Lena's parents are there. Shit. I'd forgotten about the meeting I'd arranged. Stepan sits rigid on the sofa, Mary beside him with her hands folded in her lap like she's at a funeral. They look like they're waiting for execution.
When they see me, their faces confirm it.
Recognition hits them and I see the horror cover their faces. Stepan's eyes go wide, then narrow with understanding. He knows exactly who I am. What I am. His arm moves protectively in front of Mary, a futile gesture that would be touching if it weren't so pointless.
"Aleksandr Romanov." My name sounds like a curse in his mouth.
Behind me, my men fill the doorway. Danil stands near the window where he'd been watching over this reunion before I arrived. They're all watching this interaction with the intensity of wolves studying their alpha. Waiting to see how I handle civilians who know too much. Waiting to see if their Pakhan has gone soft.
I can't afford soft. Not today. Not ever.
Then I see her.
Lena stands beside her mother, one hand still gripping Mary's arm like she's afraid to let go. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
For a moment on that highway, when bullets were tearing through metal and glass, I thought I'd never see her again. Thought I'd die without telling her the things I should have said. Without holding her one more time.
But I'm here. She's here. We're both alive.
Her eyes lock on mine, and I watch the relief hit her first. That split second where she registers that I'm standing, breathing, whole. Then her gaze drops to the blood covering my clothes, dried in the creases of my knuckles, splattered across my shirt. Her face goes white.
"Oh, my God! Are you okay?" She starts toward me, but I shake my head and she stays by her mother. "Where are you hurt? Should I call an ambulance?"
"No, I'm fine, Lena. Not my blood."
I want to cross the room. Want to pull her against me and just hold her body next to mine. Feel her warmth, her heart beat against my chest. Reassure her that we're both alive.
But my men are watching. Stepan is watching with calculation in his eyes, seeing exactly what his daughter is to me.
And I can't afford that. Not now. Not when Katya's men just tried to kill me on a public highway. Not when my authority has already been challenged and my men are waiting to see if their Pakhan has gone soft.
I force myself back into the role. The boss. The man who makes decision, even when those decisions hurt.
"Mr. and Mrs. Orlov." My voice comes out colder than I intend. Professional. Distant. "I need you to come with my guards."
Stepan's body goes rigid. "Where?"
"The basement holding area. You'll be comfortable, but you'll remain there until I've finished questioning you."
The room goes silent.
Mary's hand flies to her mouth. Stepan moves in front of his wife, protective instinct overriding fear. And Lena, she just stares at me like I've slapped her.
"No." Her voice is quiet. Deadly quiet. "Absolutely not."
"This isn't negotiable."
"The hell it isn't." She moves between her parents and my guards, her body a barrier. Her voice rises, sharp with panic and fury. "You promised me they'd be safe here. You looked me in the eye and promised."
"They will be safe. In the basement."
"That's a prison, Aleksandr." She's shaking now, and I can see the betrayal written across her face. "You're treating them like criminals. Like threats."
I let steel creep into my tone. "They go to the basement."
"You swore to me." Tears stream down her face, but her voice doesn't break. "You swore they'd be protected."
"And they will be. Under guard." I nod to my men. "Take them."