Chapter 17
Ella
I stared at him, startled by his directness. I was going to deny it, to protect this fragile thing that had been growing between Jake and me. But lying to Mikhail felt wrong after everything we’d been through.
“I don’t know what I am,” I said finally. “A few days ago, I thought you were dead. I thought I’d killed you.”
He winced at that, guilt flashing across his face. “I never meant for you to carry that burden.”
“But I did carry it. For eight years.” I looked down at my hands, pale against the hospital blanket. “I built a life around that truth—that I was capable of taking a life to protect my child.”
“And now?” he asked quietly.
I met his gaze again. “Now I don’t know what’s true anymore. Who I am. What I want.”
Mikhail leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “I meant what I said at the cabin, Ella. I want us to try again. To be a family—you, me, and Nora.”
“You can’t just walk back into our lives and expect everything to fall into place,” I said, frustration building despite my exhaustion. “Nora doesn’t even know you’re her father. I’ve spent years building a home for us. A safe place.”
“A place you’ll have to leave now, regardless,” he pointed out. “My father knows where you are. Wolf Creek isn’t safe anymore.”
I closed my eyes, fighting back tears of frustration. He was right, and I hated it. Everything I’d built was crumbling around me.
“I need time,” I said finally. “Time to process all of this. To figure out what’s best for Nora.”
“And for yourself?” he asked, his voice gentle.
I opened my eyes to find him watching me with an intensity that was all too familiar. Once, that look had made my heart race. Now, it just made me feel tired and annoyed.
“Yes,” I said. “For myself too.”
He nodded, accepting this for now. “I have safe houses arranged. Places my father doesn’t know about. Once you’re discharged, we can—”
“I’m not making any decisions right now,” I interrupted. “Not until I’ve talked to Jake.”
Something hardened in his expression. “Jake Brennen is a good man. I can see that. But he doesn’t understand what we’re dealing with. My father—”
“Has been looking for us for years,” I finished for him. “And Jake has been protecting us without even knowing the full story. He deserves to be part of this conversation.”
Mikhail studied me for a long moment, then stood. “Very well. But remember, Eleanora, time is not on our side. My father will realize soon enough that his men are dead. When he does, he’ll send others—more dangerous ones.”
He moved toward the door, then paused, turning back to me. “For what it’s worth, I truly am sorry. For everything I put you through. Everything you’re still going through because of me.”
Before I could respond, he was gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the steady beeping of the machines.
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, the room was darker and someone was holding my hand. I opened my eyes to find Jake sitting beside the bed, his thumb tracing absent patterns on my skin as he stared out the window at the falling snow.
“Hey,” I said softly.
He turned, relief washing over his face when he saw me awake. “Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I said, and it was true. The rawness in my throat had eased, and the bone-deep cold seemed to have finally receded. “Where’s Nora?”
“Declan and Rory took her to the lodge,” he explained, squeezing my hand gently. “She was exhausted but didn’t want to leave you. I promised we’d call the second anything changed.”
I nodded, relief washing through me at knowing she was safe with my brother. “And Mikhail?”
His expression tightened slightly. “He went with them. Said he needed to make some calls, set up security at the lodge.”
I knew that was just an excuse, as Declan had the place wired to the teeth already. An awkward silence fell between us. There were too many things to say, too many unresolved questions hanging in the air. I wasn’t sure where to begin.
“You saved my life,” I said finally. “You went into that water after me.”
Jake shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. “Anyone would have done the same.”
“No,” I insisted. “Not anyone. We both know that. It was you who risked your life for mine.”
His eyes met mine, intense and unwavering. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
My throat tightened with emotion. “Jake, about what Mikhail said—”
“You don’t need to explain,” he cut in, pulling his hand away from mine. “He’s Nora’s father. He’s alive. That changes everything.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I whispered, reaching for his hand again. “It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
His eyes widened slightly, hope warring with caution. “And how’s that?”
I took a deep breath. “When I was under the ice, when I thought I was dying, I saw your face. Not just Nora’s, not just my past—yours. What does that tell you?”
Jake moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed. Through the blankets, his leg against mine, had a calming effect that I couldn’t explain. “I don’t know. What does it tell you?”
“That you’ve become important to me,” I admitted. “More important than I was ready to admit to anyone, including myself.”
He reached up to brush a strand of hair from my face. His fingers, light as a feather, brushed across my skin. “Ella…”
A knock at the door interrupted us. A nurse entered, carrying a tray with medication. “Sorry to intrude,” she said, noting our closeness. “Just time for your next dose.”
Jake stood, stepping back to give her room. I swallowed the pills she offered, forcing them past the lump in my throat.
“The doctor will be by in the morning for one final check,” she informed me as she recorded my vitals. “If all looks good, you should be discharged before noon.”
We thanked her as she left. But the moment had been broken, Jake remained standing, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. “We need to talk about what happens next,” he said, his voice carefully neutral.
I nodded. “Mikhail thinks we should go to a safe house until his father is dealt with.”
“And what do you think?”
I sighed, the weight of the decision pressing down on me. “I think I’m tired of running. Tired of looking over my shoulder. But I can’t put Nora at risk.”
“There’s another option,” Jake said quietly. “My ranch. The main house is secluded, defensible. Declan’s already beefed-up security. He, Kane, Connor, Rory, and Dave, my helper, and I are all willing to take shifts watching the perimeter.”
I stared at him, surprised. “You’d do that? Put yourself in danger for us?”
