Page 68 of His Stolen Bride

He looks up at me, eyes sharp. “Promise?”

I don’t hesitate. “Promise.”

He accepts it like he’s been trained to judge adults by follow-through. Then he picks up the engine again and pushes it under the bridge. “It’s your train,” he announces.

Sofia’s mouth twitches, and she looks away so he doesn’t see her smile.

“Mine?” I repeat. “What does my train do?”

He thinks. “It brings stuff.”

“Important stuff?” I say.

“Snacks,” he decides.

I nod once. “Good job.”

He beams, then returns to his work.

I stand, and I keep my voice casual. “Sofia, don’t take him out of this wing today. Not the sitting room, not the play room, not the hall. If he asks, say it’s my rule.”

Sofia’s eyes sharpen. “Something’s moving.”

“Yes,” I say. “And it’s not moving in his direction.”

Oisin hears “rule”, and he looks up. “What rule?”

I crouch again. “New rule. Today is inside day.”

He makes a face. “But I wanted the garden.”

“Tomorrow,” I say, and I keep my tone calm. “Inside today.”

He studies me, then nods once like he’s filing it under “hard rules”. “Okay. I’ll do trains.”

“Good,” I tell him, and I tap his bridge lightly. “Build it strong.”

I leave them there and head downstairs with my phone in my hand, not calling, not texting, just scrolling through a list of names that should not exist in my house.

Luca is already waiting outside my office when I return, posture tight, eyes bright with readiness. Yuri stands two steps back, near the wall, hands behind his back, calm and dangerous. Alexei is the last to arrive, and he has his tablet out like he lives in numbers even when he sleeps.

Enzo closes the door and locks it, then he takes position by the wall without speaking.

I set the message on the desk, and I don’t sit.

“Vladimir made contact,” I say. “He used a cutout, he delivered in public, and he addressed Alina directly.”

Luca’s jaw tightens. “He knows she’s here.”

“He knows the boy exists,” I add, and I watch Alexei’s face tighten before he smooths it out.

Yuri’s voice stays even. “That info came from inside.”

“Yes,” I say. “That’s why you’re here.”

I slide my laptop around so they can see the access logs, then I point at the list of entries. “These are camera pulls and file views related to the east wing and vehicle schedules. This is from the last forty-eight hours.”

Alexei leans in, eyes scanning. “That’s too many.”