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“Yes, but he didn’t tell me who had the codes or how I would ever find them.”
My mind trips back to the letter Taras got from Val with a bunch of numbers on it, and the ring that his fiancée Alexis wears with a different set of numbers engraved on the inside of the band. News of the codes didn’t come out until after Emil was killed. At that point, Luka shared everything with the rest of us. But we’re still missing a piece of the puzzle.
Could Larysa have what Alek and Val have been searching for all this time?
But before I can press her for details, she presses her fingertips to her temples, her face a mask of pain and defeat.
“I don’t know what this all means but I can’t be part of it anymore. I don’t care what’s in the box or why they wanted it. I won’t put my daughter at risk for another second. I could have lost my entire family today.” Her voice breaks, eyes shiny.
“The people who want what’s in that box won’t stop because Adrian is dead. He has a brother and—”
“Are you hearing me?” I recoil at the sharp edge to her voice and the glare that follows. “I don’t care. I am done — with all of it.”
“You’re making a decision that can hurt you and Daniela.”
“Like you give a damn? You choseyourfamily today. You let Adrian take me because you wantedyouranswers. So why the hell do you care about the decisions I make about my life? Clearly, we have different goals. Mine is two-fold — stay alive for my daughter and not be treated like crap by a guy who has the emotional intelligence of a speck of dirt.”
“I came for you. I put a tracker in your back pocket before he took you so I’d know exactly where you were.”
“You didn’t know what Adrian wanted or if he was going to kill me and dump me off somewhere.” Tears flood her eyes. “You made it clear that your objective was to find the person who was behind these attacks, the one who killed your mother. And that’s fine, Danil. I get it. I’d do anything to protect my family, too.”
“I knew Adrian wasn’t going to kill you. You had something he wanted. He wouldn’t have jeopardized that. I was never gonna let you get on that plane.” My voice tightens, knotted with emotions that I never gave a chance to breathe. Ironically, they’re what’s choking me right now.
“You still made a choice.” Her voice drops to an exhausted whisper. “And I can’t compete with your obligations.”
“There’s no competition.” I lean closer, but she keeps her focus on the panted white wall. “Please look at me.”
“And see absolutely nothing?” she whispers. “This whole week I’ve opened up to you and you’ve slammed the door in my face every single time, shielding whatever is going on in your heart and your head. You cast me aside, ignored my attempts to connect with you other than when you wanted to sleep with me. I’m not a yo-yo. I want to be with someone who wants me as much as I want him, all the time, not just when he’s looking to get off. I want someone who has my back, always. Someone who puts me first.”
“And I know I am so fucking stupid for not letting you know how I really feel.” I gently cup her chin in my hand. “I tried hard to keep you away because I was afraid I couldn’t give you what you needed, what you deserved.”
“You were right.” She turns to look at me, her eyes pooling with tears. One slips out and slides down her cheek. I use my thumb to wipe it away.
“I want you, Larysa. More than anything. I made mistakes, and I’m so sorry for everything I put you through. Give me another chance. Giveusa chance. We have a daughter. Don’t we owe it to her and to ourselves to make this work?” My heart whips around in my chest, pummeling the sides of my ribcage. “I love you.”
She stares at me for what feels like the longest minute of my life, her expression completely unchanged even after those three words hit the air, the first time I’ve ever spoken them to someone who isn’t my family.
“I know what we have, Danil. I also know what I stand to lose if I get involved with you.”
My throat tightens.
“And I appreciate you telling me how you feel because I’m sure it was really hard for you.” Her voice cracks. “But the words just aren’t enough.”
Chapter38
Larysa
Hadeon lets out a low whistle as we round the turn that leads to the private cul-de-sac. “Damn, this is it?”
“Yeah. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I stare ahead at the tall, stucco mansion with the decorative archways and Spanish tiled roof. And then my eyes betray me when they scan the road for any glimpse of Danil’s obnoxious red sports car...the one he used as a getaway car the night he kidnapped us.
But there’s not a splash of red anywhere in sight.
My shoulders slump the slightest bit.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise. I made it clear to him before he left the hospital yesterday that I wanted Tori’s number so I could coordinate a time to pick up Daniela before heading back to New York. But I guess a tiny part of me hoped he’d be here anyway, especially since sending him away shredded what was left of my heart.
“Mafia money, remember it? It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that kind of cash.” Petro groans from the backseat. “Fuck, my ribs.”
