A beat of silence. Then Kaz shrugs, broad and solid. “Then let’s do it. Fast, precise, and final.”
Roman exhales, the sound of a man pulling on a chain for the first time. “Fine. We move. But we move like ghosts. You’re leading the negotiation face-to-face, Lev. I’ll coordinate contact points in Greece. Niko, take point on domestic containment. Mikhail, scrub security and run an internal audit for leaks—now.”
They murmur agreement, the kind that carries weight because it’s not cheerleading; it’s a council calling down a storm. I feel it then—the shift from discussion to plan. Fear still sits like ice in my gut, but below it, something else grows: a cold certainty. If they want a fight, I’ll give them one on my terms.
“It’s settled. Roman and I will go,” I say. “I trust you all to hold things down here.”
Niko’s reluctance is readable—tight jaw, a twitch at the corner of his mouth—but I don’t waste time parsing it. There’s no room for doubt right now.
Kaz purses his lips. “Have you told Sasha?” he asks. “Because I know Zoe would kill me if I made arrangements like this without telling her.”
“I’ll tell her,” I say. I rise, feel the weight of the room shift as the others move into motion, and for a beat, the house is all noise and purpose.
I leave the office with my mind already on the plane, on the faces I’ll meet in Athens, on the one thing I won’t let anyone touch.
When I walk into the suite, Sasha is awake and pacing. She’s barefoot, wearing one of my shirts.
“Sasha,” I say, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
She whirls around, eyes blazing. “What’s wrong?” she echoes. “You’re out there making plans about my life again—without me. Do you have any idea how that feels?”
I stare at her for a long beat, trying to read the truth on her face. “How did you hear about the plan?” I ask, my voice low. There’s an edge to it I don’t bother hiding—part accusation, part surprise.
She swallows, lashes fluttering. “I woke up and came downstairs to look for you,” she says, eyes fixed on the floor. “I didn’t mean to—but I heard voices in your study. I waited at the door and listened. I wasn’t trying to be a spy, Lev. I just—” Her jaw tightens. “I wanted to know what was happening. I wanted to know if I was losing everything without even getting a say.”
Something in me softens for a second—the exhausted, human part that hates that she has to eavesdrop to feel like she belongs in decisions about her own life. But the rest of me, the part trained to read threats and plans, snaps back.
“You shouldn’t have been there,” I say, harsh. “You don’t get to wander into my war.”
Her eyes flare. “So I’m not allowed to fight for myself?” she spits.
“No.” The word comes out flat, absolute. Then, because I hear how it lands against her, I add, quieter, “Not like that.Sasha, please. I don’t want you to be upset. Not now. I can’t afford the distraction—”
“Distraction?” Her laugh is sharp, almost bitter. “That’s what I am to you?”
“That’s not what I meant.” I take a step closer, but she backs away. “I’m trying to keep you safe, Sasha.”
“I don’t need you to try for me,” she snaps. “I need you to trust me. If this thing is about me—if my name is being tossed around like some kind of currency—then I deserve to know what the hell is going on. I’m going with you, Lev.”
Her voice is firm, steady. There’s fear in her eyes, but it’s swallowed up by defiance—and God help me, I’ve never seen anything more beautiful or more dangerous than Sasha when she’s like this.
But even then, I can’t show how even more attractive she is to me right now. This is a dangerous game she has no part in.
“Sasha….” My voice is low, warning, the same tone I use with men who think they can test me. “You don’t understand what you’re asking for. This isn’t a trip; it’s a war. You don’t get to decide how this plays out—”
“I already have.” Her chin lifts, eyes burning into mine. “I’m not staying behind like a piece of property you can stash away. I’m not a bargaining chip. If my name is on their lips, then I’m going to see their faces.”
I step closer, my shadow swallowing hers. “You think I don’t want to protect you? You think I can’t?” My voice rises despite myself. “You are the reason I’m doing this, Sasha. I’ll put every man in Athens in the ground before they touch you.”
She doesn’t flinch. “Then let me stand next to you while you do it. I’m not asking for your permission, Lev. I’m telling you.”
For a second, the silence between us is louder than any argument. My hands flex at my sides. Every instinct I’ve built—control, dominance, strategy—collides with the one thing I can’t seem to control: her.
I try one last time, softer. “If you come with me, you don’t get a shield. You get blood. You get fear. You get me doing whatever it takes to keep you breathing.”
Her jaw sets. “Then that’s what I get.”
I stare at her, heart hammering, and realize I’ve already lost the fight. She’s coming. And every part of me is terrified of what that means.
