"You're being ransomed. If your husband and his uncle don't pay, I'll handle it myself and hand you over to Egor."
"You're insane. Do you hear yourself?"
She ignores me. Turns to the guards. "Make sure they're comfortable. I have calls to make."
"Wait!" I shout. "Let Natalia go. She has nothing to do with this."
Gayle's smile curdles. "Oh, but she does."
The implication lands before she's out of the room.
I turn to Natalia. Heart hammering. "What the hell does that mean?"
She's pale. Crying.
"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
She wipes her face, voice shaking. "I was in trouble, Elle. The Italians, they were going to kill me. Vincenzo's people had already found me once. I was out of options."
My skin goes hot. "What did you do?"
"Your mother approached me the day I walked her to the gate. She said she could make the Italians go away. Protection. Money. A new start. All she wanted was information."
"Information," I repeat. The word tastes like poison.
"About the house. The security rotations. When Nikolai would be gone. When the gates were weakest." She chokes on a sob. "I gave her what she wanted. But I swear to God, Elle, I didn't know she'd do this. I thought she wanted leverage for money. That's it. I didn't know she'd take you."
"But you told her," I say, and my voice is barely a whisper now. "You told her about the pregnancy."
Natalia's face crumples. "She asked if there was anything else. Anything she could use. And I..." Her voice breaks. "I told her. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
I sink to my knees. The world narrows to the sound of my own breathing, ragged and uneven.
Gayle knows.
She knows I'm carrying Nikolai's child.
And she still did this.
Whatever comes next, I know one thing for sure.
My mother didn't just declare war on Nikolai.
She declared war on me. And on my baby.
26
NIKOLAI
Ifinish the last set and the world narrows to the scorch of breath and the burn in my shoulders. My shirt is a second skin by the time I drop the dumbbell and grab my water bottle.
I don't usually work out this late, but the house feels like a coffin without Elle. I check my watch again. She should be back by now.
God, I want to call. But I'm not that stupid. She's already furious. If I push, she'll combust. But sooner or later, we need to talk.
I'm walking out of the gym when my phone rings. I pick up faster than instinct when I see it's one of the bodyguards.
