35. Milana
MILANA
When I stumble out into the living area, I’m shocked at how light it is. I’ve slept like the dead.
“Good grief, Luca, what time is it?”
He’s at the kitchen island, nursing a coffee, looking as if he hasn’t slept at all.
His hair is all mussed up and he is still in last night’s rumpled clothes.
As his gaze wanders down my body, I’m glowing inside as I recall the side quests we went on last night whenever I wasn’t pouring my heart out to him.
Now he sits on my secret, and he hasn’t made me any promises of Russia in return.
I trusted him too far. If he doesn’t help me, it’s over.
“Morning, princess,” he says softly. “It’s only nine. You slept so well. Coffee?”
“My phone?”
“On the sofa, exactly where you left it.”
I rush over, conscious I’m only in my panties—which I found conveniently on the nightstand—and the cashmere sweater I wore last night. It was so quiet in the house, I didn’t think Luca was here.
I scan my phone, needy for updates from Masha. There’s nothing. This situation with Varya is eating at me.
“Come sit,” he says from the kitchen. “We have to talk.”
I nod and return to the kitchen just as I am, since there isn’t anything he hasn’t seen before. In fact, it looks like he rather likes me like this.
“Did you sleep?” I ask, taking in the dark circles under his eyes, the few faint wrinkles at his eyes more prominent today, the sexy stubble on his jaw.
“A little. On the couch. I’ve come up with a plan.”
My heart does a flip.
“Russia?” I ask, settling on a barstool. “You’ll let me go?”
“Not so fast, princess. First, answer me this: Ivan made Matteo vow that you would never set foot in Russia again. It’s basically part of the wedding contract.
If we go, neither of them can know.” He pauses, studies me.
“Why is Ivan so adamant you can’t go back to Russia, since he doesn’t know about the baby? ”
“Baby or no baby, Chertnikov still wants the Petrov Bratva. The same reason why I kept Annushka a secret. Chertnikov is a cold-blooded psycho. He—” I break off and swallow.
“The coup was just the start. I’m not sure what Chertnikov’s masterplan entails, but my gut tells me it’s to move weapons around. ”
“Weapons? To Russia?”
“Bombs. To American soil. Or elsewhere. I’m not sure, but it would be to start a proxy war.
You know? Bomb something this side, start a war somewhere else—China, the Middle East, you pick.
Then they sit back and watch the money flow in.
And wherever it is, once destabilized, they can also infiltrate, if not outright waltz in and take. ”
“Fuck,” Luca groans and rubs at his forehead. “Fuck our lives. Terrorism. Wash, rinse, repeat.”
“What else? I’m not sure. It’s just my gut feeling.
But if Chertnikov finds me, he’ll use me—torture me—to bend Ivan to his will.
Ivan would protect Irisha and Katya with his life, but I’m a grown woman.
I don’t ever want him to be forced to make a choice between protecting me or protecting his girls.
” I cup my face with my hands, which are cold now.
“Chertnikov wouldn’t hesitate to use me or Annushka, even though she’s his grandchild, to get to Ivan.
He’ll hold us hostage, cut us to pieces, force Ivan to make impossible choi—”
“Okay,” he cuts in, raising a hand and shaking his head. “I get it. He’s a total psycho. I know the type. Fucking Bratva is just as bad as the Mafia. Though we don’t bomb shit to start international wars; cut us a bit of slack there.”
The coffee machine has stopped spluttering, and he pushes the fresh brew my way and follows it with cream.
It’s quiet as I pour and take a tentative sip.
When I meet his gaze again, he sighs. “I’ve worked through our options.”
“And?” I’m too eager, but he is holding my whole future in his hands.
“Let’s leave Chertnikov’s bigger agenda out of the picture for now. You need to keep Annushka hidden in some way, preferably forever, but at least until we’ve eliminated Chertnikov.”
“Yes.”
Luca leans his elbows on the counter and stares right into my eyes. “Even from your brother.”
“That would hurt like hell,” I choke out. “He loves his girls so much; I know he will love her too. And Irisha and Katya…they could have been close, cousins, our family—”
He reaches for me and runs his fingertips over my knuckles where I’m clenching the mug.
“You can have all of that, princess, if we pretend she’s mine and not yours.”
Mine and not yours.
My mind stops. “What do you mean?”
