Chapter 23
Kara
I woke to the weight of an arm across my waist. The first thing I felt was the bone-deep ache of a body thoroughly used. The second was the warmth radiating from the men curled around me.
Dmitri’s breathing was slow and even against my neck.
On my other side, Roman was sprawled on his stomach, one hand thrown out toward me, his dark hair a mess against the white pillow.
The morning light filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the room, and a quiet, almost serene stillness that I hadn’t experienced in years settled over me.
I should have felt trapped. I should have felt like a prisoner.
I didn’t.
I felt… safe. And that was the most terrifying realization of all.
My gaze drifted over them, over the two men who had dismantled me piece by piece last night, only to put me back together in a way I didn’t recognize. They were predators—dangerous and unpredictable—and yet, in this quiet moment, they were just… men. Beautiful, complicated, fucked-up men.
And I was tangled up with them. In more ways than one.
I carefully eased myself out from under Dmitri’s arm. He stirred but didn’t wake as I climbed out of bed. Roman didn’t even flinch. I padded across the cool marble floor to the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind me.
The face that stared back at me from the mirror was a stranger.
My eyes were dark, shadowed, but there was a light in them that hadn’t been there yesterday, a light that looked suspiciously like hope.
My lips were swollen, my skin flushed, a faint, purpling bruise blooming on my shoulder where Roman’s mouth had been. I was marked. Claimed in a way.
A treacherous part of me reveled in it.
I turned on the shower, creating a welcome distraction from the chaos in my head. As I stepped under the hot spray, the water washed away the evidence of last night, but it couldn’t wash away the feeling of belonging to them that had lodged itself inside me.
I leaned my head against the cool tiles, the water cascading down my back. I had spent my life running, hiding, fighting for a freedom that had always been just out of reach. And now I was here, in the enemy’s fortress, and for the first time, I wasn’t running.
I had chosen this. Chosen them.
When I stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped securely around me, I found Roman leaning against the doorframe, a mug of coffee in his hand. He was already dressed in dark trousers and a crisp white shirt, the top buttons undone, exposing the strong, corded lines of his neck.
“Morning,” he said, his voice a deliciously husky rumble. He held out the mug. “Thought you could use this.”
I took it with a smile, the ceramic warm against my fingertips. “Thank you.”
He watched me, his gaze sweeping down my body in a way that made my skin tingle. “You look…”
“Like I was thoroughly fucked by two brothers?” I snarked the words as a bold, reckless challenge.
A slow smile spread across his face. “I was going to say radiant, but that works too.”
I rolled my eyes, but a flush crept up my neck. “You’re terrible.”
“You love it.” His confident, teasing purr made me smile wider.
I took a sip of the coffee, the rich, bitter taste a welcome jolt to my system. “Where’s Dmitri?”
“Making calls. He’s working on the Lev problem.” Roman’s expression sobered, the playful mask slipping to reveal the hard, determined man beneath. “And I have an idea.”
“An idea?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.
“A way to get Lev back,” he said. “And to give ARCHEON what they want. Or at least, what they think they want.”
I set the mug down on the counter, my attention fully on him. “I’m listening.”
He stepped into the bathroom, his presence filling the small space. He crowded me against the counter, his hands resting on the marble on either side of me, caging me in.
“We’re going to give you to them,” he explained softly.
I flinched almost at once. “What?”
“Just for a little while,” he corrected quickly, bringing his hands up to cup my face, his touch gentle. “You’ll be our Trojan horse, Kara. They want you? We’ll let them have you. But you’ll be the one to bring down their walls from the inside.”
I stared at him, my mind racing, trying to put the pieces together.
“And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that?” I asked, my voice laced with skepticism.
“You’re Kara Lennox,” he said, his thumbs stroking my cheeks.
“You’re a master of deception. You’ll figure it out.
We’ll be right nearby you every step of the way.
We’ll give you a comms unit, a tracker, a failsafe.
You’ll be our eyes and ears. And when the time is right, you’ll be our secret weapon. ”
I looked into his eyes, at the unwavering conviction I saw there.
He believed in me. He trusted me. And that was more intoxicating than any kiss, more thrilling than any touch.
“What if they hurt me?” I asked, the whispered question revealing a soft vulnerability I wasn’t entirely comfortable with them knowing.
“They won’t,” he said confidently. “Because we will burn their world down to the ground if they touch a single hair on your head.”
