"You ready?" he asks.
"Ready for what, exactly?"
"Picking up my sister. I told you."
"Luka—"
"Come on. We don't have a lot of time."
He's already heading toward the elevator, and I have no choice but to follow.
"Where are we going?" I ask as we step inside.
"You'll see."
"Can you at least tell me what the hell is going on?"
He glances at me, and for the first time, his expression softens—just a fraction.
"I'm asking you to help my sister," he says quietly. "And I wouldn't ask if it weren't important.”
And that comment… I actually believe.
The sincerity in his voice stops me cold.
"Help her how?"
"I'll explain on the way."
We go to a private airfield on the outskirts of Seattle.
I realize this about two seconds before Luka pulls into the parking lot, and my stomach drops.
"Luka. What the hell—"
"Just listen." He cuts the engine and turns to face me, his expression serious. "My sister needs a visa renewal. She only has six weeks before hers expires.”
My frown deepens. "And you want me to… what, exactly?"
"Marry her."
I stare at him. "Are you out of your mind?"
"Maybe. But it's the only way to keep her here long enough to get it."
"Here? In the U.S.?"
"Right. If she goes back to Russia, she's stuck. Our father won't let her leave again." His jaw tightens. "I promised our mother I'd protect her. This is how I do that."
"By marrying her off to me?"
"By giving her a choice." He meets my eyes, and there's something raw in his expression. "If she marries you, she can geta green card if the visa renewal doesn’t work. A green card will give her more time. Time to figure out her career, her life—time to be free."
I lean back against the seat, my head spinning.
"Luka—" I say again.
"I know."
