“Not on the road,” he says gently. “If a tire goes. If a driver faints. If a branch falls. We do not risk both at once.”
He’s right. I hate him for being right. I appreciate him for being right. I nod and swallow the bitter taste of it. I’m queasy, and I don’t think that’s going to improve anytime soon.
The team moves like a single thought. Blankets. Extra formula. The small phone that only calls two numbers. Mom smiles, but it’s sad and complicated and I know precisely how she feels. “We’ll be fine. You finish this. Then you come get your sons.”
“I will.” Roman looks to Carol. “Five minutes.” Then to Marcus and Tanner behind him. “Clear the back. Quiet.”
Marcus is already moving. Tanner is already on the stairs. The door opens to the service garage. Night air pushes in. It smells like wet metal and cold stone and missing my babies.
Sergei helps them load up, and the first car rolls. The second brakes light. The third sits ready to cover. The nurse climbs in with Xander. My mother settles with Yuri and keeps her eyes on me as the door shuts. He’s moodier than Xander, so I getwhy she picked him to ride with. But I worry Xander will feel abandoned, surrounded by strangers.
I hear the soft grinding of rubber on concrete. Then nothing.
The space they leave is loud. I have to hold the stroller handle to stay upright.
Roman doesn’t speak at first. When the worst part passes, he touches the back of my arm and takes his hand away. “They will be fine.”
“Say it again.” It is not a request.
“They will be fine.” He keeps his voice level, and I didn’t know I needed that as much as I do.
We bid our farewells to the remaining guests, and the reception is over. The staff is invisible. Security isn’t. My body feels heavier. Air sounds different. Wrong. Empty.
My babies are gone.
In Roman’s office, a lamp glows on a neat desk and a phone that belongs to another decade. He points to the chair by the window. “Next is your job at the law firm.”
I sit because my legs don’t like standing anymore. “I should go in after the honeymoon. Pack my drawer. Give a week. Find someone to hand off to.”
“No. You say the truth that keeps you safe and ends the conversation.” He nods at the landline. “Use that. Untraceable.”
The number is in my bones. Mr. Kerr answers on the second ring like always. “Hello?”
“It’s Mina. I wanted to tell you in person, but there’s no time. I got married.”
A beat of surprise. “Congratulations. You sound…like there’s more to it than that.”
I sigh. “I won’t be coming back. We have a family emergency with no end date. My husband’s son is having a mental breakdown. We don’t know what the situation will require.” Not entirely a lie.
His words come out slowly, like he’s concerned. “Are you safe, Mina?”
“Yes, it’s nothing like that.” It’s exactly like that. “I can send notes to make the Mitchell handoff easy. Or at least a list.”
“No need, I’ll handle it. Sounds like you have your hands full as it is. When you want back in the rat race, I’ll welcome you with open arms or a glowing reference.”
My throat gets hot. “Thank you.”
“Go be married. And good luck.” He hangs up before I fail at being concise.
I put the handset down. “I hated that. Kerr was always good to me.”
“You okay?”
“Does it matter? I’m breathing, and that’s what I’ll settle for at the moment.”
“It matters to me.”
I meet his gaze and sigh again. He really does care, or near enough. “I’ll be okay, Roman.”
