“Will I ever get a straight answer from you?” I let out a frustrated exhale.
“I guess you’ll just have to spend more time with me to find out. Turn left here.”
Fucker.
I hate being in the dark. I hate being ordered around even more. Still, I keep my mouth shut as Kirill directs me through the city streets.
It isn’t until we leave the city’s limits and head into the countryside that worry begins to creep up. It’s barely five-thirty, but December darkness in Chicago doesn’t care about the clock.
If his intention is to lead me somewhere remote just to kill me, I will be furious.
The drive feels endless once the city lights give way to empty roads and shadows. Just as my patience reaches its limit, Kirill abruptly says, “Stop the car,” and is out before I can even brake fully.
The headlights catch a rusted gate and a weatheredNO TRESPASSINGsign as he strides ahead. He opens it, waves me through, closes it behind us, and climbs back into the passenger seat.
“What is this place? Where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see soon enough,” he says, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Just follow the path.”
“You mean that dark, icy trail into the woods that seems to have come out of a slasher movie? That path?” I ask, staring at the narrow stretch ahead that seems to lead nowhere.
Kirill then leans in closer, his face mere inches from mine. “I didn’t think the great Stella Romano was scared of anything.”
“I’m not.” I stiffen my spine in defiance.
“Then this should be an easy decision for you to make. Either drive on or turn back. It’s up to you. Like I said… no one’s forcing you to be here.”
“You’re a real pain in my ass, you know that, Kirill?”
“Yes,milaya. You’ve been very vocal about your distaste for me.”
Apparently, not vocal enough, since he still seeks my company.
Or is it the other way around? I forget.
Since I’ve never been one to back down from a dare, I drive forward along the icy road, still dusted with the earlier snowfall, silently praying I’m not making a huge mistake by going along with whatever this is. After a few minutes, he doesn’t have to tell me to stop because it’s obvious we’ve arrived. Ahead lies a small lake, frozen solid and glimmering beneath a sky thick with stars. We’re so far from the city that they shine like tiny diamonds scattered across black velvet, their reflections shimmering on the ice until it’s impossible to tell where the sky ends and the lake begins.
I’ve never seen anything more breathtaking. I’m so caught up in the awe of it that I don’t notice Kirill getting out of the car and coming around to my side until he’s opening my door and unfastening my seat belt.
“I could have done that myself.”
“I know you could have,” he replies softly, “but sometimes… it’s nice to let someone take care of you for a change.”
My brows furrow at the strange remark. I’ve never let anyone take care of me. Ever. And there’s a reason for that. The rules were stacked against me from day one. The boys in my family grew up with the luxury of independence, while my sister and I were expected to be agreeable, delicate, and dependent. My mother and I have fought about that more times than I can count, mostly because I refuse to play by those old, patriarchal mafia-world rules.
I learned early on to take care of myself. Not because I had to, but because I refused not to. I chose independence and self-reliance because I refuse to be the girl waiting for permission.
That’s why I’m surprised my first instinct isn’t to slap Kirill’s hand away when he holds it out for me to take. Instead, my traitorous fingers move almost on their own, sliding into his as he leads me out of the car and toward the lake.
“So… what do you think?”
“It’s a lake,” I say flatly, pretending it’s nothing special.
Oh, but it is. The lake is surrounded by trees on every side, its edges lost beneath their shadows, as if nature had decided to keep this place secret. It’s a quiet haven, far from the city’s chaos. The closer I get, the more the noise of the world falls away. Silence settles around me as the cold air bites my cheeks, and when I breathe in, the sharp, clean taste of it fills my lungs.
And the sky… God, that sky. I’ve spent so long surrounded by skyscrapers that I forgot what the night sky really looks like. Tiny stars and big ones fight to shine brighter, the crescent moon casting its perfect silver light across the ice.
“You’re impressed,” he says, smiling as his fingers still thread through mine. “Admit it.”
