“Dramatic?” I laugh—a sharp, disbelieving sound that stings my own ears. “I’m working for a man who stores weapons in bunkers, runs illegal routes through the forest, and terrifies every person who comes within ten feet of him?—”
“Terrifiesyou?” she cuts in, arms folding tighter.
I open my mouth. Close it. My silence is answer enough.
Katherine smirks. “Didn’t think so. You know, it was him at the masquerade. When you were in college?” She can tell by the lack of a reaction that I already realized and nods. “You didn’t seem tooterrifiedof him back then, Roxy. He probably doesn’t even remember you; you left the party early, remember?”
I want to scream. Because Kat is wrong—Makari definitelyremembersme, and what happened in the vault. Kat saw me leaving early, but she wasn’t there when he demanded the vault be locked down. When he took me in a way no man ever has before.
I step closer, finally managing to ignore the history between Makari and me. “What were you thinking?” I whisper. “What about Andi? What about keeping ussafe? You didn’t think this through at all.”
“I did,” she snaps. Her tone is sharp as broken glass. “I thought it through better than you ever have. You needed a real job, Roxy. Asteadyone. Something that pays. Something thatgets you out of your fantasy of working at some cute nonprofit making peanuts while Mom bankrolls your life.”
The words hit like a slap. That’s a lie; I’ve never taken money from Mom. But the guilt still roots deep. I feel it like heat rising from my chest to my cheeks.
“My only goal is to be a good mother,” I manage, voice cracking.
“And good mothers make sacrifices.” Katherine’s tone hardens. “Good mothers do what it takes. Good mothers don’t waste time chasing idealistic nonsense. Plus, Ursa Arcane does just as much good as it does bad. Right? That’s how Medvedev manages to stay legitimate.”
“Idealistic—?” I stare at her. Disbelieving. “You think wanting a job that isn’tcriminalis idealistic?”
She sighs long and theatrically. “You’re naïve, Roxy. Always have been. That’s why I set this up. Because you weren’t going to get anywhere on your own.”
My fists clench.
“And now,” she adds, “you’re in it. So you either keep that job and do what’s necessary…or you walk away from all of us. Because The Bear won’t just let you go.”
Her words thud into me like stones. I suddenly feel cold. Empty. Like she’s just stripped me bare in front of my own reflection.
“Kat…” My voice is barely a whisper. “How could you say that?”
“That’s reality,” she says simply. “Grow up.”
My mouth clamps shut. There’s nothing left to say, nothing she would hear, anyway.
Andi wanders back in from the living room, clutching her teddy. “When can we live together again, Mommy?” she asks, tiny voice full of hope.
My heart breaks clean in half.
“Soon,” I whisper, kneeling and gathering her into my arms again. “I promise, my love. Soon.”
She squeezes me tight. I look over her shoulder at Katherine. My sister stands stiffly, arms crossed, jaw set, eyes judgmental and cold as polished stone.
I pull away just enough to smile at Andi. “Do you want to see pictures of our new home?”
Her whole face lights up. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes!”
I pull out my phone. She climbs into my lap as I flip through photos of the cabin that I’ll be signing the documents for next week—my new home, her new home. A real one.
But is it safe?The question makes my stomach knot. It’s only a few miles from Makari Medvedev’s compound, which might itself be the safest place on the east coast…but a man like The Bear doesn’t exist without enemies.
Do I want my daughterthatclose to danger?
She squeals when she sees the photo of which room will be her bedroom. “Mommy, it’s purple! And so big! Is that my window?”
I smile through the ache in my chest, a chuckle slipping out. The roomispurple, and I’d be thinking of repainting, but I guess not. “All yours.”
But as she babbles excitedly, I feel my stomach twist—not with joy. With dread.
