“It's not a bad idea, though,” Trifon says slowly.
“Are you out of your mind?” Valentin turns on his brother. “You want to use my wife as bait?”
“Why don’t you think of me as an asset?” I correct him. “I'm already involved, Valentin. Whether you like it or not, I'm a part of this now, and Alex talks to me, remember? He thinks I’m naïve.”
“She has a point,” Leonid adds from the couch, where the doctor is finishing up his stitches. “We need to know what they're planning, and she has a way in to get information. How do we know what scale of attack to plan when we don’t even know their plans?”
“And I'll be careful,” I add, seizing my chance. “You can watch over me the whole time. Please, listen, Valentin, this might be our only chance to get ahead of them.”
“I think we should consider it,” Miron says after exchanging a glance with Leonid.
“Agreed,” Iosif nods.
Trifon looks at me, then at Valentin, and sighs. “It's not ideal, but she's right.”
Valentin's face darkens. “I need to speak with my wife alone.”
Without waiting for a response, he takes my arm and leads me out of the living room and rounds on me in the hallway.
“Have you lost your mind?” he demands. “You want to walk right back into danger after what happened today?”
“I want to help,” I say, standing my ground. “This is my fault—”
“This is not your fault,” he cuts me off. “This is the Zakharovs being the psychopaths they've always been.”
“But they're using me to get to you,” I insist. “And I can use that against them.”
“It's too risky,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “Gela, if anything happened to you...”
His voice trails off, and for a moment, I see genuine fear in his eyes. I know that he went after the Zakharovs tonight because he couldn't bear the thought of them hurting me, and I see something so beautiful in that action—impulsive and reckless, yes—but still, courageous.
This man, despite the violence he sees on a daily basis, cares with all his strength and wears his heart on his sleeve. I feel unworthy, not having the strength to do the same for him, when he’s sacrificed everything for me, without asking for a thing in return.
He’s accepted me as one of his, and he’s stretched his wings wider, all so I’m sheltered from harm’s way.
“Valentin,” I say softly, stepping up to him. “If I'm part of this family now, as you say, then I need to learn the ropes.”
“This isn't what I wanted for you,” he says, his voice lower now.
“I know that.” I take another step closer and take his hand in mine. “But it is what it is. You have to trust me. Please, let me help.”
“Why would you put yourself at risk for this family?” His face twists with agony.
“Because I care about you,” I say softly. “And I don't want to see you or your family get hurt because of me.”
His eyes soften, and he reaches out to brush a strand of hair from my face. “Gela...”
My breath catches. This is it. I want to tell him that I don't want to leave anymore, and that the thought of my own place downtown without him feels empty now.
God damn it, I’ve been a fool. I've been fighting my feelings because I'm terrified of what they mean.
“Valentin, I need to tell you something—" I start, but just then, his phone rings.
He curses under his breath but pulls it out of his pocket, glancing at the screen.
“I have to take this,” he says with regret in his voice.
Chapter 23 - Valentin
