“I was terrified.”
“Courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s doing what needs to be done despite it.” He leans in, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m proud of you.”
The words break open something in my chest. No one has ever said that to me—not Liza, not Sissy, not anyone.
I’m proud of you.
I kiss him.
Right there in the back of the limo, city lights streaking past the rain-spattered windows, I kiss him like he’s the only solid thing left in the world.
And maybe he is. Because everything else is uncertain.
But this? What he and I have? It’s real.
And for now, that’s enough.
Liza is waiting in the living room when we get back. She’s sitting in one of the leather chairs near the fireplace, hands folded in her lap, looking small, tired, and terrified.
She stands when we walk in.
“Thea.” Her voice breaks as she speaks my name.
“I’m fine,” I tell her. But I’m not fine. And I also don’t have the energy to explain. “It’s done, for now.”
She nods, but I can sense my answer isn’t good enough for her.
I watch as Gabriel moves to the bar and pours himself two fingers of whiskey. He doesn’t offer me any; I have no doubt he can sense that my stomach is too tense for alcohol.
“Sit,” he says to Liza once he’s taken a sip. “We need to talk.”
Rain continues to fall. I take the chair across from her. Gabriel presses a button on the wall, and a fire roars to life in the fireplace. He remains standing, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his glass.
For a long moment, no one speaks.
“You told them,” she says quietly. “You told them who you are.”
“Yes,” I say simply.
She takes a slow breath, as if trying to keep her anger at bay.
“I can’t believe you did it. Do you know how much time and effort have been put into keeping your identity a secret? I had to devote mylifeto it. And it wasn’t a burden I happily carried—it was forced upon me. I put my life, my daughter’s life, in danger. And you’ve just thrown it away. Why? For what?”
“I don’t need to explain myself,” I say.
Gabriel watches me, an expression of satisfaction flashing across his face for a brief moment.
Liza sighs, as if she’d expected nothing less. Then she stands, striding over to the bar and pouring herself a drink of her own. Gabriel doesn’t stop her.
“Kolya,” she says, turning around, drink in hand. “How did he take it?”
“He denied everything, denied knowing who she is, denied that he knew she was alive all along,” Gabriel says. “As expected. But the seeds have been planted. The Bratva will review the information I provided and likely do an investigation of their own.”
Liza shakes her head. “So there’s a damn good chance that although your identity has been revealed, Kolya will go unpunished for his crimes. He has a target now, and he won’t stop until you’re dead.” She narrows her eyes. “And you’re not the only one who could be in his crosshairs. He may come for me and Sissy just to send a message.”
She goes back over to the couch, drops onto it, and takes a sip. Liza looks defeated in a way I’ve never seen before.
“God. I’m sorry, Thea.” Her voice is barely a whisper. “For everything. For not telling you. For leaving you. For all of it.”
