“When did you know?” I ask.
“That I loved you? Or that I was in trouble?”
“Either. Both.”
“I knew I was in trouble the first time you challenged my code optimization methods. Most people are intimidated by my technical skills, but you treated them as a starting point for collaboration rather than something to be impressed by.”
“And love?”
“When you threw yourself between me and gunfire without hesitation. When you prioritized my safety over your own survival instincts.” She reaches out to trace the line of my jaw. “When I realized you saw me as someone worth protecting rather than someone who needed to be controlled.”
“You are worth protecting.”
“I know. But most men in our world want to protect women by limiting them, keeping them away from danger. You want toprotect me by making me stronger, more capable of handling whatever comes.”
“Because you’re already stronger than most people I know. Trying to limit you would be like trying to contain lightning in a bottle.”
“See? That’s exactly what I mean.” She leans closer, close enough that I can see the silver flecks in her gray eyes. “You understand that my strength isn’t something to be managed—it’s something to be partnered with.”
“Partners,” I repeat, liking the sound of it.
“In everything. Business, family politics, whatever comes after we reshape both our organizations.” Her hand slides from my face to rest over my heart. “Is that what you want? A true partnership?”
“More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
“Even though it means giving up your escape plans? Committing to this life permanently?”
“Especially because of that.” I cover her hand with mine, pressing it more firmly against my chest. “I’m done running, Kira. Done planning exits and maintaining emotional distance. I want to build something with you that’s worth defending.”
“What kind of something?”
“I don’t know yet. Something that combines your vision with my skills. Something that proves organized crime doesn’t have to mean organized brutality.” I pause, then add, “Something our children could be proud of inheriting.”
Her breath catches. “Children?”
“Eventually. Maybe. If you want them.”
“I never thought about it before. Children seemed incompatible with the life I was expected to live.”
“And now?”
“Now I think about little girls who might inherit my analytical mind and your protective instincts. Little boys whomight grow up understanding that strength and intelligence aren’t mutually exclusive.” She smiles, and something in it takes my breath away. “I think about raising children who choose this life because they want to improve it, not because they’re trapped in it.”
“That sounds like a dream worth working toward.”
“It does, doesn’t it?”
We sit there in the blue glow of the monitors, hands linked, contemplating a future that feels both impossible and inevitable. In three days, we’ll execute a plan that will reshape both our families forever. In three days, everything changes.
But right now, in this moment, we’re just two people who’ve found something worth fighting for in each other.
“Kira,” I say softly.
“Yes?”
“After this is over, after we’ve secured our position and reorganized our families’ relationship—will you marry me? Really marry me, not just fulfill the political arrangement.”
“Are you proposing?”
