Of Carter.
Jed Carter would kill her father if she didn’t give him everything he wanted.
Instead of giving up, instead of betraying me and Tristan and Cole and the team, she had decided that enough was enough.
My baby girl had come to start a war. She was trying so hard to be seductive when all I wanted was to hold her and tell her she didn’t have to fight alone anymore.
I’d give up anything to keep this woman safe. I’d give upeverything. Nothing—not my career, not my reputation, not the life I’d built after my knee surgery, none of it meant a fucking thing compared to Eva, desperate and brave and carrying this weight alone.
I’d walked away from the bratva when Dmitri issued an ultimatum.
I could walk away from hockey too.
I couldn’t walk away from Eva.
Not again.
I pulled out my phone.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was small, uncertain, and I hated that I’d put that uncertainty there.
I dialed Dmitri and hit call before I could second-guess myself.
“Sasha,” he greeted me.
“Dmitri. I’ll do it,” I rasped in English. “WhateverNikolai wants, as long as he promises to help me take down Jed Carter.”
“I’ll set up the meeting,” Dmitri said shortly then hung up.
I’d refused to do this sixteen years ago, refused to pay the price of my revenge, thinking I was too good for the bratva.
Now, I knew the truth. I was a monster.
Eva sat across from me, her eyes wide—courageous, determined, fucking loyal Eva—everything I aspired to be and fell short of, over and over and over again.
She deserved better than to be blackmailed by Jed Carter, better than to be an instrument of my revenge, better than me.
And I was going to give it to her.
My hands were shaking. I pressed them flat against the table, trying to stop the tremors.
Worth it.
25
EVA
“Coach—”I whispered, my eyes wide. “Alek—” And then, a word straight from my heart. “Sir.”
“Eva—” His voice cracked, and I couldn’t bear to watch him hurt alone.
I took a shuddering breath and then stood. “Move,” I whispered, and he pushed his chair out, intending to stand, but I dropped into his lap instead.
I threw my arms around his neck, my cheek brushing the side of his head as I held him close. My entire body shook. “That’s not what I meant to happen,” I whispered. “You shouldn’t have to?—”
“Eva,” Alek rumbled as he pressed a hand to my back. “Enough.”
Hurt ratcheted through me, sharp and hot and unexpected, and I scrambled off his lap.
