Chapter 13
Ella
Declan and Rory had decided to take a chance and head back to Wolf Creek and were going to call me the second they landed at home.
Hours later, with still no word, I found myself alone in the small kitchen until Mikhail walked in.
The silence between us felt heavy with unspoken words as I watched him warm two mugs of tea, his movements deliberate and careful, so different from the reckless young man I’d known years ago.
“She has your eyes,” he said quietly, sliding one mug toward me. “And your stubbornness.”
I wrapped my fingers around the warm ceramic. “She gets plenty of stubbornness from both sides.”
He smiled faintly at that. “I deserve your anger, Ella. All of it. I know I’ve caused you immeasurable pain.”
“Pain doesn’t begin to cover it,” I whispered. “I thought I killed you. Do you understand what that did to me? Living with that for eight years?”
His eyes met mine, filled with regret. “I’m sorry. If there had been any other way...” He trailed off, shaking his head. “My father would have never stopped. This was the only path I saw to freedom—for all of us.”
“And now? What path do you see now?” I asked, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice.
Mikhail took a deep breath. “I still love you, Ella. I never stopped.” His words hung in the air between us. “I want us to try again—to be the family we were meant to be before all this happened.”
I stared at him, stunned. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.” He leaned forward, his voice earnest. “We could get married, give Nora the life she deserves with both her parents. Once my father is dealt with, we could go anywhere, start fresh.”
“Married?” I repeated the word, feeling foreign on my tongue. “Mikhail, you’ve been a ghost for eight years. I’ve built a life without you.”
“A life in hiding,” he countered gently. “Always looking over your shoulder.”
I thought about Wolf Creek, about the bakery, about Jake. “It wasn’t all hiding. There were good parts too.”
Something flashed in Mikhail’s eyes—understanding, perhaps jealousy. “Jake Brennen.”
I didn’t confirm or deny it, but my silence was enough of an answer.
“I see the way he looks at you,” Mikhail continued. “The way he stepped between us earlier. He cares for you.”
“He’s been here,” I said. “When things got hard, when I was afraid, he showed up. Not just with words or promises, but with actions.”
Mikhail nodded slowly. “I understand. But, Ella, think about what we could give Nora together. A complete family. Her heritage, her birthright.”
“Her birthright?” I laughed without humor. “You mean the criminal empire your father built? The danger that comes with the Petrova name? That’s not what I want for her.”
“No, not that.” He reached across the table, his fingers stopping just short of touching mine. “The good parts. The art, the music, the history. Her Russian roots, her Irish heritage from you. All of it together.”
I pulled my hands back. “Nora doesn’t need any of that to be whole. She needs to be safe and loved.”
“And she is loved,” Mikhail insisted. “By both of us. I may not have been there, but there hasn’t been a day I haven’t thought about her, worried for her, loved her from afar.”
I studied his face in the dim light. The years had changed him—hardened some features, softened others. But his eyes were the same, dark and intense, capable of making me feel like the only person in the world.
“I can’t just erase the past,” I said finally. “I can’t pretend those years of fear didn’t happen.”
“I’m not asking you to,” he said. “I’m asking for a chance to make amends. To be the man I should have been from the start.”
A floorboard creaked behind us, and we both turned to see Jake standing in the doorway. His face was carefully blank, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.
“Everything okay in here?” he asked, his voice low.
“Fine,” I said quickly. “Just talking.”
Jake’s eyes moved from me to Mikhail and back. “My watch now. You should get some rest.”
Mikhail stood, nodding respectfully to Jake. “Of course. Thank you for your vigilance.” He paused beside my chair. “Think about what I said, Ella. Please.”
After he left, Jake took the seat across from me. Neither of us spoke for a long moment.
“He wants you back,” Jake said finally. It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.” I stared into my cooling tea. “He wants us to be a family.”
Jake’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “And what do you want?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Twenty-four hours ago, I thought he was dead. Before that, I thought he was a liar who wanted to use me to get to Tomas’s fortune. Now...” I sighed, feeling the weight of too many contradicting truths. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
Jake was quiet for a moment, his fingers tracing the rim of his mug. “He’s Nora’s father.”
“Yes.”
“That matters,” he said.
I looked up at him, surprised by his words. “Are you saying I should go with him?”
“I’m saying you have to decide what’s best for Nora.” His voice was carefully neutral. “And for yourself.”
