The cabin was filled with nervous anticipation.
Nik didn’t speak, just pulled out his phone and began scrolling. A few seconds later, music poured through the speakers—low, moody, orchestral. But not comforting.
I glanced at him. His expression was unreadable, his jaw tight, his eyes distant. He looked bone tired—like a man who hadn’t slept in days. The angst he carried wasn’t just in his posture; it was in the very air around him.
Something simmered beneath his stillness, and it set me on edge. Maybe going on adatewith a man who was in the middle of a killing spree wasn’t such a good idea.
I looked away, swallowing the knot in my throat, and focused on the blur of city lights as the car drove through the streets. I’d expected a conversation—maybe a smile and a little flirtation.
But Nik was somewhere else.
The Bentley slowed as we pulled off Eleventh Avenue and headed toward the Hudson. Rory turned into a parking lot just in front of Pier 86, where the USSIntrepidsat silently in the water, waiting to receive tourists from the sea, air and space museum. The view was nice, with the city lights glinting off the river, but it was an odd place to stop. Not exactly romantic. Not exactly private. I glanced over at Nik, wondering where he was taking me.
The car eased into the parking spot, and Nik finally put his phone away.
For a long moment, he stared out the window, the engine humming softly between us. Then he turned, bracing his elbow on one leg. I sensed that what he was about to say wouldn’t be something I wanted to hear.
“I’ve done everything I can to buy you time.” He flicked his thumb against his first finger. Was he nervous…or just eager to get whatever this was over with? “I gave you a safe space to work through your feelings and think about your future. Room to breathe after what happened. But the clock’s run out, Lacey.”
The finality in his voice was unnerving.
“This can’t go on forever. Not with Delgado still alive. Not with how many people are watching us now. You don’t get to stay on the sidelines anymore.”
I couldn’t breathe. My future hung in the balance.
“This is your life, and I want you to be clear on your options.”
He leaned back slightly.
“This is where you choose.”
I blinked. “What?”
“One way leads to Teterboro. My jet is fueled and waiting. If you choose that option, you’ll fly to Tacoma, Washington, where my sister Anastasia will help you start a new life. You’ll have a new name. A new identity. You can live a happy, normal life and even work in the theater if you want. No more mafia. No one will be able to find you. I’ll build the life you ask for—whatever you want.”
“Oh—Aria mentioned Anastasia was your twin sister.”
His mouth curved upward faintly, though his eyes stayed serious. “Yeah. Ana’s always been the only person on this earth who gave a damn about me.” He tapped two fingers against his chest. “She’s got the other half of my pendant. I bought them when we were kids, after our parents shipped her off to a boarding school in upstate New York. Hardly saw her after that, but I wanted her to know I was still close. Always part of the same pack.”
I swallowed, picturing the pendant’s shape in my mind—he’d been both protective and a predator since he was a kid.
But he didn’t linger on it. “The other option,” he said, eyes locking onto mine, “is to marry me.”
I stared at him stunned, my pulse racing.
“Wh—what?” My world tilted. “Nik…”
“It’s one or the other, Lacey.”
I tried to open the door. It wouldn’t budge.
He didn’t move. “You can’t walk away from this. Delgado made sure of that. The only way you live to see your next birthday is if you vanish completely…or become mine.”
The blood drained from my face.
“You don’t get it,” I snapped. “I can’t just erase who I am. My identity isn’t just about me. It’s my parents. My sister. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t evenhavea shot at anything. It’s their legacy too.”
Nik rubbed his forehead but remained silent.
