The corner of my mouth curls up, but my thoughts stray from her sweet words.
Alina might not fully realize it, but I think she feels that way around Gavriil too. Happiness and safety probably just seem different around someone like him.
Her heart races. Her skin flushes. When she lets him get close, lets him touch her, it feels dangerous and exciting.
Things may feel different when she’s with Gavriil, but the feelings for us could be the same.
And just as there can only be onePakhanwhen this is all over, there may not be room in her heart for both of us.
35
Gavriil
The airin my office is thick enough to choke on.
News came in that couldn’t wait, and it’s worse than we anticipated. There hasn’t been good news in what feels like forever, and the downward spiral of my life is becoming unnervingly normal.
“Tonight or tomorrow night?” I ask Matvei, leaning back against my desk with my arms crossed over my chest. “You really think it could come that soon?”
He nods with a solemn look on his face. “It could be a bluff, but according to the information our recon scouts reported late last night, an attack is coming, and soon. Arev Garakian has been preparing a unit all week.”
That name catches my attention. He’s one of the known leaders of the Armenian crew, a young, cruel son of a bitch who has left men in pieces. It’s rumored that he’s mailed tongues and other extremities to loved ones.
The pressure in my chest makes it hard to breathe.
It feels like blow after blow, with no time to get back on my damn feet before the next one hits.
But now isn’t the time to give up. Not yet.
Now is the time to act.
“Where?” I ask.
Pyotr shares a quiet look with Matvei before turning to me. “We believe you’re the target.”
I can’t say that I’m surprised. If I fall, the rest of my organization would splinter. With the news of my and Dominik’s falling out being public knowledge, it would make taking over the territory much easier for our enemies.
Once the king goes down, so does the rest of his kingdom.
“Bring everyone back here immediately,” I tell them.
Then, all of my men look at me, waiting for my brilliant strategy.
Even if I had a decent one, I’m tired of choosing who lives and who dies. I’m tired of all of it. But this is what I was born to do. Lead.
“We need to prepare the estate for their attack.”
“Maybe you should leave, sir,” Matvei says.
My expression hardens, making him lower his eyes. “I’m not going to go into hiding like a coward, and the Irish know it.” That would be admitting defeat without putting up a fight. “We stay, hold our ground.”
I may not usually get my hands dirty in day-to-day operations, but I don’t abandon my men in battle. Not when they need a leader to guide them.
“Yes, sir. We’ll all fight to the end beside you,” Matvei replies. “We should take every precaution to strengthen our defenses here.”
“We know this property better than they do. Inside might be a better battleground than outside,” I tell them as my eyes jump from man to man. “Tight quarters could be an advantage for us.”
I’ve lived here for years. I know every nook and cranny. That gives us an advantage over anyone who has never stepped foot within these walls.
