I end the call and stare at the phone, the full weight of what’s ahead pressing down on me.
Arms wrap around me from behind. Dinara’s cheek rests against my back, her breath warm against the fabric of my shirt.
“Who was that you were talking to?” she asks quietly.
“Katya. She got into Juilliard.”
“That’s amazing.” She squeezes me tighter. “How is she?”
“Happy. Excited. I hate that I have to be the one to destroy that.”
She moves around to face me, her hands sliding up to cup my jaw. “The truth is always better than living a lie. Even when the truth fucking hurts.”
My throat thickens. “I know you’re right. And I’ll do what I have to.”
She rises on her toes and kisses me, soft and lingering, grounding me in this moment.
“We should probably head to the meeting,” she says after a moment.
“In a second.” I lift her onto the counter so we’re eye to eye, my hands bracketing her hips. “I sent Miron an update on everything this morning. He’s coming back to the US to look into your mother’s movements after she escaped Velour.”
A flash of vulnerability flickers across her features. “It’s weird. I hope she’s alive, but if she is, why didn’t she reach out? Was it too dangerous? Did she think I was better off not knowing?” She swallows hard. “I don’t know. I hope one day I get my answers.”
I pull her closer, tucking her head under my chin. “You will. We’ll find out the truth, one way or another.”
“There’s something else I’ve been thinking about,” she says, taking a deep breath. “I think it’s time I filled my father and Pavel in on everything. I wanted to keep the whole investigation secret but now... maybe it’s time they know.”
I brush a piece of hair back from her face. “How about this: once the Ghost is handled and my father is dead, I’ll fly to Moscow with you. We can talk to them together.”
She blinks in surprise. “You don’t have to do that, you know. Soon, this won’t be your problem anymore.”
My eyes never leave hers as I say, “You were never a problem, Dinara. Never.”
“That’s not what I meant. I just—” She stops, searching my face. “After we both get what we want, there’s no reason for us to stay together. I assumed we’d go our separate ways.”
“Is that what you want?” I grit out. “To go our separate ways?” The idea nauseates me.
“No, I don’t want that.” The words are spoken softly, almost under her breath.
“Thank fuck.” I exhale hard, relief flooding through me as I pull her against my chest. “Because I want you by my side when I take over the Bratva. I want you in my bed every night. I want you as my forever.” I cup her face, forcing her to look at me. We’re about to undertake a dangerous mission and I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to say it again. She needs to understand the depths of my feelings for her. “I’m in love with you, Dinara. And that’s not going to change no matter what happens.”
Tears threaten to spill. “I never thought I’d feel this way either. I love you too. So much it scares me.”
The confession guts me. “I’m not leaving. Not now, not ever.”
She lets out a shaky laugh. “Pavel’s going to lose his mind when we tell him.”
“Good. Let him lose his mind. As long as he understands that you’re my wife, and there’s nothing he can do to change that.” I brush a tear from her cheek. “We’re going to build the life we want. I promise you that.”
I kiss her then, slow and deep, pouring everything I can’t say into the press of my mouth against hers. When we break apart, we’re shaking.
“Are you ready for this meeting?”
She nods, a smile on her lips. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
As we head for the door, I take one last look at the weapons laid out on the table—cleaned, loaded, and ready for tomorrow.
CHAPTER
