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“If this woman goes near my daughter, I want to know before she breathes in Ivy’s direction.”

Roman’s voice hardens. “You’ll know.”

“And Enzo?” I press.

“Still missing.”

I look down at the report in my hand. “He didn't disappear on his own.”

“No,” Roman agrees. “Someone moved him. The question is whether they were protecting him or silencing him.”

Neither possibility sits well with me.

“You should go home,” Roman says.

“I will.”

“Maggie is there?”

“Yes,” I reply. “She’s there.”

“Then go home,” he tells me. “Za semyu.” For the family.

“Za semyu.” I repeat.

The call ends, and Isabella Moretti’s name is burned into the front of my mind.

By the time I reach the mansion, most of the house has already gone to bed. Security meets me at the front entrance with a brief report. No movement near the gate. No unknown vehicles. No issues inside the house. The report should reassure me, but it doesn’t.

Mrs. Bennett appears near the foyer, her gray hair pinned neatly. “Miss Ivy’s asleep.”

“And Maggie?”

“In Miss Ivy’s room.” Her eyes warm. “She went in to read and never came back out.”

I climb the stairs without another word. The hallway outside Ivy’s room is dim, lit by the low sconces along the wall. I open the door slowly. Daisy lifts her head from the rug, then lowers it when she sees me. Winston is sprawled across the foot of the bed like a guard dog ten sizes too small for the job.

Ivy sleeps beneath a pale pink blanket, one hand resting near her cheek. Maggie lies asleep beside her, her hair loose across the pillow. She’s placed herself between Ivy and the rest of the room.

I remain where I am, simply looking at them. Somewhere along the way, this became everything. A life I never planned for, filling the room in front of me.

I move closer and crouch beside the bed. Maggie's lashes rest against her cheeks, but even asleep, she looks exhausted. The last few weeks have taken a visible toll.

I touch her shoulder with care. “Maggie.”

She stirs but doesn’t wake.

“Maggie,” I say again, lower this time.

Her eyes open, unfocused at first, then find me in the low light. She draws in a breath like she’s forgotten where she is.

“Alexei?” She blinks, then looks toward Ivy. “Did I fall asleep?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” She starts to sit up quickly, but I place a hand on her arm to slow her.

“Come to bed.”