Page 119 of Secret Heir

“I’d rather be running again. I’d rather be poor and scared if it meant Daniel was happy and whole.” Aria’s voice trembles.

“We can’t go back.” I tilt her face up to mine so she has to look at me. “We can only go forward. And we do it together.”

She nods, tears sliding down her temples, and I hold her while she cries silently. Eventually her breathing evens out, and I think she’s fallen asleep.

I should sleep too, but every time I close my eyes, I see that car exploding and Len’s body burning. Daniel’s terrified face in the aftermath is burned into my retinas.

I see everything I’ve failed to protect.

My phone buzzes. I grab it before it can wake Aria.

Nikolai: Security footage from JFK. Someone matching Alexander’s description six days ago. I’m going through it now.

Finally something.

I start to sit up, and Aria’s hand catches my wrist.

“Two hours,” she says, her eyes still closed. “You promised.”

I nearly growl at my stupidity. “Nikolai found something,” I protest.

“And he can handle it for two hours while you rest.” Her grip tightens. “Please, Maksim. Please just stay with me.”

How can I resist her pleading? So I lie there in bed, holding the woman I love while my broken body slowly heals and my son slowly breaks apart.

I hate that I can’t fix this. I hate that all my power, my money, and connections can’t make this better.

All I can do is wait. And hope.

And plan exactly how I’m going to kill Alexander Morozov when I find him.

Nikolai finds me in the security office the next evening, reviewing footage for the hundredth time.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” he says, closing the door behind him.

“I’ve rested enough.” I don’t look away from the screens. “What did you find at JFK?”

“It wasn’t him. Similar build and coloring, but facial recognition software ruled it out.” Nikolai moves to stand beside me, his arms crossed. “We’ve checked every airport within five hundred miles along with every border crossing. We’ve even checked every bus station and train depot. It’s like he vanished into thin air.”

I scowl. “No one vanishes into thin air. Not with the resources we have.” I pull up another set of files. “He’s getting help. Someone’s hiding him.”

“The Corsicans,” Nikolai says grimly. “Has to be. Union Corse has been moving people for decades. They know how to make someone disappear.”

“Then we pressure them and find their operations. We shut them down one by one until they give him up.”

“We’ve been doing that. It’s not working fast enough.” Nikolai is quiet for a moment. “How’s Danya?”

The question makes my chest tight. “Not good.”

Nikolai hisses. “What’s happening?”

“He has nightmares every night. He won’t leave our sight, but he also won’t talk to us.” I finally look at my brother so he can see how distraught I am. “He’s a child and he’s terrified all the time. I can’t fucking fix it.”

Nikolai’s expression softens slightly—a rare show of emotion from my usually stoic brother. “He’s resilient. He’ll recover.”

“Will he?” I ask desperately, tugging on my hair in frustration. “He won’t even say my name, Kolya. He was starting to trust me and let me in, and then—” I stop, my throat closing up.

“Then Alexander tried to kill you, and now the boy’s afraid to get attached to someone who might die.” Nikolai’s voice is gentle. “It’s a defense mechanism, Mak. He’s protecting himself.”