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“What about inside?” asks Anton.
I nod my head. “Women. Have them pretend to be civilians. Scrubs would be ideal, but people might ask them questions.” I pause. “Call Rurik and make sure he’s armed. You two leave and get some rest.”
My gaze returns to Eden, and looking away is impossible. The stress of the night finally claims me. I sit down heavily in the chair and stare at her motionless body under the covers. At the soft curves I want to hold close more than ever. I place my hand over her stomach and silently beg whoever might be listening, “Please. Please. Please.”
Emotions flood back into me like water breaching a dam, and I cover my face with my hand.
Pavel and Anton are awkwardly silent until Pavel speaks. “We’ll wait outside until Rurik comes.”
“If you see Zakhar, tell me immediately.” I nod, taking my hand away and letting out a ragged sigh. “I want him all for myself.”
My eyes grow heavy,and I don’t realize that I’ve been asleep until I wake up. The sound of voices rouses me, making me instantly alert. My eyes flutter open, and I see Rurik first, guarding the door. Despite the trendy jeans and the baggy sweatshirt, his appearance is not that of a civilian. No matter how he dresses, he looks solidly Bratva. But I’m glad to see him.
But across from me, Larissa sits. Her thick dark hair is concealed under a Yankees baseball cap, and her eyes hide behind a pair of sunglasses. But I know they’re looking at me with a familiar fury.
“Kolya.” She removes the sunglasses to take a better look at me, and her expression battles between sympathy for my exhausted state and blaming me. “What have you done?”
“There was a text,” I start to explain.Stay strong, sweetheart. One thing left to do.
I begin to recount the events that led to Eden being shot as if I were in a confessional with a priest. I rarely confess fully to anyone, and I’m struck by how guarded I’ve become. My life has been consumed by isolation and hatred since my mother’s death. Each day blends into the next as I navigate the demands of running the Bratva without my father or my brother by my side. All their tragic pasts have shaped me and left a black hole deep inside me.
A black hole that has sucked Eden into it.
“She took a bullet for me, Lara.” My throat tightens. “Her own father shot her.”
“Because she loves you, Kolya.” Her voice is soft, but the edge is there. She pauses for a moment and drops her voice even lower. “What about the baby? Anything?”
Shaking my head, I stare into Larissa’s eyes and feel the sting of tears stabbing at my nose. “I don’t know, Lara.” My voice is thick as I confess. “I don’t know. They haven’t said a damn thing to me.”
She reaches for my hand and squeezes it. I blink my tears away, only to see hers brimming in her eyes. I want to tell her more. About how my duty has driven me further away from anything resembling a true human connection. And that Eden shone a light into the darkest corner of my mind. But I’m afraid that if Iturn away from the Bratva in favor of Eden … or even look away for a second …
“The doctor said she’d pull some requests for an ultrasound.” I look down at my watch. It’s been almost an hour. How hard can it be to find a goddamn machine?
“Kolya?” Larissa’s brow creases as her gaze hardens. “Do you still have doubts about her? After this?”
I pause a little too long, just enough time to anger Larissa further, feeding her doubts, and she turns on me. “How dare you, Kolya! Even now? She’s a scared girl whose father you swore to kill! Of course she would try and talk to him! Did you never once think?”
I jump up and pace the floor again. The warm feelings quickly subside as my survival instinct kicks in. “Don’t you start, Lara!”
Larissa rises to meet me. “Start what?” she asks, placing a gentle hand on my chest. “Start telling you that you were given happiness on a platter, but all you wanted to do was to smash it into a million bits? All because of a fucking text?”
“It’s so much more than that.” My tone is harsh, and she decides to stop judging and listen. “How did Zakhar know where to find me?” I ask, knowing she can’t answer. “Why did Eden come? Was it a planned ambush or just a happy coincidence? You forget that?—”
The word never leaves my mouth when something else dawns on me, and I stare hard at Larissa. Disbelief trails in the wake of realization through my body.No … Not you too.
“Lara …” my voice trembles.
When she meets my eyes, she knows my question before I even have to ask.
“She swore me to secrecy.” She tries to sidestep my grasp, but I catch her arm anyway.
“When did you know?” My voice becomes deadly smooth. Larissa shudders when she catches my gaze and turns away. “Look at me, Lara!” Slowly, she turns and our eyes meet. “When. Did. You. Know?”
She takes a shuddering breath. “When she came to stay with me.”
Her words sap the strength from my body. All of this time … sheknew?My hands start to shake again. Disbelief turns to betrayal. Betrayal takes flight until it is anger. And I round on her before I can stop myself.
“You said you were tired of burying dead Starukhins, Lara!” I hiss through clenched teeth, keeping my voice low. “Did you ever think that you could’ve been buryingmetonight?” I wait for an answer, but wincing, Larissa refuses to look me in the eyes. “Did you ever consider that your vow of secrecy to Eden might be why you’llneverhold a baby in your arms?”
