Epilogue
One year later
DINARA
Moscow in late autumn is exactly as I remember: gray skies, biting wind, the Moskva River cutting through the city like a vein. But I’m not the same girl who left here a year ago. So much has changed, thanks to the man sitting beside me.
“You’re nervous,” Kirill observes from beside me. We’re in the back of the car Pavel sent to pick us up from the airport.
I drop my hand from the bird pendant at my throat and shoot him a look. “I’m not nervous.”
“You’ve been fidgeting with your necklace for the past twenty minutes.”
“I’m not nervous. I’m just thinking about how much has changed in my life.” I watch the city slide past the tinted windows. “And now I’m coming back with a husband, a completely different career, and a mother who runs a cartel. It’s wild.”
Kirill’s hand finds mine. “It’s wild in the best possible way.”
The car pulls up to Pavel’s compound and my stomach does a flip. The gates roll open and we drive through, past the manicured grounds and toward the main house where I spent so much time over the past few years.
Before the car even stops, the front door flies open and Papa comes hurrying out, not even bothering with a coat despite the cold. The moment he sees me stepping out of the car, his weathered face breaks into the widest smile.
The look on my father’s face is worth every minute of the fourteen-hour flight.
“Dinochka?” He stares at me like I’m a vision, snowflakes already settling in my hair. “What are you doing here?”
“Surprise?” I grin and launch myself at him, wrapping my arms around his barrel chest. “Happy birthday, Papa.”
He crushes me against him, his bushy beard tickling my forehead. “You didn’t have to fly all this way.”
“Of course I did. It’s your birthday.”
When he finally releases me, his eyes are suspiciously bright. Then he notices Kirill behind me, carrying our bags, and his expression shifts into something warmer.
“Kirill. Good to see you, son.”
Son . The word still makes Kirill’s eyes flash with emotion every time Papa uses it.
“Good to see you too, Yarik.”
They shake hands and then Pavel appears in the doorway, looking smug. “Told you I could keep a secret.”
“You knew?” Papa turns to glare at him.
“For weeks.” Pavel grins. “Dinara wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Well, mission accomplished.” Papa pulls me in for another hug. “This is the best gift I could have asked for.”
Hope emerges from the house, Kin trailing behind her, and the next few minutes are a blur of hugs and greetings and Kin demanding to know if we brought him presents from New York.
“Maybe,” I say, ruffling his hair. “If you’ve been good.”
“I’m always good!”
Hope snorts. “Define good.”
We settle into the warmth of the house, shaking off the cold, and making small talk. When we enter the living room, I freeze in place.
Marina’s standing looking out the window. My heart stops. Our eyes meet and she gives me a small smile, something tentative and hopeful.
“Surprise,” she says quietly. “Pavel invited me too.”
I cross the room and hug her, breathing in her sweet scent. “This is certainly a surprise, but a good one.”
She pulls back and there’s vulnerability in her expression I rarely see. “I wasn’t sure if I should, but he insisted.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” And I mean it.
Over the past year, Marina and I have gotten close in ways I never expected. Working together to dismantle trafficking rings has forced us to communicate constantly, to trust each other, to build something that goes beyond mother and daughter. We’re partners now. Allies. Friends.
And maybe, slowly, we’re becoming family.
Dinner is loud and chaotic. We gather around Pavel’s dining table—me and Kirill, Pavel and Hope, Kin chattering nonstop about school, Yarik at the head of the table with Marina to his right.
At one point, Kin announces that he’s going to be an astronaut when he grows up, and Pavel looks genuinely panicked.
“Space?” he mutters to Hope. “He wants to go to space?”
“It’s a phase,” she assures him. “Last month he wanted to be a professional dinosaur hunter.”
“At least he dreams big,” I quip.
“So when are you two going to give us a baby?” Hope asks, grinning wickedly.
I nearly choke on my wine. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve been married a year. Seems like the next logical step.”
“We’re taking our time,” Kirill says smoothly. “Enjoying being newlyweds.”
“Plus, Dinara’s busy destroying criminal networks,” Marina adds with obvious pride. “Can’t exactly do that with morning sickness.”
Papa raises his glass. “To my daughter. The most fearless woman I know.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Pavel agrees, and everyone raises a glass.
The truth is, I’m only fearless because Kirill’s by my side. None of the work matters, none of the victories mean anything, unless he’s there beside me. He’s my anchor. My home. The reason I can walk into the darkness and know I’ll find my way back.
KIRILL
I find Dinara on Pavel’s balcony, wrapped in one of my jackets, staring out at the stars and the softly falling snow.
“Hey,” I say, sliding my arms around her from behind.
She leans back against me. “Hey yourself.”
“You okay?”
“More than okay.” She turns in my arms, and looks up at me. Those beautiful hazel eyes connecting with mine. “This has been perfect. Exactly what I needed.”
My hands find her waist. “Your dad’s happy.”
“Yeah. He is.” She pauses. “Thank you for coming here with me. I know it’s not easy being away from New York.”
“Matvey and Dem can handle things.” I brush snow from her hair and lean in for a soft kiss. “Besides, I’d follow you to the ends of the earth. You know that.”
“Even to Moscow in the dead of winter. You’re a brave man.”
“Into the depths of hell if that’s what it required for us to stay together.”
“I really hope not.”
She smiles and I kiss her again, deeper this time, tasting wine and chocolate cake.
When we break apart, she says, “I’ve been thinking about what Hope said at dinner. About kids.”
My heart kicks up. “Yeah?”
“Not right now. We’re still building our life, but someday soon…” She trails off, and I see the hope in her eyes.
“Hell, yes. I’d really like to put a baby in you, moya zhena, ” I vow, cupping her face in my hands. “Many babies, to be clear. At least five.”
“Whoa, slow down there, babe.” She laughs. “Can we start with one, maybe two, see how we take to the whole parenting thing?”
“I know you’re going to be an amazing mother. Just like you’re amazing at everything. You’ve changed my life, solnyshko, for the better. Every day I think about how fucking lucky I am.” I bury my face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in.
A year ago, I was a man going through the motions of a brutal life I didn’t really want. Now I have purpose. Partnership. Love that is bone-deep.
She laughs. “You’re getting soft, Pakhan.”
“Only for you, baby. Only for you.”
I look down at the woman who walked into my club with a fake name and a dangerous mission and somehow became my whole world.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thank you so much for reading!