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“Probably.” I squeeze her thigh again, opting for a neutral tone. She doesn’t need to doubt my abilities to keep her safe. That’s the last thing I want. “But it’s going to be okay. You’re with me now.”
“I just keep thinking about it.” She shakes her head, silent tears splashing against her cheeks. “What if we were there, Lev? What would they have done to us?”
“You weren’t there.” My fingers tighten on the steering wheel. “And they aren’t going to do anything to you. I will keep you safe, sweetheart. Even if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
My ominous words don’t seem to bring her any comfort. Kat curls into herself, wiping away her tears and distracting herself with the passing scenery.
“I just can’t believe this is my life,” she murmurs, so quietly I almost don’t hear her.
I know what she means. If she hadn’t gotten mixed up with me, this wouldn’t be happening right now. And a part of me wishes she hadn’t. But yet another part of me selfishly doesn’t give a fuck. Because she’s mine now, and regardless of the impending storm ahead, I intend to keep it that way.
“Everything will be okay. You’ll see.”
We fall into a tense silence while I navigate the two-hour drive to Cheyenne. Josh does surprisingly well for the duration of the trip, napping for most of it. Kat starts to doze off but wakes up just as we cross the border into Wyoming, and her nerves return when I eventually park the SUV at Sloan Airport.
“This is a small airport,” she observes. “Are we actually flying out of here?”
“Yes.” I shoot off a quick text to Alexei and receive confirmation within a minute. When I get out to grab the bags, it isn’t long before Kostya appears to greet us.
“Levka.” He holds out his hand in offer, and I shake it. “It is nice to meet you in person. Lyoshenka has told me many stories over the years.”
“Good, I hope?” I grin at him.
“Eh.” His lips tilt up at the corners. “They can’t all be good in this big family of ours, can they? Now, let me help you with your bags. I’ll show your family to the plane.”
I thank him and offload the bags before walking around to meet Kat as she’s taking Josh’s seat out of the car.
“I can carry him,” she says as I hoist him up into my arms.
“I know you can.” I swat her on the ass. “But so can I.”
She narrows her eyes at me, and Kostya interjects, insisting on carrying the car seat as well. After I lock the SUV, he leads us out onto the secure airstrip and to our waiting plane.
Kat’s eyes widen, and she jerks her neck up to look at me.
“Is that for us?”
“The plane!” Josh squeals. “We’re going on a plane!”
“That would be the one.”
“A private jet?” she frowns. “How is this even possible?”
“I had to call in a few favors,” I admit. And dump a lot of cash, but she doesn’t need to know that part. Lucky for me, Alexei is well connected.
“Hello, Lev.” Pavel, the pilot, greets us from the stairway.
“Afternoon, Pavel. Thank you for flying us today.”
“It is no problem.” He shakes his head. “Whatever Lyoshenka asks, I will do. I owe him a great deal.”
I nod, and he gestures for us to board.
“Come, let’s get your family settled in, yes?”
He helps Kat up the stairs, and I follow with Josh. The benefits of a private jet are no security lines and a much quicker process than commercial. Within minutes, we are loaded onto the plane and secured for takeoff.
Josh squeals with excitement as the engine rumbles to life. Despite Kat’s nerves, I catch her smiling more than a few times as she watches our son experience his first flight. It’s an occasion I wish was under better circumstances.
The reality is, once we get to Philly, everything will change. There will be no more carefree moments like this. Not until I have executed my exit strategy with Alexei’s help. This could take time, and still involve many risks. Vasily is always temperamental, but lately, he has been a loose cannon. Keeping Kat and Josh safe while appeasing him will be the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced. But as I study their faces, committing them to memory at this moment just as they are, I know it will be worth every bit of pain I may endure.
* * *
We touch down in Baltimore just after midnight. Josh is fast asleep, exhausted from our big adventure of the day, and Kat looks well on her way too. But she is nervous as I load them into the waiting SUV that Alexei organized for us. She seems aware of my own tension as we hit the freeway and make the two-hour drive back to Philly.
