The kitchen is cramped. She leans against the far counter, as far from me as the small space allows. Still, we’re only a few feet apart.
I pull a glass from the cabinet and turn on the tap. The pipes groan and shudder, water sputtering out in uneven bursts before settling into a steady stream. I fill the glass and hand it to her.
Our fingers brush.
The contact sends electricity up my arm. Four years, and that hasn’t changed.
She takes the glass, her hand trembling slightly. Whether from exhaustion or emotion, I can’t tell. She drinks slowly, her eyes finally lifting to meet mine.
Tired. Wary. But underneath it all, still searching for answers.
“You need to tell me what happened,” she says quietly. “All of it.”
I lean back against the opposite counter, grounding myself. I need to choose my words carefully. “I know this is overwhelming—”
“Overwhelming.” She repeats the word like she’s testing its weight. “That’s one way to put it.”
I press on. “I got away that night. Barely. Made it look like I was dead so Aslanov wouldn’t keep hunting. He bought it for four years.” I pause. “Until yesterday. He knows I’m alive. And he knows the fastest way to draw me out is through you and Hannah.”
Lauren sets the empty glass down, her knuckles white against the countertop. “So Hannah is in danger because of you.”
Pizdets.
The words hit exactly where they’re meant to.
I tense. “I never wanted this.”
“I know.” Her voice is quieter now, tired. “But it doesn’t change anything, does it? Danger finds you whether you want it to or not. It always has.”
My hands grip the counter’s edge. “I will protect you both. I swear it.”
She takes a shaky breath, her gaze drifting toward the bedroom door where Hannah sleeps. She understands what that promise costs. What it’s always cost.
“Can you?” Her question is barely above a whisper. “Protect us from Ronan Aslanov? He already destroyed you once.”
“I will die before I let anything happen to either of you.”
Something flickers in her expression—pain, maybe, or fear of losing me again when she’s just gotten me back. She blinks it away quickly.
“How are you even here, Niko?” She’s talking to herself more than me. Then her eyes snap back to mine. “And Hannah—she thinks you’re dead. How am I supposed to tell a four-year-old that her father...” She trails off, shaking her head. “I’m not having that conversation with her.”
The words cut deeper than I expected.
But I have to ask. “Do you think... would she accept me? Eventually?”
“She doesn’t know you, Niko.” Lauren’s voice softens slightly. “That’s the problem. You’re a stranger to her.” She pauses, exhaustion written in every line of her face. “Just keep her safe. That’s all I’m asking.”
She moves to put the glass in the sink. Our bodies are close in the cramped space—too close. I can smell her shampoo, feel the warmth radiating from her skin.
I step back before the proximity becomes something I can’t control.
Lauren meets my eyes for a brief moment, something unreadable passing between us. Then she turns and heads back to the bedroom.
I return to my chair outside their door, settling in for another watch.
She’s right, of course. What’s the point of telling Hannah who I am if I might not survive what’s coming? Better to be a stranger who kept her safe than a father who abandoned her twice.
Blyad.
