Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Milana
Kirill’s hands move from my hair down to my lower back, rubbing slow, soothing circles into my skin as we lie naked in his bed. The sheets are tangled around us.
I feel safe here, wrapped in his arms, even though my mind is still spinning with everything that’s happened.
“So what now?” I ask softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
He’s quiet for a long moment, his fingers still tracing gentle patterns on my back. “I’ll continue acting like I’m still on Michael’s side. I’ll find a way to lie to him about what happened with his guy. Buy us more time.”
I nod slowly, processing. “Okay. And my brothers? When are you going to tell them?”
He hesitates. “Pretty soon.”
“How soon?” I press, lifting my head to look at him.
He meets my eyes. “When the time is right.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I can’t lie to my brothers. It’s one thing that I didn’t know you were lying about who you were all this time. But now that I do… there’s no way I can look them in the eyes and lie to them. That’s betrayal.”
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t tell them everything right now. I need an actual plan first.”
I sit up a little more, looking at him seriously.
“You have to come up with a way to tell them. And soon. We have to set up a meeting. Whether you tell them now or later, they’re still going to be pissed.
So it’s best to get it out of the way. Because they’re going to find out one way or another.
Michael can only keep Konstantin away for so long. ”
He’s quiet for a long moment, staring at the ceiling. Then he swears under his breath. “Fine. I’ll reach out to your brothers and set up a meeting.”
I watch him expectantly as he reaches for his phone on the nightstand. He types quickly, then drops it back down.
“They’ll meet us at noon tomorrow,” he says.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Thank you.”
He pulls me tighter against him. I tuck my head under his chin, breathing in his scent.
“I know I’ve said this before,” he murmurs against my hair, “but I’m sorry for lying to you.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “As long as you promise you’re not going to lie to me again. No more lies between us.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Never. I’ll never lie to you again.”
I smile against his chest, a small, tired smile, and let myself relax fully in his arms. I yawn, eyelids growing heavy, and slowly drift off to sleep with a smile still on my face.
The next day, as the time for the meeting with my brothers gets closer, I’m a bundle of nerves.
I pace back and forth across the living room, unable to sit still. Not only will Kirill have to open up and tell them he’s been working against them this whole time, but I also have to tell them I’ve been sleeping with him.
That I’ve crossed every line with the man they assigned to protect me. Knowing my brothers, they’re going to lose their minds.
They might even try to kill him. What if they hurt him? What if they do something irreversible in their anger?
Perhaps I shouldn't tell them about us having sex? No. I can’t hide this from them. I won’t. I can’t lie to my family. Especially not about something this big.
My brothers have always been there for me and Calina. Even though they’re not the most openly affectionate, I know they care. Deeply. And it would break their hearts if they found out from someone else.
But man, my brothers are prone to anger. What will they do? Would they really try to kill him?
Kirill is lounging on the couch, watching me with calm eyes. “Will you calm down? You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet with all that pacing.”
I stop for a second, turning to him. “How can you be so calm? For all we know, my brothers might kill you by the end of this meeting. They might actually kill you.”
He shrugs nonchalantly. “And?”
I stare at him, incredulous. “And? You want to die? You want to die and leave me? Is that your plan?”
I start spiraling, words tumbling out faster than I can stop them.
“What if they shoot you the second you tell them the truth? What if they don’t even give you a chance to explain?
What if they think you’re still working for Michael and decide you’re a threat?
What if they take you away from me? What if—”
Kirill stands up and walks over to me, placing his hands firmly on my shoulders. “Milana. Breathe.”
I stop talking, staring up at him.
“Take a deep breath,” he says, voice steady and calm.
I do, inhaling slowly.
“Now exhale.”
I let it out, shaky but slower.
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” he says, eyes locked on mine. “I promise.”
I want to believe him. But I've seen what my brothers do when they're angry.
“You don’t know that. You don’t know my brothers.
You don’t know what they’re capable of when they’re angry.
The moment they hear that you’ve been lying to them this whole time, they’re going to lose their shit.
And that’s before they find out I’ve been sleeping with you.
Yeah. They’re definitely going to try to kill you. ”
He reaches out, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “They won’t kill me. They need me. Calm down. Nothing is going to happen to me.”
Just then, his phone rings. He picks it up, listens for a second, and says, “They’re here.”
I start pacing again, nerves making my hands shake. A few minutes later, Kirill buzzes them in. My brothers step into the living room, filling the space with their presence.
They look tense, eyes scanning the room before landing on me.
Artyom speaks first. “Is this about you both getting arrested yesterday?”
They already know about that? Of course, they do. My brothers have eyes and ears everywhere.
I can’t look them in the face. I sit down on the couch, fidgeting with my hands, staring at the floor.
“We need to talk.” Kirill gestures for them to sit. They exchange a glance before taking their seats, their attention fixed on him.
