I grimace. If I hadn’t put so much on him, he’d have been with me. Looking out for me, like he always does. Like I always do for him.
But he’s doing something else for me now. And I don’t want Mia knowing what that is. Don’t want to make her worries worse.
“He’s busy,” I say curtly.
“Then make him un-busy.”
“I can’t.”
“Then take Nikita.”
“And leave you alone?” I shake my head firmly. “No. Out of the question.”
Mia leans forward on her elbows. Her blue gaze bores deep into me. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing if you’re keeping it from me on purpose.”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Just like I didn’t need to know you were using me as bait last year?”
Her words cut deep—because they’re true.
Baitis exactly our strategy. So what would she do if I told her that? If she knew I was back to playing games with someone else’s life, even if it’s not hers?
But what if I don’t tell her and she finds out anyway? What will she do then?
I don’t have to ask that question. The answer is burned in my heart. Because it’s what she’s already done once before.
She’ll leave.
And I can’t have that. Not again, not ever.
When I don’t say anything, regret flashes across Mia’s face. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“No.” My fists unclench. “That was honest. And it’s high time I was, too.”
Mia’s eyes widen. She was probably expecting me to lash out, not own up to it.
Last year, it’s exactly what I would have done. But I’ve learned something since then. There are things worth keeping, and sacrifices worth making to keep them.
So I take a deep breath, sit back down, and tell her about my plan.
By the time I’m done, Mia is pacing a hole in the floor. “This is insane. What if it doesn’t work?” she cries. “What if you end up delivering yourvorystraight into a trap?”
“It’s a risk we’ll have to take.”
“Yulian—”
“Mia.” I stop her pacing and take both her hands in mine. “I have no choice. If I don’t do anything, he’ll get them anyway. It might be a month from now, or a year, or even ten. But Desya’s not going to stop.”
She looks up at me. Her blue eyes are filled with conflict. “I know,” she whispers eventually.
“Then you also know I have to do this.”
“Yeah. I know that, too.”