He leaned in, his mouth claiming mine in a soft, tender kiss. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine. “Say yes, Kara,” he murmured. “Let’s do this together.”
I took a deep breath, the air thick with the scent of coffee and him.
I thought of Lev, of his defiant smile and the fire in his eyes.
I thought of Dmitri, with his quiet strength and apparent faith in me.
And I thought of Roman, of his reckless charm and what looked suspiciously softer than just his fierce, protective possessiveness shining in his eyes as he was looking at me right now.
I was no longer alone. I was no longer a pawn in their game. I was a part of their family. Maybe even their queen.
“Yes,” I exclaimed. “I’m in.”
He smiled triumphantly. “I knew you would be.”
Then he stepped back, his hands leaving my face, the sudden absence of his touch a physical ache. “Get dressed then,” he said, his tone shifting, becoming all business. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
I watched him leave, my heart pounding against my ribs, a heady mix of fear and excitement coursing through my veins. This was it. The point of no return.
I was no longer running.
I was fighting back.
And the Markovs were by my side.
By the time I walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of black combat trousers and a fitted, long-sleeved dark gray shirt that Katya had found for me, the penthouse was a hive of activity.
Roman and Dmitri were sitting together, discussing something in hushed tones that I couldn’t quite hear.
Viktor was lounging on a couch, cleaning a handgun with the methodical precision of a surgeon.
Katya stood by the window, her back to us, her gaze fixed on the city below.
She looked like a general surveying her troops, her posture ramrod straight, her expression inscrutable.
Grigor and Demyan were making phone calls on the other side of the room.
They all looked up as I entered, the conversations dying mid-sentence.
“Good,” Dmitri said with an appreciative rumble. “You’re ready.”
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, my voice undoubtedly sounding a little steadier than I felt.
Roman gestured to the chair opposite him. “Sit. We need to go over the plan.”
I sat down, my hands clasped in my lap, my back straightening.
“ARCHEON will call at ten,” Roman began, his gaze sweeping over each of us. “They’ll give us a location for the exchange. Then we go. I’ll be by your side the whole time, or as much as they allow.”
“You’ll have this,” Demyan said, stepping forward and placing a small, sleek, flesh-colored earpiece on the table in front of me. “State-of-the-art. Encrypted channel, biometric-locked. Only you and we can hear what’s being said.”
He placed a small silver ring on the table next to the earpiece. “And this. A pressure-activated transmitter. Squeeze it twice if you’re in trouble. We’ll be there in under two minutes. It also doubles as a tracking device. We’ll know where you are at all times.”
I picked up the ring, the metal cool against my skin. It was a beautiful, elegant piece of jewelry, the kind a wealthy woman might wear. I slipped it on my finger.
“It fits perfectly,” I said softly.
“We had it sized,” Dmitri said, his smoldering eyes meeting mine. “We’re nothing if not thorough.”
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched my lips. “Of course you are.”
Viktor cleared his throat, drawing our attention. “And what about me and my boys? Are we just supposed to sit here and twiddle our thumbs while you lot have all the fun?”
Roman didn’t look away from the layout spread across the table. “Not exactly. ARCHEON will be watching for us. They won’t be watching for you.”
Viktor arched a brow. “Go on.”
“We need you to be the distraction,” Roman replied in a serious, businesslike manner. “ARCHEON will be expecting us, but they won’t be expecting you. If shit goes sideways, create a diversion. Use Revenant’s resources if you have to. Something big enough to draw their attention away from us.”
Viktor’s eyes lit up, a predatory gleam in their depths. “I think I can manage that. Any particular preferences?”
“Just make it loud,” Dmitri said. “And messy.”
Viktor grinned, a wolfish, bloodthirsty thing. “Loud and messy is my specialty.”
Grigor stepped forward, his expression grim. “We need to consider the possibility that this is a trap.”
“It’s always a trap,” Katya said, turning from the window. ”The question is, have we prepared for it?”
“I think this is going to work,” Roman said confidently. “We have the element of surprise. They think they’re getting a broken, frightened agent. They’re not. They’re getting a small but mighty Trojan horse.”
His eyes met mine, and I felt a surge of confidence, a fierce, unwavering belief in this plan, in us.
I was no longer a pawn in their game. I was a player.
And I was ready to make my move.
“Alright,” I said, my voice a firm, steady declaration. “Let’s get ready for war.”