“Yeah,” I say. “We move now.”
She nods once and gets up. No drama. No questions. We dress in silence, quick and efficient. Jeans, sweaters, dark coats. No jewelry. No loose ends.
We wake Nadia next.
She blinks up at me, hair in her face. “Papa?”
“Morning, little star,” I say. “We’re going to Aunt Tanya’s today. You’ll stay with her for a bit.”
She frowns. “Again?”
“Yes,” I say. “I have work. I need you somewhere safe.”
Her eyes search my face. “You’re going to find Mama’s bad man?”
“Yes,” I say. I won’t lie to her. “Today, we start the end of that.”
She takes that in. Then she pushes her blanket away and sits up. “Then I’ll go,” she says. “I’ll keep the cat company.”
Raina’s in the doorway, watching us. There’s pride and pain in her eyes. Nadia sees her and lifts her arms.
“Mama,” she says.
Raina walks over and hugs her hard. “You listen to Aunt Tanya,” she says. “You eat what she gives you. You lock the door when she says. No balcony. No games with strangers.”
“I know,” Nadia mutters against her neck. “I’m not a baby.”
Raina pulls back and cups her cheek. “You’ll always be my baby,” she says, voice softer. “But you’re also my brave girl. Remember our song?”
“Yes.” Nadia straightens a little. “Third bridge. Blue roof. Fox on the door.”
I catch that line. She still carries it. It helped bring Raina home. Good. That kind of memory will keep her alive her whole life.
We move fast.
By the time we reach the garage, Vlad’s already waiting, men in position. One car for us, one for support, one ahead for sweeps. I picked sedans, not the usual SUVs. Less noise. Less attention.
I strap Nadia in myself. Raina slides in beside her. I take the front passenger seat. Kirill drives. The city’s just waking up. Traffic’s light. The streets are gray and cold. Nadia watches out the window with the bear in her lap.
Halfway there, she leans forward, eyes on the back of my seat. “You’ll come back,” she says. It’s not a question.
“Yes,” I say.
“Both of you?” she asks.
“Both,” I say. “We’re a set. You get us together or not at all.”
She nods, satisfied for now. Raina reaches for my shoulder and squeezes once. I feel the shake in her hand, even if her face stays calm.
We reach Aunt Tanya’s building. Same courtyard. Same trees. Same old bench. My men are in place again, blending in. One smokes. One pretends to talk on the phone. Their coats hide guns.
We go up. My aunt opens the door before we knock, like last time.
“There you are,” she says. “Bring me my girl.”
Nadia runs into her arms. The old woman holds her with surprising strength. “You’re thinner,” she tells Nadia, which is such a Tanya thing to say, since she’s only seen Nadia once before. “We’ll fix that. Tell me what you want to eat, and it’ll happen.”
Nadia actually smiles. “With jam?”
