“Don’t thank me. Just don’t prove me wrong.” He heads for the door, then pauses with his hand on the knob. “The vodka is good stuff. Don’t waste it on mixing.”
Then he’s gone, leaving Sasha and me standing in our kitchen with matching expressions of disbelief.
“Did that just happen?” Sasha asks.
“I think it did.”
She picks up the vodka bottle and examines the label. “He’s right. This is the good stuff.”
I pull two glasses from the cabinet and set them on the counter. “Then let’s not waste it.”
We drink to our future, to the family we’re building, and to the battles we’ve already won.
The situation with Daria still needs resolution, my position within the organization still requires proving, and somewhere out there, enemies we haven’t yet identified are probably plotting against the people I’ve come to love.
But tonight, in this apartment that already feels like home, with this woman who chose me despite everything, I allow myself to simply be happy.
It’s a feeling I could get used to.
Epilogue - Sasha
I don’t even recognize the woman staring back at me in the mirror.
Six months ago, I was running for my life through London warehouses and dodging bullets in Adrian Belmont’s estate.
Today, I’m standing in my childhood bedroom at the compound, wearing a simple white dress and holding a bouquet of wildflowers that Katya picked from the garden this morning.
“You look beautiful,” Mila comments from behind me. She’s holding her daughter on one hip while trying to adjust my veil with her free hand. “Tony is going to lose his mind when he sees you.”
“That’s the goal.” I smooth my hands down the front of my dress and try to calm the butterflies rioting in my stomach. The dress is nothing fancy. There’s no designer label, no elaborate beading or train. Just soft white fabric that flows to my ankles and a neckline that shows off my collarbone. Exactly what I wanted.
Katya appears in the doorway with a glass of champagne. “The guests are seated. Dmitri is pacing holes in the carpet downstairs, and Alexei keeps threatening to give Tony one more chance to run.”
“He’s not going to run,” I reply with more confidence than I feel.
“Of course he’s not.” Katya hands me the champagne. “That man would walk through fire for you. Everyone can see it.”
I take a sip and let the bubbles settle my nerves. This is really happening. After everything we’ve been through, all the lies and revelations and near-death experiences, Tony and I are getting married. In less than an hour, he’ll be my husband.
The thought makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time.
“Are you ready?” Mila asks.
I set down the champagne glass and pick up my bouquet. The wildflowers smell like summer and new beginnings, their colors bright against my white dress.
“I’m ready.”
The ceremony takes place in the garden at Dmitri’s mansion, where someone has arranged white chairs in neat rows and strung flowers through the trees. It’s small and intimate, just family and the few friends we trust enough to invite into this world. Boris stands near the back with his arms crossed, looking uncomfortable in a suit but present nonetheless.
Dmitri meets me at the edge of the garden and offers his arm. My eldest brother looks handsome in his dark suit, and his eyes are suspiciously bright as he takes in my appearance.
“You look like Mama,” he mumbles. “She would have been so proud of you today.”
My throat constricts. “Don’t make me cry before I even get down the aisle.”
“I make no promises.” He squeezes my hand against his arm. “Are you sure about this? It’s not too late to change your mind.”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
