladimir even your father?”
Rico places both of his hands on the edge of my jaw and glances into my eyes. Just seeing the torment in his gaze dampens the anger raging in my stomach. Only he can change my moods more quickly than he can convert from day to night.
“Everything you witnessed and heard about my life is true, Blaire. I’ve never lied to you. I'm Vladimir’s son. His firstborn son. I may have been raised by a monster, but I'm not a monster myself. You know this, as you know the real me.”
My brows stitch. “You’ve said that to me before, haven’t you?”
The corner of his lips tugs high before he nods. “Yes, the night we got married. I told you every detail about my life.Everything.”
My mouth falls open. “I’ve known the entire time you’re an FBI agent?”
His eyes dance between mine. “I’m not an agent. . . more of anassociate.” His expression is as unsure as his words.
I take a few moments to let the information be absorbed by my exhausted brain. The silence only creates more questions in my already overworked mind.
“Why did you wait so long? Why didn’t you fake your death years ago?”
“After you were attacked in the alleyway ten years ago, my life changed in an instant. I wanted to be a better man,” Rico replies before lifting and locking his dark eyes with me. “I wanted to be a better man for you. But Vladimir is very cautious; he knew he was being watched. The FBI has been undercover in the compound for years, but they had nothing on him. The information I obtained on him the past two years alone outweighs the last forty years of undercover work. I did more good from inside the compound than I ever could have from the outside because he never thought to suspect his own son.”
He runs the back of his fingers along my cheeks to gather my tears before dropping them to the curve of my mouth. The wetness of my tears relieves the dryness of my lips.
“I requested to leave when you were attacked in the servants’ quarters, but the FBI wouldn’t let me go. They needed more intel on Vladimir. That’s what I did during our separation. I gathered as much evidence on Vladimir as I could.”
His jaw gains a tick as he draws me in closer. He holds onto me like I'm truly the most valuable thing in his life. “When you got shot, and you told me about our baby, I knew I would never return to the Popov compound. I told Erik he either had to get me out or I’d find my own way out.”
“How did Erik handle that?” I query, my rickety words unable to hide the mad beat of my heart.
Rico smirks. “Not very well, but he soon saw the benefit of it. My death means Erik is now ranked number three in the Popov empire. That's the deepest the FBI has infiltrated the compound.”
“Except you,” I mumble.
His smile enlarges. He looks part cocky, part smug.
After swallowing down the harsh bitterness in the back of my throat, I ask the one question my heart wants immediately answered, “Oskana? What happened to her?”
His thighs tense beneath me as he clears his throat. “I had every intention of bringing her in. She killed herself before I had the chance.”
He stares into my eyes, ensuring I can see the truth conveyed by them. He's being honest. I inwardly sigh. My heart knew he could never harm a woman. His soul is too beautiful to harbor a monster.
“Oskana knew her fate.”
Rico nods. “She didn’t know life outside the Popov compound. It was her entire world.”
“Do you?” I interrupt. “Know life outside the Popov empire?”
“Yes,” he replies without a pause for consideration. He connects his eyes with mine. “Especially when I’m with you.”
His comment eases some of the nicks my heart has been beaten with the past three months. Don’t construe my statement the wrong way; my heart still has a lot of healing to do, but I can see that process will be a whole lot easier now.
