Page 58 of Gilded in Blood

The danger around Milana is growing. Michael’s people aren’t playing games anymore. They’re ready to take her, torture her, and use her as a weapon.

And for the first time in my life, the idea of completing the mission, of handing her over, of letting her get hurt, makes me feel physically sick.

I don’t know how the hell I’m going to get out without destroying us both.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Milana

I’m sitting on the edge of my bed, legs tucked under me, staring up at the darkening sky through the ceiling window when my phone rings.

It’s Mikhail.

I answer smiling. “Hey.”

“Hey, little sister. How are you doing?” His voice is warm but tired, the way it always gets when things are stressful.

“I’m fine,” I say, my smile widening even though he can’t see it. “Just had dinner and getting ready for bed. How are things over there?”

He sighs. “We’re still working on getting this Michael bastard out of the way. It’s taking longer than we’d like, but we’re making progress.”

I nod even though he can’t see me. “And Kira? Irina? How are they?”

“They’re okay. They both miss you.”

My voice turns wistful. “I miss them too.”

“The pregnancies are making the whole lockdown harder. Kira wants to leave every five minutes, and Irina’s convinced every little ache means something’s wrong with the baby, even though the doctor staying with them keeps assuring her everything is fine.”

I can hear the strain in his voice. Over the years, I’ve watched my brother and his wife grow incredibly close. Being separated from his pregnant wife right now must be hell for him.

“Now I wish I had gone to be with them,” I say softly.

“No.” His answer is immediate. “This is safer. If one location is compromised, the others aren’t. Keeping all of you together only gives Michael a bigger target.”

“I guess you have a point.”

“How are you holding up? Is Ilya treating you well?”

“Yeah,” I answer quickly. “He is.”

I go on to tell him what living here has been like. I tell him about living here, about the routines I’ve settled into, but conveniently omit the fact that we’ve been sleeping together.

My brothers would lose their minds if they knew I was fucking the man they assigned to protect me.

I hesitate for a second, then decide to test the waters carefully.

“How well do you guys know Ilya?”

There’s a short pause on the other end. “Well enough. He’s a well-trusted ally of Konstantin. Works closely with him on certain matters. Why? Is something wrong? Did he do something to you?”

“No, no,” I say quickly, keeping my voice light. “Nothing’s wrong. I just… I’m spending all my waking and sleeping hours with him. I’d like to know more about the man I’m stuck with. He’s not exactly the chatty type, as you already know.”

Mikhail chuckles, the tension easing a little. “Yeah, that’s true. He’s never been one for small talk. It's one of the reasons we chose him. But he’s good at what he does. You’re safe with him.”

I hum. “So he's good friends with Konstantin then?”

“Yeah. Like you already know, we were supposed to send Konstantin to bring you back safely when we heard about Michael’s plan to attack. But at the last minute, Konstantin couldn’t leave.