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I hit the button one more time and drifted off to sleep, wanting away from him just as much as I wanted away from the pain.
I wasn’t sure how long I slept, but the next time I became aware of my surroundings, it was to fierce whispering. “We have to get her away from here,” a quiet female voice was saying, and I lifted my lashes to see who it was.
The lighting was even dimmer than it had been earlier, and I quickly realized that was because it was dark outside now. Theo stood by the window, his father on one side of him and a woman with dark hair I vaguely remembered as his aunt on the other.
“If she goes, I go,” Theo told her, a determined look I knew well on his face. “I’m not leaving her alone. Not now.”
His father muttered something savage in Russian I didn’t understand before finally blowing out a harsh exhale and nodding. “Okay. And just where do you plan on taking her?”
“You know where I’m taking her,” Theo told him with a neutral expression, his thickly muscled arms crossed over his chest.
“It makes sense,” his aunt said, tilting her head to the side. “Few people know our connection to them. Ciro made sure of that. Other than using them for protection for certain cargo hauls, we don’t often have business with them. And those are some scary motherfuckers. Petrov would think twice before stepping into their territory.”
“It’s decided, then. And we do not tell your mom and sister about any of this.” Adrian Volkov looked hard at the two of them. “I mean it, Anya. Not a single detail is to be shared with either Victoria or Sofia.”
“I heard you,” she told him with a roll of her eyes. “But I will have to tell Cristiano. There’s no getting past that.”
“Just make sure he knows not to discuss it with my wife, and I don’t care.” He put a hand on Theo’s shoulders. “We have your back, son. Remember that. Tavia is like family to us.”
Theo nodded grimly, and Adrian stepped back, dropping his hands to his sides. “I’ll make the arrangements to have her transported to the airport. Anya, have one of the Vitucci jets ready for takeoff within the hour.”
“Already on it,” she assured him. I watched through my lashes as she hugged Theo, heard the faint whisper as she spoke something into his ear and stepped back. “I’m only a phone call away. No matter the time, no matter what I’m doing, I will drop everything for you. Stay safe. Watch your back. And trust no one but the Hannigans.”
“I know, Tetka.”
“And try to steer any trouble away from Nova, or Ryan will be pissed.” She grinned and patted him on the jaw. “I would hate for my son to kill my favorite nephew.”
Theo grinned for a second, but it quickly dropped. “I will ensure Nova’s safety. It’s not my plan to put any of them at risk, Tetka. Not Nova or Lexa or anyone else. I only want to keep Tavia safe.”
“I know, and I trust your judgment.” She turned to go. “And by the way, your girl is awake. Has been f
or the last few minutes. You might want to start explaining before she freaks out.”
I stiffened, my eyes snapping open wide. I hadn’t made a sound since I’d woken up, and she hadn’t even glanced my way. How could she possibly know I was awake?
I was still trying to figure that out as the door closed behind her and Theo crossed to sit beside my bed once again. “We have to talk, krasotka,” he said in that tender voice I’d always loved.
“What’s going on? I don’t understand anything, Theo.”
Sighing heavily, he lifted my hand and kissed my palm. Warmth flooded up my arm, going straight to my heart and then spreading outward. “A lot of things have come to light while you were sleeping. I know it must have been a shock to learn that Viktor Petrov was your father. I’m sure his men were just as floored to learn the news. But they must have also known who your mother was, because they were aiming directly for you. Which is why we have to get you out of here as quickly and as quietly as possible.”
My head was starting to ache from everything he was throwing at me, and I didn’t understand a word of it. “What does my mother have to do with any of this? I don’t even know who she was.”
“In my world, everyone has enemies, Tavia. Everyone. Viktor had more than most, me included. But there is one family in particular that Petrov and his brother have always vowed to destroy down to the last drop of blood. No one had thought much of the feud between Petrov and Bykov because as far as anyone knew, there was no one left in the Bykov line. My uncle did some digging and found out that your birth mother was Irena Bykov.” He paused as if waiting for that to sink in, but the drugs still must have been going strong because my head felt foggy.
I lay there just looking at him, not sure what he expected me to do. None of those names meant anything to me. So what that Irena Bykov was my mother? She was dead, and I didn’t even remember the woman. She was a faceless shadow to me.
“Tavia, Viktor’s brother wants you dead.” Theo’s handsome, masculine face tensed even more as he spoke those words, making my stomach knot. “For no other reason than who your mother was. Everyone thought there was no more Bykov blood left, but now it seems there is. You. Why Viktor let you live when he first found out about your existence is anyone’s guess, but his brother, Adas Petrov, won’t be so generous. We have to get you away from here until the bastard has been dealt with.”
“Okay,” I whispered, feeling weak and helpless and in complete agony from the pain in my abdomen. What choice did I really have anyway? It seemed like Theo was totally in charge of everything, including my life.
Someone wanted to kill me, and I couldn’t trust anyone, not even the man sitting beside me. Yet, I had no one else to help me. No one else who cared if I lived or died.
At least, with Theo, I might stand a slight chance.
Chapter 7
Theo