I reached across the table and took his hand. His skin was warm, calloused from years of ranch work. “What happened between us—”
“Doesn’t matter right now,” he interrupted gently. “We’ve got bigger problems to solve first.”
But it did matter. The way his hand had felt against my skin, the tenderness in his kiss, the safety I felt in his arms—it all mattered more than I wanted to admit.
“Jake—”
A sudden crash from outside cut me off. We both jumped to our feet, Jake’s hand automatically reaching for his weapon.
“Stay here,” he ordered, moving swiftly toward the front room.
I ignored him, following close behind. Caleb was already at the window, peering through a gap in the curtains.
“Vehicle,” he reported. “Coming up the drive. Lights off.”
Mikhail appeared from the bedroom, instantly alert. “How many?”
“Can’t tell yet.” Caleb moved to the door, checking that it was secure. “Could be one, could be more.”
My heart hammered in my chest. “Nora—”
“Still asleep,” Mikhail assured me. “I just checked on her.”
Jake positioned himself by the other window. “Two SUVs. At least four men that I can see.”
“Kozlov,” Mikhail spat. “Has to be.”
“How did they find us?” I demanded.
Caleb’s face darkened. “The truck. They must have been tracking it.”
“Everyone, arm yourself,” Jake ordered, handing me a handgun. “Ella, get Nora and take her to the back bedroom. No windows, one door. Easiest place to defend.”
I nodded and hurried to where my daughter slept, wrapped in a quilt on the small couch. She barely stirred as I lifted her, her body warm and heavy with sleep. I carried her to the back room, my mind racing with fear and determination.
As I settled her on the bed, her eyes fluttered open. “Mom? What’s happening?”
“Nothing, sweetheart,” I lied, smoothing her hair. “Just moving you somewhere more comfortable.”
She frowned, not convinced. “I heard noises.”
“It’s just the wind,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Go back to sleep.”
A soft knock at the door made me turn. Mikhail stood there, a pistol in his hand. “They’re surrounding the cabin,” he said quietly. “Jake sent me to help you.”
I nodded, my throat too tight for words. Mikhail entered, closing the door behind him.
“They won’t take her,” he promised, his voice low and fierce. “I won’t let them.”
For the first time since discovering he was alive, I believed him completely. Whatever else had happened between us, his love for our daughter was real.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
“Hold them off until dawn,” he replied. “Caleb called for backup—friends from his military days who live nearby. They should be here within the hour.”
Nora sat up in bed, fully awake now. “Mom, I’m scared.”
I sat beside her, pulling her close. “It’s okay to be scared. But you’re safe with us.”
“Who’s outside?” she asked, her small voice trembling.
Mikhail and I exchanged glances. “Bad people,” I said finally. “But they can’t get in.”
“Like the wolves in my story?” she asked. “The ones who couldn’t blow down the brick house?”
I managed a smile. “Exactly like that. And we’re in the strongest house of all.”
A muffled shout came from outside, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Nora flinched, burrowing closer to me.
“They’re coming in,” Mikhail said, moving to position himself between the door and us. “Stay down.”
I pulled Nora off the bed and onto the floor, shielding her with my body. The sounds from the front of the cabin grew louder—shouting, the crack of gunfire, the splintering of wood.
“Mr. Mikhail is going to keep us safe,” I whispered to Nora, who was shaking against me. “And so is Jake. Remember how brave Jake is?”
She nodded, her face pressed against my shoulder. “Like when he saved Scout from the bad water.”
“Exactly like that.”
More gunshots, closer now. I heard Jake shouting something to Caleb, then a heavy thud like a body hitting the floor.
Mikhail tensed, his weapon raised toward the door. “If they get through,” he said without looking at me, “take Nora and go out the window in the bathroom. Run for the trees. Don’t look back.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I said.
He glanced at me then, a sad smile on his face. “Always so stubborn.” His eyes softened. “I meant what I said earlier, Ella. I never stopped loving you.”
Before I could respond, the door burst open. A man I didn’t recognize stood there, blood streaming from a cut on his forehead, a gun in his hand.
“Mikhail Petrova,” he said, his accent thick. “Your father sends his regards.”
Mikhail fired without hesitation, the sound deafening in the small room. The man crumpled to the floor, but two more appeared behind him.
I covered Nora’s eyes with my hand, my other arm pulling her tight against me. She was sobbing now, her small body convulsing with fear.
