After he left, I took a quick shower, letting the hot water ease the soreness in my muscles—both from the night at the river and from our night together. By the time I made it downstairs, the kitchen was bustling with activity. Kat was at the stove flipping pancakes, while Nora sat at the island with her headphones and tablet nearby, chattering away to Rory, who was nursing a cup of coffee and looking surprisingly engaged in whatever story she was telling.
Jake stood by the coffee maker, pouring a mug and handing it to me as I approached. “Morning,” he said, his voice carefully neutral, though his eyes held a warmth meant only for me.
“Morning,” I replied, accepting the coffee gratefully. “Where is everyone?”
“Declan and Kane are doing rounds outside with Wren, Lana, and Kori,” Rory answered. “Connor and Mia took the morning shift at your place. And Mikhail...” He hesitated, glancing at Nora.
“My dad went to make some important calls,” Nora supplied, the word ‘dad’ still sounding strange coming from her lips. “He said he’d be back for breakfast.”
I nodded, taking a sip of coffee to hide myreaction. It would take time to get used to hearing Nora refer to Mikhail that way and to adjust to this new reality in which he was an active part of her life.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Jake asked, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
“Better,” I said truthfully. “Much better.”
A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Good.”
The back door opened, and Mikhail stepped inside, bringing a gust of cold air with him. His eyes found Nora immediately, his face lighting up when she waved at him.
“Just in time for pancakes,” Kat called from the stove. “Grab a plate.”
Mikhail nodded his thanks, but his expression turned serious as he approached Jake and me. “We need to talk,” he said quietly. “Nora, honey, put your headphones on and watch Polly Pocket on your tablet.”
She did just that, and I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the winter air he’d brought in. “What is it?”
“My contact in Moscow came through,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “The evidence is being delivered to Interpol today. They’ll move on my father within 48 hours.”
Relief flooded through me. “It’s almost over then.”
But Mikhail’s expression remained grim. “Not quite. My father knows something is happening. He’s mobilizing all his resources to find us before the authorities find him.”
Jake’s hand found the small of my back, a subtle gesture of support. “How much time do we have?”
Mikhail’s eyes met mine, dark and serious. “If we’re lucky? Twenty-four hours. If not...” He glanced toward Nora, who was happily drowning her pancakes in syrup. “We need to be ready for anything.”
Chapter 21
Nora
Icouldn’t sleep after a boring day. It was super weird having my dad here when I thought he was dead forever. After Mom had told me about him yesterday, she kept saying we’d talk more today, but it never happened. All the grownups were too busy to pay me any attention, and even Scout got bored with me. I had so many questions about my dad, but I was too afraid to ask him. Like, why did he have to pretend to be dead? Was he really like a secret agent? Would he take us to Russia someday?
I slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the window. The moon was really bright, making the snow look like it was glowing. From my window, I could see the barn where Jake kept his horses. That’s when I remembered - there were kittens in the barn too! A few weeks ago, he’d promised I could see them when things settled down. But I was tired of waiting for grown-ups to decide when it would happen.
Mom was sleeping in Jake’s room, and I could hear someone snoring downstairs - probably Rory orUncle Declan. No one would notice if I just went to see the kittens for a few minutes. I could be super quiet.
Once downstairs, I tiptoed through the kitchen to the mudroom, put my coat on over my pajamas, and slipped my boots on. There was a stone under my big toe that I didn’t bother to shake out because I didn’t want to get caught, so I just left it there. I unlocked the back door and slipped outside. The cold hit me right away, making me wish I’d grabbed my hat and gloves too, but I wasn’t going back inside now.
The snow crunched under my boots as I made my way to the barn. It was farther than it looked from the window, and I hugged myself to stay warm. The barn door was heavy, but I managed to push it open just enough to squeeze inside.
It was warm in the barn, and it smelled like hay and horses. A light was on at the far end, making everything glow orange, and soft nickering from the horses could be heard.
“Hello?” I whispered, not wanting to scare the animals. “Kitties?”
I tiptoed down the center aisle, peering into each stall. Two horses looked back at me with big, gentle eyes. One was black with a white star on its forehead, and the other was a pretty reddish-brown color.
“Hi, Hourglass,” I said to the black horse. “Do youremember me?” The horse snorted softly, like it was answering me.
But then a soft sound caught my attention - the tiniest meow I’d ever heard. I followed it to a stall filled with fresh straw, and there they were! Three kittens tumbling over each other, with their mama cat watching nearby.
