“My father and Claire and I didn’t even have time to argue about how to get her there. While Andre and Oleg and Sergei were planning how to save you, Roman got word that Esmeralda was alreadythere.”
I blew out a deep breath and told her how I’d already been planning on how to get my cousin moved.
“You’re going to need to tell them to help that boy who carried her out.” She tapped a text on her phone right now, likely giving the heads up.
“But she’s doing all right?” I asked, taking the chance to not dwell on the finances of it all. An incredulous laugh slipped free. “You Orlovs have acted more like family than my uncle ever has. You got her in. I bet Mikhail is already paying for it.”
She nodded. “It’s scary and amazing how much influence he has. One word of a donation to them and they were bending over backward to accommodate us. Claire’s been in touch the whole time, getting updates on the hour.”
“And she’ll… be comfortable?”
“Yes. I’m sure that as soon as it’s safe?—”
“You mean as soon as someone kills my uncle?” I corrected.
She winced.
I shook my head. “Anya, there isnolove lost between us. I defied him the second I came here, wanting to help Andre and be loyal to him. And he deserves it. He deserves my loyalty and love. You all do.”
All this fighting had to stop. It had gone on for too long. And it was past time for me to explain to Andre that my love was all he could ever expect from me. My submission, but not necessarily my obedience. My compassion, but not any right to use me.
Anya hugged me again, holding on close and breathing in deeply.
“I told you, didn’t I?” she joked lightly as she released me. “He’d make up with you and admit how much of a moron he was to doubt you.”
“Um. Hehada reason to doubt me. My uncle sent me here to spy on him.”
“Then it’s a good thing you weren’t a very good one,” Claire said as she entered the room and clearly caught what I’d said. “How are you feeling?”
She checked me over, giving me a clinical and thorough update about all she knew of my cousin so far. “She’s been frantic to know where you were. If you were all right.”
I blinked as Claire pulled up a chair and sat with us. “Oh, my God. She hadn’t even known that I was there with her at his house when he had me taken.”
“Not for long, fortunately.” Claire smiled. “She’s anxious to speak to you, and as soon as we can arrange that, you can call her. Right now, Mikhail wants a tight control over what’s happening. If your uncle were to intercept a call, or have someone sent there…” She shook her head and furrowed her brow. “We have security in place.”
“Lotsof security,” Anya said. “The hospice workers might have been freaked out at first.”
“But Mikhail won’t let anyone get there to reach her.” Claire nodded once, as if making it a fact. “I believe they are still considering relocating you to a safehouse for a couple of days, just in case, but you’re in good hands, Sofia.”
“Whatever it takes to finish this. To finish him.” I allowed a small smile and put my hands over my baby. “Whatever it takes to pave the way for a new beginning.”
One of love and commitments, not lies and stealth.
It was in this moment of good news about my cousin that I could truly feel like I was finally living life to the fullest. Choosing Andre, choosing love, and looking forward to having our child. Those were the ways that I could erase this stain of thinking we had only a forbidden affair to keep us together.
Love.
That was what glued us together in this tense situation, and it was the guiding force that I would follow with him, no matter how easy or hard the way forward would be.
I wasn’t alone anymore, and I never would be again.
37
ANDRE
The morning merged into the afternoon. Hours passed into the evening, hectic and busy. To plan and plot how to take out Roberto Giovanni wasn’t a simple little task to cross off my list.
It required meetings with spies. Talking with the Rossis, who were insistent on being included in this fight, then arranging scenarios of how this could go.
