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Ten
Lilia
Thisentiresituationissurreal. In the course of the day, I went from being ecstatic that I was going to show my father I deserved a spot in the leadership of our family, to thinking I could escape, to being given an opportunity to shut down the whole dumpster fire.
I’m not sure what to do, especially since Erik didn’t lock the door. His word is true. He won’t force me to stay. Can I trust him? My solo act bravado could only get me so far.
I’m already questioning myself with the way I wanted him to wrap his arms around me when he said he’d protect me.
“Please don’t leave.” His words are barely audible, hitting me from behind as I stand on the porch, some version of freedom within my grasp.
I point to the trees. “But I could if I wanted to?”
“I’ll drive you if that’s what you want, but you’ll always have to look over your shoulder. Your father’s not going to let you leave that easily.”
“You act like you care, but you asked me to testify against my family. Fabulous plan. Give every single Solonik a reason to hate me.”
“You won’t have to look over your shoulder if you act as an informant.”
“Informant? So it’s official, you’re a cop?” I turn and brace my hands on either side of the doorway. This is quite the bind. Even if I don’t reveal anything, Erik told my father he took me to a safe place. It’s only a matter of time before they find out about him and I’m blacklisted.
“I’m undercover with the FBI. We can offer you witness protection.”
FBI? Even worse, yet better in a way. My head falls back as I laugh. “I’d love to be the one to tell my father he trusted an undercover FBI agent to be my bodyguard. You played him. I love you for that.”
Something in Erik’s eyes goes dark and he steps closer to me, towering over me. Crap. I just said I love him. No, I love his action. I love the way he’s looking at me. God, if only I wasn’t so sexually repressed. Fantasies aren’t enough to keep a girl satisfied. We need things, and with all the monitoring and control, I haven’t been able to buy a vibrator. Oh, what I would give to have a night with a man like Erik.
His Adam’s apple bobs and the muscles in his jaw strain.
I dig my fingers into the edges of the doorway to stop myself from touching him. This remote cabin won’t hide us forever. I have to think of the other women in my family. Is Erik my ticket to saving them, or would they get lost in the chaos?
He steps closer and I take a step back. Having to let go of the doorway, I hold a hand up. “Let me see your badge. How do I know that you’re really undercover and you’re not…a Lazovski.”
“My handler will be here in a few minutes. The moment we put the getaway car into motion, he was on his way here.”
“Your handler?”
“He’s my contact with the FBI.”
“You’re serious? You want me to turn against my family?”
“We have specific questions, and we’re close to making this happen anyway, but if you can fill in some details, it can happen a lot faster. We can bring closure to their criminal activities.”
“And closure to my life.”
“I promise, I will protect you.” His voice drops when he makes this commitment. Protecting me means more than just his work commitment. Or the heat that’s taken over me is melting my brain.
Focus. “What about my relatives who haven’t done anything wrong? Like Katya and Belova?”
“If you cooperate with us, you’ll have a bigger say in those matters. We can be selective. It’s like the drug ring was a highly targeted effort.”
“The Lazovskis did that.” I pry for more information. The tragedy of the drug ring deaths rocked our family. So much loss. The husbands and brothers and uncles, as oppressive as they were, had intricate connections to each of us. The major blow rattled my father and the entire family.
That was my trigger for kidnapping Margot and her baby. A demonstration of retaliation.
“It was a coordinated effort. We leaked information to the Lazovski Pakhan. We knew that if he got wind of major players being in one spot, he wouldn’t be able to resist.”
“I’m impressed. For all I’ve done to fight against my family by getting out, you’re fighting against them by getting in. Which makes you my enemy’s enemy.”