Kirill takes a deep breath and starts talking. He tells them everything. How he isn’t the real Ilya, how he kidnapped the real one, took his identity, and has been working for Michael this whole time.
The moment he finishes, silence falls for half a second. Then chaos erupts.
Guns are suddenly in their hands, pointed straight at Kirill.
“You son of a bitch!”
Mikhail yells at me, “Milana step away from him! Get behind us, now!”
I don’t move. I stay right where I am, between them and Kirill.
“Milana, move!” Artyom barks.
I shake my head, voice shaking but determined. “Please put your guns down. Don’t shoot him.”
They’re both screaming at me to get out of the way, calling Kirill a traitor, telling me to step behind them. The room is loud, chaotic, filled with their anger.
I scream back, tears stinging my eyes. “I think I’m in love with him!”
The words cut through the noise like a knife. Everything goes silent.
My brothers scream at the same time, voices overlapping in shock and fury.
“What the fuck did you just say?” Mikhail asks in disbelief.
Before I can even react, Artyom storms over to Kirill, lands a punch on his face, grabs him by the collar, and yanks him up with one powerful hand. His gun is pressed against Kirill’s head, finger on the trigger.
“You've been sleeping with my sister? How dare you?” he snarls. “How dare you touch my sister? You lied to us, and now you’ve been sleeping with her?”
Mikhail is shouting too, voice raw with anger. “Did he hurt you? Did he force himself on you? Tell us the truth, Milana!”
“I’m not hurt!” I cry out, stepping closer. “He didn’t force himself on me. It’s mutual.”
The room erupts into chaos. Both my brothers are yelling, guns still drawn, demanding I step away. Kirill doesn’t fight back. He doesn’t even reach for his own weapon.
He just stands there, letting my brother hold him by the collar, blood trickling from his lip where he was punched.
Mikhail walks over and lands another punch on Kirill’s face.
“Please stop,” I cry, but they're not listening.
As Artyom raises his hand, ready to punch him again, Kirill grabs his wrist, stopping him.
“Twice was enough,” he says calmly.
Artyom turns to Mikhail, letting out a humorless chuckle. “Can you believe the nerve of this guy?”
Mikhail cocks his gun. “Why is he still breathing?”
Fear rips through me. They are going to kill him. “Please don't kill him!” I scream at the top of my lungs.
“Milana, go to your bedroom, we'll come get you when we're done,” Mikhail says.
“No.”
Artyom carries on like he doesn't hear me. Still holding Kirill by the collar, gun pressed to his head. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t put a bullet in your head right now.”
Kirill doesn’t flinch. “Because you need me alive. I can help you bring Michael down. You need an inside man, and I’m the only one who knows about his operations.”
“No we don’t, we can take him down ourselves,” Artyom says.
“Yeah, but wouldn’t it be easier if you had someone on the inside feeding you Michael’s next move?”
There's a long pause as my brothers both seem to consider Kirill's words.
Artyom finally lets him go, but they stay on guard, guns still ready.
Mikhail glares at him. “Why would we need you? For all we know, you could go back to Michael and keep spying on us like you’ve been doing.”
Kirill shakes his head. “I haven’t been spying on you. If I had been feeding Michael real information, he would have already brought down at least part of your organization by now. But I haven’t.”
My eldest brother narrows his eyes. “And why is that?”
Kirill looks at me for a second before answering. “Because I care about your sister. Milana has become more to me than just a job. That’s why I’m willing to do something I’ve never done before. Betray the man who hired me. I’ll be your inside man with Michael. I’ll help you bring him down.”
My brothers seem to process this, their anger slowly cooling into wary acceptance. They lower their guns, but the tension in the room is still thick.
Then Mikhail speaks up. “She’s not staying here with you alone.”
Kirill doesn’t so much as blink. “She stays with me.”
“Like hell she does,” Artyom snaps.
“She’s safest here.”
Mikhail folds his arms. “You expect us to trust you after everything we’ve just heard?”
“I don’t expect you to trust me.” Kirill’s voice remains calm. “I expect you to use your heads.”
“Careful, Kirill. You’re running out of reasons for me not to put a bullet in you,” Artyom warns.
Kirill doesn’t even look at him. “I need to make Michael believe things are still going according to plan. If Milana disappears with you tonight, he’ll know something’s gone wrong.”
The room falls quiet. Artyom studies him for a long moment. Then Artyom turns to me.
“Milana.”
Every head turns with him. “What do you want?”
My throat tightens. I look at my brothers. Then at Kirill.
After everything that’s happened, I don’t know if I’m making the right decision. But I do know one thing.
“I… I’ll stay here.”
Mikhail lets out a frustrated curse.
“Please.” I look back at my brothers. “Just… trust me.”
They do not look convinced. Artyom rubs a hand over his face before nodding once. “Fine.”
He points a finger at Kirill. “If you so much as hurt a hair on her head, we'll make you regret the day you were born.”
Kirill gives a single nod. “Understood.”