“I will take him,” I say.
I tuck the bear under my arm for a second and kiss her forehead.
“I will find Mama,” I say. “I will bring her back. This is my oath.”
She looks into my eyes. For a moment she is not four. She is something else. Then she nods.
“Do not let the man talk too much in your head,” she says. “He is full of bad words.”
“You are wiser than you should be,” I say.
“I listened,” she says.
I set her down. My aunt takes her hand.
“Come see the soup,” my aunt says. “You tell me if I put too much salt.”
They go to the kitchen.
Anastasia stands near the sofa, hands knotted.
“I will stay here,” she says. “With them. I will not move.”
I study her.
“No,” I say. “You go back with Vlad.”
She blinks. “Back?” she repeats.
“Yes,” I say. “Back to the apartment. You keep the routines. The enemy watches patterns. If we break them all at once, we show him where our fear sits. That is not in my interest.”
Her jaw tightens.
“You do not trust me,” she says.
I hold her gaze.
“I trust what I can see,” I say. “I’ve seen a lot of good things over the years, but you also served cocoa Raina didn’t wake from. That’s a bother I can’t address right now. When I have an answer, I’ll decide what you are to me.”
Color drains from her face.
“I would never hurt Raina,” she says.
“Then you have nothing to fear from me,” I say. “Go back. Stay under Vlad’s eye. We’ll speak again when I return.”
She draws a breath that shakes and nods.
“Yes,” she says. “As you say.”
My aunt comes back with Nadia. Anastasia kisses the girl’s cheek.
“I will see you soon,” she says.
Nadia nods. Her eyes go back to me at once.
I leave before I change my mind about anything.
On the stairs down, I pull out my phone and call Vlad.
