“And if they get to the boys first?”
“They won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I won’t let it happen.”
“You can’t promise that!”
“Watch me.”
We’re both breathing hard. Standing too close. Anger and fear bleed into each other until I can’t tell which is which.
“I can’t lose them,” I say quietly. “I can’t watch them get hurt because of the choices we made.”
“Neither can I. Which is why I’m doing everything possible to keep them safe.”
“Everything except letting me take them away from here.”
“Because running won’t save them. It’ll just delay the inevitable. The Petrovs won’t stop until they get what they want.”
“Then what do they want?”
“Me. They want revenge for Dmitri.”
“So give it to them. Turn yourself in. End this before it touches our sons.”
He stares at me. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m completely serious. If you’re the target, remove yourself from the equation.”
“And let them kill me? Make our sons grow up without a father?”
“Better than making them grow up dead!”
The words hang between us. Too far. I went too far. But I can’t take them back.
Cassian’s expression goes cold. Shuts down completely. “Is that really what you think of me? That I’m worth less than nothing to them?”
“That’s not what I meant?—”
“It’s exactly what you meant. You’d rather they have no father than have me.”
“I’d rather they be alive.”
“They will be. Because I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you.”
He walks out. The front door slams hard enough to rattle the windows.
I stand alone in the sitting room with my heart racing and tears burning behind my eyes. I didn’t mean it. Didn’t mean he should sacrifice himself. But the fear is eating me alive, and I don’t know what else to do.
Julian appears in the doorway. “That went well.”
“Don’t.”
“You told him to turn himself over to the Petrovs. What did you think would happen?”
“I don’t know! I’m terrified, and I don’t know how to fix this!”
