She goes quiet now, like she's thinking of how badly this could go, but I hold her more snugly against my side. She really has nothing to fear now. With me and Roman in charge of her future, she'll never want for anything again.
"But what happens when Maksim's family finds out he's dead?" She is scared, and rightly so. But there's no way to trace any of that back to me or her.
"You had nothing to do with that, okay? And there is no evidence linking me." I press a kiss to the top of her head and breathe her in. "Trust me, Rina. You’re safe, and I won't let anything happen to you.”
Someone knocks at the door, startling her, and she jumps. I wonder how long it'll be before she feels safe enough to let her guard down. But I can't force that for her. It will come in time.
"Yeah?" I call out, already knowing this is gonna be a long night.
"Step," Yegor calls from the other side of the door. "We need you. There was another attack at a safe house." He pauses, then says, "We waited for you, but we can't wait anymore."
Fuckers listened to me fucking my beautiful bride to be. It makes my ears burn, and I grin as I kiss her head again, but I'm forced to pull away.
'How bad is it?" I ask, folding the blankets back. Marina whimpers and reaches for me, but I have to go. This is the life. I don’t get to make choices for myself.
"Bad... We're out front waiting."
"Give me five minutes," I tell him, turning to capture her lips. She tastes salty, like her tears, and I soak it in for a second before pulling back.
"Duty calls... I'm gonna go make this world a safer place for our baby." It feels so surreal saying "our baby" but it brings a smile to her lips.
"Should I wait up?" she asks, relaxing back into bed.
"Rest. You both need the sleep now."
Then I'm up getting dressed. This will be my future from now on, being pulled away in the middle of the night for stupid reasons. But I know I'll have a wife in my bed at home to come home to. And that makes taking every risk worth it now.
"I love you," I whisper as I stand by the door, ready to leave, but Marina is already sleeping. And my heart is full.
27
MARINA
The cab driver hasn't said a word since I gave him the address, and I'm grateful for that because I'm not interested in conversation right now, anyway. I woke alone and Sorin brought me breakfast, but sitting around waiting for news has never been my strong suit. When Stepan told me last night he'd be back soon, I believed him so fully, I went right to sleep, but I slept alone and woke up alone.
I've been chewing my nails now for two hours, waiting for anyone to update me about what's going on, but no one has bothered. When Sorin brought me some clean clothes from Mila, the most I got out of her was that the woman was sleeping in after a long night with a fussy baby. Which was no help to me, considering I don't know any of these people at all.
And I have to talk to my father.
I know what Stepan thinks he can do, but I know my father too well. Stepan's offer is going to fall on deaf ears, and even before I went to sleep I knew I had to get to him before Stepan does. I'm not sure where either of them are right now, but if I don't at leasttry to bridge the gap, there will be violence when they meet. A clash I'm sure will end up with one or both of them dead. And I don't want to lose either of them.
So I left a note on the pillow telling Stepan where I was going and not to follow me, and I told him I'd call when it was done. He's going to be furious, but if I'd asked for permission, he'd have said no. I can't sit around not doing anything while the people I care about destroy each other. This was all my fault to begin with. If only I had just accepted the marriage and gone through with it years ago when they first wanted me to move, none of this would've happened.
When the cab turns onto the street and I see my father’s guards out front, I realize he's definitely at work, not out doing horrible things like I feared. The closer I get, the more comes into focus, and I realize one of those guards isn't a guard at all. It's Uncle Filipp, watching over the front of the building with Danyel. My heart sinks as the car pulls to a stop in front and I know I have to get out and face this music.
"This the place?" the cab driver asks, and I grunt my response as I open the door. The old sewing machine factory is the front my father uses to keep his businesses a secret.
Filipp starts moving toward me while Danyel stays put, watching cautiously. But my uncle's footsteps slow, then he stops as I shut the cab door and the car pulls away.
I stand there staring at him, feeling guilt tighten in my belly until I feel like throwing up. His eyes narrow on me and his lips purse in disappointment. I don't actually care if he's disappointed in me, but I do care if he uses his negative reactions to try to control or manipulate me into doing what he wants.
"Marina," he says in a gravelly tone, "we've been looking for you."
Ignoring his comment, I push past him and walk toward the building, but he snags my elbow and forces me to stop and look at his face. "Let go of me."
"Your father is very unhappy. You know Maksim is dead? Did you do that?" I glare at him and jerk my arm away, then rub the spot he was holding because it hurts.
"Do I look like a killer?" Narrowing my eyes at him, I glare and let him understand just how unhappy I am right now. "I'm here to talk to my father. Stay out of my way." Filipp thinks he has some sort of control, but really, he's nothing in this family. The only reason I respect him at all is fear, and that fear is lifting every day with Stepan on my side.