He exhales slowly, but the fire in his gaze doesn’t dim. “Anton left a note after the blast.” He hesitates just a fraction, then spits it out. “‘Your wife costs too much.’”
The room tilts. My stomach lurches. “What?” My voice is barely a whisper. “If he wants me…if all of this is about me…then why try to kill me?”
Niko is already shaking his head, firm, decisive. “No. He knew you weren’t in that clinic.” His hand cups the back of myneck, forcing me to meet his gaze. “This wasn’t about killing you. This blast was just an attempt to scare us. To make you feel hunted. To make me lose control.”
His jaw hardens, voice dropping to a growl. “But it only proves he knows nothing about us. He doesn’t understand what it means to touch you. Because if he did….” His thumb presses against my pulse, steady, anchoring. “…he’d know I’ll never let him win. He just wants to scare you.”
My throat tightens, and the words slip out before I can stop them. “Well, it’s working. I’m terrified.” My voice shakes, and I hate it, but it’s the truth.
Something in Niko’s expression softens, just for a heartbeat. He pulls me closer, his palm splayed protectively against my back. “I know,” he murmurs, pressing his lips against my hair. “But you don’t have to carry that fear alone. If he wants you afraid, then let me be the one to stand in between.”
The shrill buzz of his phone cuts through the air. He swears under his breath and pulls it out, glancing at the screen. His voice hardens when he answers. “Demyan?” A pause. His eyes flicker with something darker. Then he ends the call and slips the phone into his pocket.
“Demyan’s coming,” he says finally, his tone low and even. “He’s got more information.”
A shiver slides down my spine. More information. As if there wasn’t already enough to drown in. The fear gnaws at me, sharp and merciless, until it finally spills over. My chest tightens, and I bury my face against Niko’s shirt, the words tumbling out, broken. “I can’t live like this, Niko. Looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to strike again—I can’t.”
His arms tighten around me, grounding me against the steady thrum of his heart. “You won’t have to,” he says fiercely. “He’s not going to win. He doesn’t get to.”
A sob escapes me, muffled against him. “What if I’m not strong enough?”
Niko tips my chin up, forcing my gaze to meet his. His eyes burn with intensity, but then—just like that—his mouth quirks, wicked and teasing. “Then I’ll just have to be strong enough for the both of us. And don’t worry,ogonek, I’ve been carrying your sass for weeks now. My back’s already trained for heavy lifting.”
A startled laugh bursts out of me, wet and shaky but real. I swat his chest. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And you’re beautiful when you laugh,” he says simply, his thumb brushing away a stray tear. “Terrified, furious, stubborn—but beautiful. Always.”
My heart twists, softer now, the panic loosening its grip just a little. For one fragile second, I let myself lean into the safety he offers.
His thumb lingers at my cheek, and for a moment, we just breathe—my pulse slowly syncing with his. Then his mouth tilts, softer this time. “We need a vacation.”
I blink, almost laughing at the absurdity. “A vacation?”
“Yeah,” he says, tone deceptively casual as he slides his arms around my waist and pulls me flush against him. “When this is over. Just you and me. No guards, no shadows, no Anton. A real escape.”
The laugh spills out of me anyway, light and disbelieving. “I’ve never even been on a vacation. I don’t know where I’d go.”
His eyes catch mine, burning with a quiet certainty. “Monaco. My favorite place.”
“Monaco?” I tilt my head, surprised.
“Mm,” he hums, the corner of his mouth curving. “It’s a city that doesn’t apologize for being alive. Sunlight on the sea, the streets humming with power, the scent of money and saltin the air. Everyone pretends they’re untouchable there—but the real beauty is that for once, I almost believe it.”
Something in his voice tugs at me—like it’s not just about a place, but what it means to him. I press my lips together, imagining it. “That sounds…amazing.” My smile spreads before I can stop it. “I’d like to see it.”
His answering grin is boyish, unguarded in a way that makes my chest ache. “Then Monaco it is. I’ll take you there.”
“You promise?” I tease, though my voice is softer than I mean it to be.
His gaze darkens, the playfulness dipping into something else entirely as he brushes a strand of hair from my face. “When have I ever broken a promise to you,ogonek?”
His mouth dips toward mine. The kiss is soft, almost reverent—nothing like the hunger he’s shown me before. It’s slow and lingering, like he’s sealing a vow between us. My fingers curl into his shirt, and for a moment, the whole world quiets. No Anton, no ghosts, no fear. Just Niko.
A sharp rap on the door shatters it.
We break apart, my breath caught in my throat.
“Boss,” Demyan’s voice carries through the wood, firm but cautious. “It’s me.”
