Page 242 of Lethal Obsession

I meet his eye, expecting his customary mask to fall immediately.

Instead I find pain swimming close to the surface, dark but somehow calm, too.

“It’s difficult to imagine getting married without him at my side.” He takes a deep, slightly ragged breath. “But I also know what he’d say if he were here, because he’s been saying it in my head for weeks. He’d tell me not to waste a single fucking day waiting for a future that might never happen.” Pain, raw and sharp, crosses his face, and he breathes deep again.

But he doesn’t try to hide it. And that alone makes my heart sing.

“I don’t even want to think about a future where he doesn’t wake up.” His voice is rough and uneven. “And I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything worse than him lying on that fucking bed.” His composure cracks, and it takes a moment before he regains it.

I don’t try to touch him or offer comfort. I know that any hint of sympathy would only make this harder.

“But then I saw Benny.” He frowns. “And I realized that whatever I might feel right now pales against what he’s facing. Lars is the love of his fucking life.” His mouth tightens. “And I’m pretty sure Benny is the love of Lars’s life too,” he says quietly. “Even if that wasn’t always the case.” He glances sideways at me, and this time I do slide my hand over his.

“I think you’re right.” I kiss his cheek softly. “And I can’t imagine how hard it must be for Benny, facing a future where love is taken away before it even begins.”

Alexei covers my hand with his other one. “Yes, you can,” he says quietly. “We can both imagine that, only too well. Which is exactly why I don’t want to waste another moment—and why I know Lars would feel the same way.”

“Okay, then.” I nod slowly as we hear Darya and Masha coming out with the food. “So one week it is, then?”

He nods. “But there’s one more thing we need to discuss. And if it’s okay, I want to wait until Darya is here.”

“Sure.”

I light the candles on the table and help bring the rest of the meal out. We pour wine, and Masha mixes soda with hers, screwing up her face when she tastes it.

“Prefiero tinto de verano,” she announces disdainfully. “This, it is too harsh for me.”

“Wine preferences already?” Alexei grins. “Only a trueborn Spaniard.”

“Si, claro.” Masha lifts her shoulder, not bothering to deny it. “Soy una chica española.”

“Yes, you are, darling.” Darya, laughing, kisses her head. “A true Spanish girl, indeed.”

We eat companionably. “Savor the peace,” Darya tells me dryly. “For very soon, chaos will descend.”

“Speaking of chaos.” Alexei sits back, eyeing his sister speculatively. “We’ve all had a lot of it over the years.”

Her head snaps up, her eyes narrowing. She’s clearly nervous about what he’s about to say. “This probably isn’t the time, Alexei—”

“Relax, Dar.” He gives her a reassuring smile. “I’m not about to go sharing chaos stories. But I do have a question. I’ve already spoken to Papa, and he’s given his consent, but I wanted to talk to you.”

Looking rather taken aback, she nods.

Alexei nudges Masha, who of course is sitting beside him. “And I know how much you hate secrets, myshka,” he says gently. “So I thought you should hear this, too.”

Masha nods like she’s granting him a favor. “Gracias,” she says solemnly.

“After Miami, the name Alexei Petrovsky has a lot of targets on it, from law enforcement to a variety of criminal organizations. I’m going to need to change my name.”

That makes me look at him, too.

“Thing is,” he goes on, “since Ofelia and I are about to get married, I’d rather not have her take a name that doesn’t mean anything to either of us. The other side of the coin, of course, is that Petrovsky was never our family name anyway, just the one that happened to be on the false documents Papa used when he came to America.”

Darya’s eyes widen. “Oh,” she says softly.

I give Alexei a quizzical look.

He takes my hand. “I want to take my original family name,” he says quietly. “If you agree.”