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“It would be good to keep her close.” I kiss her knuckles. “We can come back to that idea. Just sit with it for now. See how it feels.”
“What about boy names?” she presses. “Do you think you’d like to name our son Maksim?”
I hesitate, trying the name on for size. It takes me only a few seconds to make up my mind. “There have already been two Maksims in two generations. I think that’s enough.”
“Okay.” She looks at me and shakes her head. “Sometimes, I can’t believe this is really happening.”
“Which part?”
“All of it,” she says. “You, mostly. I mean, everything with Anthony was a fight. I should count myself lucky I never got pregnant with him. We never would have settled on a name. But things with you are so easy.”
“Minus the enemies and living under constant security, right?”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, besides that. But even with all of that, I’ve never felt safer with anyone else in my entire life.”
The weight of her faith settles on my shoulders. It’s heavier than I expected. Another reminder of everything I stand to lose if things with the Ivanovs don’t end the way I hope they will.
She runs her hand over my forehead and down my nose, forcing my gaze to hers. “You’re worried about the situation with Petyr, aren’t you?”
It’s weird to know that she can look at my face and know exactly what I’m thinking. It’s not as intrusive as I expect, though. I feel more understood than I do exposed.
“The Babai are picking off his men in droves. That’s got to be getting to him, but he still hasn’t surfaced.”
“Why would he? He knows you’re waiting for him.”
“That’s exactly it—he seems to know where and when I’m waiting for him, too. Every time we get a tip and we blow the place up, there’s no Petyr in the ashes. Almost like… almost like he knows too much. Like someone is telling him—but no, no.” I shake my head in frustration. “No, there’s no way. The only people who know my plans are Konstantin and you.”
“And the Babai,” Paige suggests.
“The Babai have a code. They’d never betray it. Konstantin would sooner than betray me. And you? I don’t let you out of my sight long enough for you to be a rat.”
She giggles as I kiss the sensitive spot of her neck for a moment before pushing me away. “I don’t know this world nearly as well as you do. If you think you can trust these men, then I won’t question it. Because I trust you.”
62
MISHA
It’s early when I walk out onto the cabin porch. Steam from my coffee swirls into the damp morning air. Mist hangs low over the trees, blotting out the rest of the world.
I could get used to this.
I’m making my way to the porch swing when I see the paper at the foot of the steps. At first, I want to say it’s a piece of trash that was caught in the wind, blown here for no particular reason at all. But the white square is pristine and perfectly placed.
Not an accident.
I put my coffee mug down and go down to examine the paper. It’s an envelope.
“Fuck.”
I tap the envelope on the porch to see if any dust or debris that falls loose. Anything that could signal a threat. I wave my hand near it, wafting air towards me to see if there is any smell.
No dust. No scent. It seems safe, as far as I can tell, so I grab a twig from the ground and break the seal. Immediately, I see a corner of a glossy photograph, and my heart thumps dangerously.
I slide the photo free.
It’s immediately obvious what it is. My body knows the truth even before my mind does. My skin flushes; my pulse swoons; sweat breaks out at my temples. It’s as if I’m under attack from the inside out. Every cell rebelling, screaming, sayingNo, no, no!
The photograph shows Paige in profile, the swell of her stomach visible against the backdrop of lush green. She’s standing next to the pool of water we dove into yesterday. I’m behind her, smiling and oblivious. I look so fuckinghappy,goddammit. Happier than I’ve ever been in my entire miserable life. I’m only realizing now how foolish that was—because this photograph, this envelope, it can only mean one thing.
