Chapter 16 Ilya #2
"You're right," I say, keeping my voice level. "This happened because of me. Because I've been seen with you, because I've made it clear you matter to me. That made you a target."
"A target for what? Who was he?" She gestures at the man’s body, her hand trembling.
“I don’t know who he is specifically. But I can guess who he works for—a man named Sergei Kima.” I watch her face, seeing the confusion there. She doesn't know these names, or understand what they mean. "Sergei is a rival. He controls most of the Bratva operations in New York."
"Bratva." She repeats the word like she's testing it. "Russian mafia."
"Yes."
Her eyes narrow. “Are you a part of that?”
“I am.” I hold back the bulk of the information for now: who I really am in the power structure, how deeply entrenched I am.
But I won’t lie to her about it, especially not now.
"He's ambitious. Ruthless. He's been looking for ways to expand his territory, to eliminate rivals who might challenge him. "
Mara’s mouth trembles. "What does that have to do with me?"
"I've been spending time in New York. In his territory.
That made him suspicious—is Sorokov planning something?
Is he making moves I should know about?" I glance at the dead man’s body.
"And then he noticed you—that I've been distracted, focused on a woman instead of business. That made you a target."
She shakes her head, backing away from me. "No. No, this is insane. I'm not—I'm just—"
"You're the woman Ilya Sorokov is obsessed with. That makes you valuable to anyone who wants to hurt me." The words are brutal, but she needs to understand. "Sergei could use you against me. He probably wanted to use you to force me to leave.”
"Did you know?" Her voice is sharp, rising to a high pitch. "Did you know this would happen?"
The guilt is immediate and sharp, an unfamiliar sensation that I don't like. I'm not used to feeling guilty about collateral damage, about the consequences of my actions affecting others. But this is Mara, and the thought of her hurt because of me is unbearable.
"I suspected Sergei might make a move," I admit. "But I thought I had more time. I thought he'd approach me directly first, test my boundaries before going after you. I thought you would be with me, safe, before he would try anything.”
"You suspected." She laughs, but there's no humor in it. "You suspected someone might try to kill me, and you didn't warn me? Didn't tell me I was in danger?"
"I was wrong." My jaw clenches. "I underestimated how quickly he'd act, how bold he'd be. I should have moved you somewhere safe already. Should have taken you the moment I revealed myself. The other night, I should have—"
"You don't get to 'take me' anywhere." Her voice is rising again, her anger clearly overriding her fear. "You don't get to make decisions about my life, about my safety. This is my life, and you've—you've destroyed it."
She stares at me, the words hanging in the air between us. "I need to call the police," she says, moving as if to walk past me. "There's a body. I killed someone. I need to—"
"No." I reach for her, my fingers closing around her wrist, and she freezes. "You're not calling the police."
“Let go of me—”
"The police can't protect you from the Bratva." I keep my hand on her wrist, my voice hard. "Only I can."
"You?" She's looking at me like I'm insane. "You're the reason I need protection in the first place!"
"Yes. And I'm the only one who can keep you safe now." I pull her closer, ignoring the sound of protest she makes. "You don't understand what you're involved in, Mara. What world you've stepped into."
"But there's a body—"
"Which I'll handle. He’ll disappear, like it never happened.
" I can see the horror on her face, but I don't soften the truth.
"The alternative is you get questioned, maybe charged with manslaughter or murder, definitely exposed.
Your name in the papers, your face on the news.
Every enemy I have will know exactly who you are and where to find you.
And what happens to your career then, kotenok? "
The words are harsh, but she needs to know what’s happening. She needs to understand that her only hope for protection, for a future, is with me.
"This can't be happening." She's shaking her head, backing away from me again. I let her go this time, confident that I can grab her if she tries to run. "This is insane. I'm not—I can't—"
"You already did." I gesture at the body. "You killed a Bratva enforcer. You're in this now, whether you want to be or not."
My phone buzzes. It’s Kazimir, letting me know they're two minutes out.
"My men are almost here," I tell her flatly. "They'll clean this up and make it disappear. But you can't stay here, and you can’t go back to your apartment. Sergei definitely knows where you live, where you work, everything about your routine. You're in danger every moment you're not protected."
"Protected by you." Her voice is disbelieving.
"Yes."
"The man who's been stalking me. Who cut off someone's hand. Who beat a man bloody for kissing me." She laughs, and it sounds slightly hysterical. "You want me to trust you to protect me?"
"I don't care if you trust me. I care that you're alive." I move toward her, and this time she doesn't back away. "I'm taking you somewhere safe. You can come willingly, or I'll carry you, but you're coming with me either way."
"You can't just—"
"I can and I will." I'm close enough now to see the way her pupils are still dilated with shock.
Her face and clothes are smeared and spattered with blood, and some things that look worse.
She needs a shower and a safe place to sleep.
"You're in my world now, Mara. A world with different rules.
And the first rule is that I protect what's mine. "
She lifts her chin, a defiant glare breaking through the shock. "I'm not yours."
"You are. You have been since Boston. You just didn't know it yet." I reach out and touch her face, gently, my thumb brushing across her cheekbone. "And now there's no going back."
I see the moment it hits her, the full weight of what's happened. Her eyes move from my face to the body to the blood on her hands. The gallery that was her safe space, now contaminated with violence and death.
"What happens to me?" she whispers.
"I protect you. That's what happens." I hear vehicles pulling up outside—my men, arriving to clean up the mess. "I keep you safe from Sergei, from anyone else who might try to use you against me. I give you everything you need, everything you want. And in return—"
“In return I go with you.” Her voice has that hollow quality again, and her face is so bloodless I’m worried she might pass out.
The door opens, and Kazimir enters with three other men. They take in the scene with professional calm, no shock or surprise on their faces. They've seen worse.
Kazimir approaches, his eyes moving from the body to Mara. "Is she hurt?"
"No. The blood isn't hers." I see her staring at him, her body tense, but she doesn’t speak or move.
"Good." He switches to Russian, speaking quickly. "We'll handle the cleanup. Scrub the security footage, dispose of the body. It'll take a few hours."
"Make it fast. And thorough. I don't want any trace left." I turn back to Mara, who's watching this exchange with growing horror. "We need to go."
I shrug off my jacket and drape it around her shoulders, covering the blood-stained clothes. She doesn't resist, just stands there in shock as I guide her toward the door.
"My things," she says weakly. "My phone, my bag—"
"Kazimir will bring them." I keep my hand on her back, steering her through the gallery toward the exit. "Everything else can be replaced."
Outside, my car is still at the curb, door open, engine running. I help her into the passenger seat, and she moves mechanically, like a doll being positioned. The shock is setting in fully now, her body shutting down.
I get in the driver's side and pull away from the curb, leaving Kazimir and the others to handle the cleanup.
In the rearview mirror, I see Mara looking back at the gallery, watching it disappear behind us.
Her face is pale and expressionless, but I can see the understanding in her eyes.
The realization that everything has changed, that the line between her world and mine has been erased completely.
She's killed a man, been marked as mine by my enemies, stepped into a world where normal rules don't apply. There's no going back to her apartment, her routine, her safe and predictable life. She's in my world now. Completely.
And I'll protect her from everyone—including the consequences of my own obsession.