One of the men lunged forward. Mikhail met him halfway, and they crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs and curses. The second man raised his weapon, aiming at Mikhail’s back.
“No!” I screamed.
A shot rang out—but not from the intruder’s gun. He staggered backward, clutching his chest. Behind him stood Jake, blood streaming from a gash on his arm.
“Get down!” he shouted.
I pressed Nora and myself flat against the floor as more shots were fired. When I looked up again, the second man was down, and Jake was helping Mikhail restrain the first.
“More coming,” Jake panted. “We need to move. Now.”
“Where’s Caleb?” I asked, getting to my feet with Nora still clinging to me.
A shadow passed over his face. “Hit. He’s holding the front, but he can’t last long.”
Mikhail finished securing the man’s hands with what looked like an electrical cord. “The back way, through the kitchen. There’s a path that leads down to the river.”
Jake nodded. “Go. I’ll cover you.”
“No,” Mikhail argued. “You take them. I’ll stay with Caleb.”
“This isn’t a debate,” Jake snapped. “You know the path better than I do. Get them out.”
“You’re shot. I’m not.” The two men stared at each other, some unspoken understanding passing between them. “Five minutes,” Mikhail said finally. “Then we follow.”
Jake nodded, then turned to me. “Stay close. Move fast. Don’t stop for anything.”
I hitched Nora higher on my hip, but then he took her from me. “Jake, your arm—”
“It's fine,” he cut me off. “Let’s go.”
We made our way through the cabin, stepping over broken furniture and shattered glass. In the living room, Caleb was propped against the wall, a makeshift bandage wrapped around his thigh. His face was pale, but he managed a grim smile.
“About time,” he said. “Was getting lonely out here.”
“Hang on,” Jake told him, gripping his shoulder briefly. “Mikhail’s staying with you. Help’s coming.”
Caleb nodded weakly. “Go on then. We’ll be right behind you.”
The kitchen was untouched by the violence that had swept through the rest of the cabin. Jake led us to a small door half-hidden behind the pantry.
“Service entrance,” he explained, easing it open with one hand while the other held onto Nora. “Leads out back.”
“How did you know that it was there?”
“Scoped out the place earlier.”
The night air hit us like a slap—bitter cold and heavy with snow. Nora whimpered as she looked at me over Jake’s shoulder.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “We’re going on an adventure, that’s all.”
“I need you to take her for a minute,” he said, passing her over to me.
He moved ahead of us, clearing a path through the deep snow.
I followed, struggling to keep up with Nora’s weight in my arms. The forest was pitch black except for the faint glow of moonlight on snow, the trees looming like sentinels on either side of the narrow path.
Behind us, more gunshots echoed from the cabin. I didn’t look back, focusing only on Jake’s broad shoulders ahead of me, on putting one foot in front of the other.
We had gone perhaps a quarter mile when he suddenly stopped, holding up his hand for silence. I froze, straining to hear what had caught his attention.
Footsteps. Coming fast through the snow.
“Down,” he whispered, pulling us off the path and into the shelter of a massive pine. “Don’t move.”
I crouched in the snow, Nora pressed against my chest, her face buried in my coat. My heart was pounding so loudly, I was sure whoever was following us would hear it.
The footsteps grew closer, then paused. A beam of light swept across the path where we had just been standing.
“They came this way,” a man’s voice said in Russian. “The tracks are fresh.”
Another voice answered, too low for me to make out the words. The flashlight beam moved again, probing the darkness.
Jake’s hand found mine in the shadows, squeezing once. I understood the message: Be ready to run.
The light inched closer to our hiding place. I held my breath, feeling Nora tremble against me. Just a few more feet, and we would be discovered.
Suddenly, a shot rang out from further back on the trail. The light jerked away, and the footsteps retreated rapidly.
“Mikhail,” I breathed.
Jake nodded. “Come on, while they’re distracted.”
We emerged from our hiding place and continued down the path, moving as quickly and quietly as possible.
When we finally reached the riverbank, Jake paused, assessing our options. “I know this area. There’s a bridge half a mile downstream,” he said. “But they’ll be watching it.”
“Then what do we do?” I asked, my voice shaking from cold and fear.
Jake looked upstream, his face grim in the moonlight. “We cross here. The ice should hold if we’re careful.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “With Nora? Jake, are you serious?”