Marius nods, pity creating creases in his forehead. “I thought you knew.”
“No. I didn’t.” My voice is faint. I feel faint.
Marius nods slowly. “Neither did Peter. She was complicated. Very ambitious. She was with Viktor for a while before Peter. It was a messy split. Viktor doesn’t like to talk about it.” He shrugs as if it’s common knowledge, as if he hasn’t just dropped a bombshell that detonates in my chest.
My mind races as I try to piece together the implications. This adds a whole new layer, a deeper, more insidious connection to the man I’m now engaged to. It’s not just about his controlling nature; it’s about his past, a past intertwined with my own in the most horrifying way.
“She was Viktor’s girlfriend?”
Marius shakes his head. “No. Just a fling. Not serious, not like with you. But yes, they were involved.”
Viktor knew exactly who Roxanne was when she was with his son. It means he had a history with her, a personal stake. It paints a picture of a man even more complex than I’d imagined.
Things have improved between Viktor and me since our conversation that night after the Antonov Bratva ball and the incredible, soul-melting sex afterward. But we still have a long way to go, both of us feeling our way around this entirely new situation. I know Viktor is trying, and so am I.
But this new knowledge sets me back.
The walk back to my office is silent. Marius seems to know he said something very wrong, that he screwed up big time. I’m just trying to sort through my feelings about what he told me and the secrets he revealed. Secrets Viktor neglected to tell me.
Just as I step past an alley, a sudden, sharp crack echoes through the narrow space. A bullet whizzes past my ear, embedding itselfwith a sickening thud into the brick wall beside me. Screams erupt on the sidewalk, and people dive out of the way.
Before I can even process the fear, Marius is there, a blur of motion. He shoves me hard against the wall, shielding me with his body. Another shot rings out, closer this time. He draws his weapon.
“Stay down,” he barks, his voice tight.
My heart is pounding, my chest so tight with the buzz of panic and fear, I can barely breathe. All I can think about is the baby growing within me and Eliza, who needs me; the two most important people in my life, and some crazed psychopath is trying to kill me yet again.
I can’t do this. I can’t do this anymore. This is not a life I can live. This is not a life I want to bring a child into: the constant threat, the violence, the fear—it’s too much.
More screams, throngs of people running. A horn blares and two cars crash as people dart across the road without looking, adding to the chaotic confusion. Marius is engaged in a rapid exchange of gunfire with unseen assailants, and I seize my chance. He’s distracted, his attention solely on the threat. I push off the wall, scrambling to my feet, and run in the opposite direction down the alley, and I don’t look back.
I hail the first cab I see as police flash by us on the street, sirens wailing. I practically throw myself into the back seat. “American Museum of Natural History,” I gasp. “Hurry!”
The driver, a grizzled man with a perpetually bored expression, glances at me in his rearview mirror, then shrugs and pulls into traffic. The city blurs outside the window. Eliza is on a school field trip, and I’m going to collect her.
I call Suzie and tell her what’s happening.
My phone rings as soon as I hang up with my best friend. It’s Marius. I silence it, then turn it off.
We pull up to the museum. I jump out of the cab as soon as I’ve thrown money at the driver—I have no idea how much, but I know it’ll be enough. I search through the endless halls, my pace picking up as I go, frantic to find Eliza before someone else who means her harm does.
I also need to skirt Viktor’s men, who are here watching over her. I’ve seen two of them so far, though I don’t think they saw me, as I ducked behind crowds and displays.
“Leah?”
Eliza’s teacher stares at me when I finally find them in the crowds on the third floor. All the kids are gazing up at the surrounding display, a dazzling spectacle of colors and movement. Eliza’s head whips around when she hears my name.
“Mom?”
“Hey, baby,” I smile at her, wondering what the hell I’m communicating to her. It must look manic, and I must look ridiculous, out of breath, sweaty, and wide-eyed. “I need to pick up Eliza,” I tell the startled teacher. “Emergency. Family.”
The teacher looks at me, her eyebrows nearing her hairline. “Is everything okay?”
“Her aunt was in an accident, and I have to get down to the hospital.”
“Auntie Suzie?” Eliza’s eyes widen, and I hate the fear on her face.
“Okay, sure. I’ll just sign her out for the day.” The teacher looks bewildered because I’m sure she hasn’t dealt with something like this before. She radios the principal, also on the school trip, and I pull Eliza along and blend back into the thick throngs of people.
