Epilogue
G host scrubbed his hand over his face. The sound of a party horn echoed through his office door. Pearl rounded the corner, peeking in. She wore cheap pink NYE glasses, a lit-up necklace, and a sparkly black dress. In her hand was a plastic cup full of her homemade eggnog.
“You’re not still working!” she said. “The party’s in full swing.”
He sighed and rolled away from his desk.
The office was packed with all the employees and their families.
Toth, Savannah, and Roman; Rami and Ivy; Gigi and August; Zain and Dana; a very pregnant Sephie, Taschen; and Brick, Natalie, and Bray.
The dogs, Kevin and Micha, trotted around collecting treats and scraps of food from whoever would slide them something.
A pang of guilt hit him. He’d kind of abandoned Mila with Ivy and Gigi for a few minutes, but Rami had told Ghost he needed to speak with him, so he’d come into his office to wait.
“I’ll be right there. Save me some meatballs.”
Pearl tsked and placed the cup on his desk. “I’ll make you a plate before it’s all gone. You’ve got ten minutes.”
He smirked. Rami walked through the door with Kevin at his heels, and Pearl gave a little wave as she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Kevin jumped into the dog bed—each office was equipped with one—and lay down to rest. Ghost couldn’t blame the little Frenchie. He wanted to escape the commotion, too, and just take Mila back to his place. Although the party was entertaining, the urge to get home was strong.
From the moment he’d found her he’d wanted to ask Mila to move in, but with all that’d happened, he’d decided not to rush her.
Instead, he’d asked her to stay while she healed.
She’d agreed, and he’d collected a bunch of her belongings from her place.
Until he got the balls to make things official, their living arrangement would be temporary.
“What’s up?” Ghost asked, as his friend took a seat across from him.
“I overstepped a little,” Rami said. He placed the folder he was holding on Ghost’s desk and rested his hand on top. “Something about Mila’s story nagged at me and I, well, I just couldn’t shake it.”
Annoyance prickled the back of Ghost’s neck. “If you came in here with some kind of dirt on her and you think—”
Rami held up his hand. “No, man. It’s not like that.”
Ghost gestured for Rami to continue.
“Her story ate me up. Being kidnapped and—” He shook his head. “I’ll leave this with you.” With that, Rami exited, taking Kevin with him.
Curiosity gnawed at Ghost. He slid the slim manila folder across the desk and flipped it open.
His blood slowed, and he blinked repeatedly as he read the words over and over. Finally, he lowered the folder.
Holy shit.
***
Mila accepted the cup of coffee from Ghost. Despite it being the morning after New Year’s Eve, she’d slept great.
She’d been a little apprehensive about attending Ghost’s work party, but she’d had the best time with all the women.
Seeing Dana had instantly settled her nerves and made her feel more welcome.
“Can you believe both Natalie and Sephie are pregnant?”
Ghost poured cream into his mug and sat at the table next to her. “Just watch, Ivy and Gigi will be next.” He chuckled. “But yeah, it’s pretty amazing. More Backcountry kids to have running around the office.”
Mila smiled wistfully. During her years with Irinia, she’d never allowed herself to think about having a family of her own. It wasn’t until she’d met Ghost that she’d started to see a life in which one day, if he was game, there might hopefully be children. “So exciting.”
Ghost looked away, and her stomach flipped.
“What’s wrong?”
He took a swig of his coffee. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
The unease in her stomach turned to acid. She shifted in her seat. Things had been amazing between them the last couple of weeks. They’d celebrated Christmas Eve together, and had gone to Brick’s house for dinner on Christmas Day.
The strained look of Ghost’s face told her that everything she’d hoped for was about to unravel and she had no choice but to sit and watch.
He reached for the folder he’d placed on the counter and then set it in front of her. “I wish I could take credit for this research, but Rami had an inkling and, well... have a look.”
She set her cup on the table and frowned as she peeled open the folder. Three driver’s license pictures stared back at her.
Nicola Vasiliev
Demitry Vasiliev
Igor Vasiliev
Her brother looked at least thirty in his photo, and her parents had aged as well. Confusion swirled her thoughts faster than a blender. But her hopeful heart beat faster. She shook her head. “What’s this?” She looked at him.
Ghost’s expression turned sympathetic, but joy glittered in his eyes. “Your family, Mila. They never died in a car accident. Irinia lied to you.”
The air left her lungs. Mila propped her elbow on the table and pressed her fingers into her temple. “Oh my god.”
All this time.
She replayed the moment Irinia handed her the newspaper article.
Not once had Mila questioned the validity of what she’d read.
The timing had been perfect. Mila had been a teenager, and surely Irinia had known that if she was to utilize Mila as the killer she’d made her into, she’d need freedom.
