“You need to get the hell over this. I don’t even want to hear you saythis is why I broke up with youever again. Stop speaking as though you get to choose for me, because this time, I am the one who is choosing. I’m still here, fully knowing what choice I’m making. I haven’t left. If you keep hanging the risk over your head like you are the only one carrying the burden alone, then I will leave. Because you are making it clear that you still don’t see us as equals. Especially when you treat me so delicately.”
He scoffs.
“Do you not see the power that man has?” he demands.
“Are you serious?” I snap. “Do you not see the poweryouhave? If I can stand here after coming face-to-face with him and not be afraid of him or let him get into my head, then so can you! Stop obsessing. It’s making your head clouded, and you’re drowning in it. Snap out of it and think clearly.”
“Kayla, I could have lost you,” he groans.
“But you didn’t. I’m still here. And I’m clearly a freaking strong woman. Strong enough to face men like Anton Radev…and strong enough to be your wife.”
The last thing leaves him speechless for a moment.
He sits there staring at me in surprise.
Suddenly, he chuckles and shakes his head.
“You really are feisty, aren’t you?” he muses, standing up and walking over to me.
“Feisty enough,” I shrug, tilting my head to the side.
“Clearly,” he sighs, laughing softly as he pulls me into his arms. “I’m sorry I’ve been difficult over the past few days,” he whispers, gently kissing my lips.
“I forgive you, but only if you stop obsessing, take a breath, and include me in your thoughts,” I say.
He nods. “You are a brilliant strategist, after all,” he grins.
“Exactly!” I huff. But the smile on my face gives away that I can’t stay angry with him.
“I’ll tell you what…I’m going to take the rest of the week off work. Both of us are. We can spend time with the twins. We can do some fun things to take our minds off all of this, and I’ll have Isaak arrange a day off for all the staff to honor their friends who lost their lives this week,” he adds with sadness in his voice.
“That sounds like the right thing to do,” I nod. I’d much rather have him focused on that instead of paranoid and panicked over a man, who is just a man, after all.
“You can’t let Anton get into your head and make you lose your mind. That’s what he wants. If you do that, you are letting him win.”
He smiles and pushes his finger under my chin. “Don’t be so smart all the time, okay? Next thing I know, you’ll be running Chicago, and I’ll be under your command,” he muses.
“Would that be such a bad thing?” I tease, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him.
He slips his arms tighter around my waist and holds me close, burying his face into the curve of my neck.
“Thank you,” he mutters, muffled against my skin. “Thank you for clearing my head and helping me focus on the things that really matter.”
Chapter 23 - Josiah
It’s astounding how a strong woman can shift your entire thought pattern.
Kayla believing in me and having confidence in me to protect her and our beautiful baby girls has given me the same confidence in myself.
I knew I would never step back and let something happen to them, I knew I would fight tooth and nail to keep them safe—but I was also terrified of the idea of something happening that was out of my control.
Kayla has shown me that living in that state of fear steals life from you. It steals time with the ones you love. It steals your joy and your happiness. And as she explained so well, that is probably exactly what Anton was trying to do.
So, I’ve changed tactics.
Last night, Isaak led a team of men into one of Anton’s larger operations and brought the whole place down. He burned it to the ground. I am biding my time when it comes to dealing with Anton fully, but in the meantime, I had to send a clear message that I am not a man to be messed with.
The attack was a success. We destroyed millions worth of product without taking a single life. Anton will be furious, though, and will most likely plan some kind of retaliation.
