His voice was calm when he spoke. “Get away from her.”
Kliment smiled.
And I realized that I had brought them all together, even if it was the one thing I had definitely not wanted.
Chapter 20 - Avgust
The second I saw their faces, everything inside me went cold. It was not fear, but recognition instead. I knew exactly who they were from the grainy footage and the descriptions Timofey had sent me a few weeks ago. They were exactly the men I had been looking for, and they were right in front of me. They had tried to come for Ilana. My Ilana.
The Romanovs.
I was going to kill them.
“Ilana, stay behind me,” I whispered, my eyes locked on the two men standing in front of us.
None of us wanted to do anything in the crowded street, and both of them quickly ducked into the alley to our left. I followed behind them without hesitation, refusing to run or let them go. Ilana followed me even though I would have preferred she stay inside the café. She did not need to see this. She had seen enough blood already.
“Avgust,” she called out my name, running to keep up with my pace.
“Ilana, go back inside the café. You shouldn’t see this. You will be safer there.”
She said something I did not quite catch, my eyes landing on the two Romanov brothers in the alley. I moved before thought caught up, gun already in my hand, body angling in front of Ilana without conscious decision. One shot. Two. I could end it before they even reached for their weapons.
“Avgust, no!”
Her hands slammed against my chest, and I realized she was standing in front of me.
I froze, unable to understand what was happening.
“What?” I snapped, eyes still locked on them. “Get behind me. I don’t want you getting hurt because of these assholes. ”
“No,” she said, voice breaking. “Please don’t kill them. Please.”
She was crying now, my heart aching at the sight of it. I noticed how the taller of the two men smiled then, the smile sealing something I could have never even imagined. Something that sent me into stone-cold shock.
“You know them,” I said slowly, the realization hitting me like a brick. “You know these men.”
Ilana’s fingers tightened around my arm as she continued to sob uncontrollably. “Yes, yes, I do. They are my brothers.”
The word hit like a bullet.
Brothers.
The Romanovs were her brothers. My vision tunneled as I looked at her, my grip tightening on my gun until my knuckles burned.
“You’re lying,” I said flatly.
“I wish I were. But I am not. Kliment and Fyodor Romanov are my brothers. My real name is Ilana Romanov. I lied to you about my identity earlier.”
“You are lying now,” I said flatly, unable to believe anything coming out of her mouth. It could not be true. None of it.
“I’m not.”
Fyodor stepped forward, palms raised. “We are not here to fight. We just want to take our sister back with us. We came looking for her, and that’s it.”
“Shut up,” I snarled, not even trying to control my anger.
Ilana turned to me, eyes frantic. “Avgust, please. Just don’t kill them. I am begging you. Please don’t kill them for my sake.”