He straightens with a tired sigh. “You’re safe here, Milana. After what happened with Gabi, Dominic is going to be all over our security like a bad rash. Trust me, nobody will breach our walls again. I promise you Annushka will be safe here too. In America. As my child.”
“Yours?” I echo, stunned at the idea. “How?”
He waves at my body. “Nobody here knows or would believe you’ve had a baby. You pulled that off perfectly. Me? Having a baby appear out of nowhere with some random woman from out of town? Fuck, I hate to admit it, but it’s an easy sell.”
I sit back, staring at him, his words slowly sinking in. “Okay, but I don’t understand. You’d do that? For me? For Annushka?”
“Milana,” he starts then looks down, seeming to battle with himself. “I’d do anything for you.” He looks up, holds my gaze, and there’s something in his eyes that whispers to my soul. “I’ve made vows. I honor them.”
This man… I don’t deserve him. He doesn’t deserve me either, the fucked-up mess I am with all my problems or the weight that comes with my heritage. “Luca, I—I…”
“You’ll have to act as if she isn’t yours at first,” he continues, “but only when we’re around the others, like my brothers and their wives. Over time, it would seem natural for you to grow close.”
The image he sketches moves me so much, I grasp at straws to keep my emotions in check. “I haven’t even met them!” I blurt out. “I’ve only been stuck here, in this tower.”
“My sweet Rapunzel,” he teases. “Because nobody knew what the hell was chasing you. Now I know, and well, when it’s all settled, you’ll have no reason to be running off to Russia again, right? Not when Annushka is here.”
“No. God, if I could put that place behind me tomorrow, it wouldn’t be soon enough.”
“Good. See? I’ve had a child with another woman, she’s out of the picture somehow, and now I’m stuck with the baby, just like you’re stuck with me and now, ultimately, with her. We can pull this off.”
We stare at each other, his reasoning seeming to bring everything back into balance. This could work. It’s a feasible plan.
“How long is it going to take?” I ask, the burning need to be with my baby flaring up.
“Did you register her birth in Russia?”
“No. I wasn’t thinking. And besides, I didn’t want to start a paper trail.”
“Good. It’s for the best. We’ll have to get her paperwork here, but we’ll figure that out. Somewhere, there will be an official that owes us a favor or two. Or maybe we just get Benedict to hack into the site and do the job for us.”
“You can do that?” I ask, my jaw dropping.
He laughs. “Mafia, princess. Unlike the Petrov Bratva who has its business stretched from here to Russia, with spies in every last fucking outpost, our structure is more like an iceberg. Our operations I’ve told you about are just the tip of the iceberg, but we’re deep underground on this side of the States. This is when it pays off.”
“Okay.” I take a sip of my coffee, fortifying myself. “Who is going to help us?”
“The fewer people who know, the better. If you give this the green light, I’m pulling in Benedict and Stephano. It’s better if Matteo and Dominic never know. They’re working closely with Ivan and what they don’t know, they can’t lie about.”
I nod. “Have you told Benedict and Stephano anything yet?”
“No. I’m still processing it all. Plus, I wanted to run the plan past you first.”
My heart swells. Of course he’d be considerate like that. I don’t want to admit I’m starting to trust Luca with everything, but I am, and I feel lighter for it. Now I have a partner in crime, someone to help me think and plot how to get Annushka to America. “How soon can we go?”
“I’m going to talk to Ben today. He’s my first port of call. From there, we’ll figure it out together.” He pauses. “Masha, will she help?”
“Yes. But Luca, this is—” I break off, pushing down my dread. “You don’t know who we’re dealing with here. This is dangerous. Potentially deadly.”
“I know.”
He rounds the counter and comes to stand next to me as I swivel my barstool to face him. He runs his hands up my arms, warming me with his touch. When his fingertips caress my neck, I burst out in chills, my nipples hardening as he cups my cheeks.
“I promise you I’ll do everything to get you and Annushka out safely,” he states.
He is so sincere, I burst out crying, rising up to circle my arms around his neck. He catches me and hugs me close.
“I know we both headed into this arranged marriage hoping to end it as soon as possible,” he murmurs in my ear, and I feel the emotion tremor through his body—fear, dread, all of it—as it courses through mine.
“With this plan, you’ll be bound to me forever.
Annushka will be mine on paper, and you won’t be able to leave with her. ”
“I know. I understand. We’ve made vows.” And I never thought I’d be married to a man who’d honor them with so much heart and sincerity. “I want to keep mine too.”