Freedom that would allow her the opportunity to find her family—unless they were dead.
“I-I can’t believe this.” Tears flooded her eyes and a hard lump formed in her throat.
She’d never looked for her family. Not once. Instead, she’d grieved, brokenhearted, as all of her hope was washed away. Irinia had used that despair and hardened Mila more, sending her to the US and making it even less likely Mila would get curious and look for them despite the article.
Ghost’s hand covered hers. She gazed at the three faces that’d been imprinted in her mind since birth. The faces of people that, although familiar, were strangers to her.
“I’m so sorry,” Ghost said.
She sniffed. “It feels like Irinia got the last laugh. Even from hell she’s able to crush me.” The words came out broken and hoarse.
Ghost cursed and tugged her onto his lap. He cupped her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. “No, baby. This is her losing. You can be reunited with them now.”
She jolted, realization worming through the shock that’d taken over.
That was what she wanted more than anything.
To see her family again. To be close to them.
To set them free from the horror they probably lived with day in and day out.
“I’m scared,” she admitted, whispering the words so as not to give them any more power.
Ghost’s gaze tethered itself to hers. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. We can—”
She pulled out of his hold slightly. “I need to see them.” No matter how scared she was, she couldn’t waste any more time. “For twenty years, I dreamed I’d see them again. When Irinia told me they were dead, that hope was lost. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance.”
He smiled. “First things first.” He passed his phone to her. “I tracked down your mom’s number. It’s on the paper in the folder. Why don’t you call her? We’ll start looking for flights once you two figure things out.”
She held his phone while he shifted her back to the chair.
“Take your time.” He stood to leave.
Nervousness bubbled inside her. “Wait.” She caught his arm. “Stay.”
He hooked an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. Swallowing a sip of her coffee in hopes it’d give her strength, she dialed the phone number next to her mom’s name. She glanced at the clock. It’d be after 9:00p.m. in Moscow, but surely she’d still be awake.
The line rang once, twice...
Oh god. What if this was all a big mistake? What if—
“Hello?” a woman said, in Russian.
“Mama?” Mila breathed, the word coming out strangled and desperate.
Silence stretched.
A sharp intake of breath followed.
“Mila?!” A stream of words rushed through the phone as her mom cried hysterically and then screamed her father’s name. He got on the line.
Tears ran down Mila’s cheeks. “Yes, Mama and Papa, it’s me,” she said, in her native language.
Ghost grasped her fingers on her lap, and his other arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder.
“Where are you?” her father demanded, through tears.
“I’m in Seattle.” She briefly explained to them what’d happened without going into details about what Irinia had trained her to do. That was something to share on another day. For now, she wanted their reunion to be untainted.
They talked for a long time. Her parents told her that Igor was married and had two young boys. They lived right around the corner from their family home.
“When can we see you?” her mother asked.
Mila looked at Ghost. “She wants to know how soon I can visit.”
Ghost covered the phone with his hand. “We can leave as soon as I find us flights. In the next couple of days.”
Her heart expanded, and she nodded eagerly. “Mama. We can be there this week if that’s good for you.”
Her parents dissolved in another fit of tears, and Mila joined in. Before she ended the call, Mila promised to let them know travel details as soon as possible.
By the time they’d finished breakfast, Ghost had booked flights for Monday morning. Just two days away.
“You gonna be okay traveling in the walking boot?” Ghost asked, gesturing at the damn foot accessory that’d been a part of her life for the last two weeks.
“It’ll suck, but like I said, I’m not going to waste any more time.”
“Good. By the way, I bought one-way tickets. We’ll need to come back in a few weeks to get your leg looked at again. Otherwise, we can stay as long as you want.”
She reached for his hands. “Thank you. For everything.”
Ghost kissed her fingers. “There’s nothing to thank me for. Just say you’ll stay.”
She raised her eyebrows. They’d already determined she’d move in temporarily while her injury healed, but they hadn’t discussed anything permanent. “You mean... for good?”
“Mila, I’ve never loved a woman before. Not fucking once. There’s no guesswork, here. All I need to know is if I’m moving too fast.”
She shook her head adamantly. “No.”
He froze, his face darkening. “No, I’m not moving too fast or no, you don’t want to stay?”
She laughed. “No, you’re not moving too fast. Yes, I want to stay.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “Perfect. ’Cause I’d hate to have to tie you up again.”
She snorted. “Don’t get me excited.”
Ghost laughed, then cleaned up the table. As Mila watched him putter around the kitchen, her heart grew four sizes bigger.
All the dreams she’d thought impossible had come true. A loving man, her freedom, and now a reunion with her family.
All because one target had stopped her from killing him and stolen her heart.