Nika reads in silence, pouring over every word in the journals.
Every now and then, she repeats a few lines out loud. Her heart audibly breaks a little more each time.
I definitely can’t kill her now. Not because of how I feel, but because she’s not our enemy.
Dimitri is.
Instead, I’ll protect her. From everyone. Even Roman, if necessary. He’ll surely forgive me for disobeying orders.
My gut twists at the thin possibility that he won’t. He could declare me a traitor. I’m banking on his love for his daughter winning out, but that’s going to be a tough conversation to have.
Nika’s still invested in her reading, so I get up to feed the fire and gaze into the flames.
The decision to become her protector settles in my bones.
I head to the kitchen, grab two frozen meals, and pop them in the microwave. While that’s whirring, I reach into the back of the freezer and pull out the satellite phone I found and hid there.
I punch in a memorized number and wait.
“Hello.” No hint of emotion laces Alexei Kozlov’s tone. No accent. Nothing gives him away to whoever might be dialing this unknown number. As the head of the enforcers, he gets calls like this all the time.
“It’s me.” I don’t bother to alter my voice. He’ll recognize it. “I know it’s been a while since I checked in, but I have her. It’s complicated. Going dark.”
Alexei grunts on the other end of the line. “Understood. You have free reign. He only wants his daughter safe, so don’t hurt her if you can help it. Update when you can.”
The absolute faith in his words sets me back on my heels. From Roman, I could understand, but Alexei… I didn’t think I’d earned that from him yet. I don’t have the bandwidth to tell him I know who killed his brother. That’s an in-person conversation.
“Khorosho.” I end the call and pocket the phone.
Only then do I realize Roman is trusting me with the one thing he loves most in the world. The shattered remains of his family. So why allow me to make the decisions?
Because he doesn’t trust himself after everything he’s done for the last year?
Free reign means I have no lead. And after telling Alexei I’m going dark, no one will try to reach out.
I’m no longer Roman’s dog. No longer the weapon that doesn’t question or hesitate.
Now I’m Nika’s shield.
Chapter 32
Nika
Max walks back into the main room carrying two trays of steaming food.
I didn’t even notice he was missing.
My mind has been so wrapped up in all the truths I’ve uncovered, in dismantling the pile of lies my life is built on.
The journals lie scattered across my lap and the coffee table. Leather and paper carry the weight of fifteen years of deception, all in beautiful handwriting.
I can’t stop trembling. “I trusted him with my life.”
Max sits beside me and uses his forearm to shove the journals to the floor with the same careless efficiency he ransacked my bookshelves with.
He sets one tray in front of me on the coffee table. “And he knows it. He thinks you still do. Let’s use that.”
The simple words shake me out of the angry loop I’ve been stuck in. “How?” I narrow my eyes, wondering if he’s going to try to take over now. Max has his own agenda, too, though I’m no longer sure what it is.