“I told you before—you’re not alone in this anymore.” He moved back to the bed, his expression earnest. “Let me help you, Ella. Let all of us help you.”
The offer tempted me more than I wanted to admit. Not just the safety of his ranch, but the chance to stay close to him, to explore what was growing between us. But Mikhail’s warnings echoed in my mind.
“Jake, you don’t understand what these people are capable of. Mikhail’s father—”
“Is just a man,” Jake interrupted. “A dangerous one, sure, but not invincible. And we’ll have something he doesn’t expect—Mikhail himself, working from the inside.”
I considered this, turning the idea over in my mind. “Mikhail won’t like it. He’ll say it’s too risky.”
“This isn’t his decision to make,” Jake said firmly. “It’s yours.”
He was right. For too long, I’d allowed others to dictate the course of my life—first Tomas, then Mikhail, then my own fear. Perhaps it was time to take back control.
“Okay,” I said finally. “We’ll go to the ranch. But only until Mikhail delivers the evidence and his father is arrested. After that...” I trailed off, unsure how to finish the thought.
Jake nodded, understanding the unspoken. After that, we’d have to figure out what came next—all of us, including Mikhail and Nora.
“Get some rest,” he said, leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”
I caught his hand before he could move away. “Jake, there’s something else we need to talk about. Something important.”
“What is it?”
I took a deep breath, knowing this would change everything between us. “Nora needs to know the truth. About her father.”
Jake’s expression remained carefully neutral, but I saw the flicker of pain in his eyes. “I know.”
“I don’t know how to tell her,” I admitted. “How do you explain to an eight-year-old that her father isn’t dead after all? That I’ve been lying to her all this time?”
“You’ve been protecting her,” Jake corrected gently. “And you’ll find the right words. You always do.”
His faith in me was humbling. “Will you be there? When I tell her?”
The question clearly caught him off guard. “If you want me to be.”
“I do,” I said firmly. “She trusts you. Having you there might make it easier for her. I know it will for me at least.”
He nodded, his expression somber. “Then I’ll be there.”
Exhaustion swept over me suddenly, the events of the past days catching up all at once. Jake noticed immediately.
“Sleep,” he urged, helping me settle back against the pillows. “Everything else can wait until morning.”
As my eyes grew heavy, I felt him press another kiss to my forehead. “Sweet dreams, Ella,” he whispered.
I drifted off with his hand still holding mine, like he was anchoring me to this world.
Morning brought a flurry of activity—doctors checking my vitals one last time, nurses providing discharge instructions, and finally, the arrival of fresh clothes that Rory had brought from my house.
“Ready to get out of here?” Jake asked, wheeling a wheelchair into the room.
I eyed the chair with distaste. “Do I really need that? I can walk fine.”
“Hospital policy,” he said with a shrug. “Besides, humor me. My heart can’t take watching you collapse again.”
The teasing tone didn’t quite mask the genuine worry in his eyes. I relented and allowed him to help me into the chair.
“Where’s Nora?” I asked as he wheeled me down the corridor.
“Waiting in the truck with her uncle. She’s practically bouncing with excitement to see you.”
Sure enough, when we reached the hospital entrance, I could see Declan’s truck idling at the curb, Nora’s face pressed eagerly against the window. The moment she spotted me, she flung the door open and raced toward us.
“Mom!” she cried, launching herself into my lap. I wrapped my arms around her, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair and feeling her small body, solid and real, against mine.
“I missed you so much,” she mumbled into my neck.
“I missed you too, sweet girl,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “More than you know.”
Jake helped us both into the backseat of the truck, Nora refusing to let go of me for even a second. Declan glanced at us in the rearview mirror, a warm smile softening his usually serious face.
“Good to see you vertical, Ella,” he said. “Had us worried there for a bit.”
“Thank you,” I said, meeting his eyes in the mirror. “I’m glad you’re my brother. I owe you my life.”
He shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything. Just glad it worked out.”
As we pulled away from the hospital, I noticed something was missing. “Where’s Mikhail?”
“He’s at the ranch,” Jake explained. “Said he needed to check the perimeter, make sure everything was secure before you arrived.”
I nodded, unsurprised. Mikhail had always been meticulous about security, a habit born from growing up in the Russian mob.
Nora snuggled closer to me, her small fingers playing with the zipper of my coat. “Mom, is Mr. Mikhail going to stay with us at Jake’s ranch?”
The innocent question made my stomach clench. I glanced at Jake, who kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, giving me space to answer.
“For a little while,” I said carefully. “There are some things we need to take care of.”
She nodded, accepting this without question. “I like him. He knows lots of cool stories about Russia. And he has the same eyes as me.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. Of course, she would notice—she was too observant not to. I caught Jake’s gaze in the mirror, saw the understanding there. The conversation couldn’t wait much longer.
“Nora,” I began, stroking her hair. “When we get to the ranch, there’s something important I need to talk to you about.”
She looked up at me, curiosity in her eyes. “What is it?”
“It’s about Mr. Mikhail,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “And about your father.”
Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t say a word.
I nodded, my throat tight. “Yes, sweetie. That’s part of what we need to talk about.”
She was quiet for a moment, processing this. “Is it a sad talk?”
I thought about it, then shook my head. “No, not sad. Just... different than what you’ve known before.”
This seemed to satisfy her for now. She settled back against me, returning to her examination of my coat zipper. “Okay. But can I have hot chocolate during the talk? Serious talks are always better with hot chocolate.”
Despite everything, I laughed. “Yes, you can definitely have hot chocolate.”