Chapter 6 - Mikhail
It’s easy to find yourself anticipating when the other shoe will drop when things are going suspiciously well, especially on the first try.
I keep waiting for something else to fall out of line, but it hasn’t yet. I should be grateful and basking in that victory, but usually, triumph comes with a consequence. Nothing comes for free, and I know that well enough.
Nursing a black coffee while sitting behind my desk, phone pressed against my ear, I try to get rid of that feeling.
Given who I am and the family I belong to, I shouldn’t need to be tense about much. We have a tight grip on most things going on, but that nagging thought in the back of my mind keeps reminding me Lily has been an anomaly from the jump.
She’s the wild card I wasn’t anticipating, and the risk surrounding her has me more on edge than I’d like to be.
With papers spread out in front of me waiting to be handled, I ignore them for the time being and focus on Nikolai’s voice instead.
“All nearby security footage has been completely scrubbed from last night. Nobody will know we were even there.”
“And what about the guy’s associates?” I ask, absently fiddling with a pen on my desk.
“We found out who he was working with—one of Maxim’s old goons,” he says, tone level. “We traced his location before sunrise and took care of it. He was dumped at the docks, and if anyone finds the body, they’ll assume it was another overdose.”
“Good. The rat and his handler are both gone, but that leaves us with the main orchestrator.”
Leaning back, I watch the skyline through the wall of windows. While everything turns out there, that means everything is in motion internally, too. It’s efficient, precise, and exactly as it should be.
Nikolai hums, then murmurs, “Has your captive tried anything yet?”
I let go of a discreet breath while my mind immediately goes to Lily. “No, not yet. She’s in the spare bedroom still. I don’t think she’s awake yet.”
“That’s a good sign, at least. It could be worse.”
That was true…or it could be a very bad sign. Silence isn’t always as beneficial as it might seem, especially with a captive. But I keep that to myself and try to push down the urge to double-check.
“The sooner she gets comfortable, the better it will be for her,” I say simply, well aware that she could do the exact opposite. She could spiral and be nothing but a pain in the ass if she feels like it.
“So, this is a long-term thing?” Nikolai asks, not hiding the slight amusement in his tone.
“For the foreseeable future.”
He chuckles. “I didn’t realize you were the sentimental one.”
I huff out a breath and set my mug down. “It has nothing to do with being sentimental. It’s called being opportunistic and keeping the family safe.”
“Sure, that’s another way to put it.”
Rolling my eyes at his words, I ignore his teasing. “Enough about me. Keep your eyes peeled for anyone else who might be connected to our dead men.”
“You got it.”
After exchanging a mutual goodbye, we end the call, and I sit in silence for a moment longer.
But in that quiet, I hear the weight of panic that had been in Lily’s voice last night. The sense of betrayal at knowing the truth.
It would be easier if she were just another name to wipe off the list. If she were just another goon to disappear.
But she isn’t. I have too many ties to her, and that’s a problem in itself.
Knowing just how innocent she had been before only makes that guilt stronger in my chest. She seemed honest and like she was just trying her best.
But now, she’s caught in a dangerous situation, and I can’t bring myself to let her go. I certainly can’t stop myself from wanting to protect her.
Then, I hear it through the penthouse.
Three heavy bangs in the distance catch my attention, bringing me to my feet without hesitation.
Leaving the office, I head upstairs and move down the hall, hearing noise coming from the spare bedroom.
My steps quicken, but just before I can reach the door, Lily’s voice comes through, somewhat panicked and irritated.
“Mikhail! Open the door!”
Exhaling, able to relax just enough, knowing that she’s still living and breathing in there, regardless of how disruptive she’s being, I take my time walking up.
Her fists continue to slam against the door when I turn the doorknob that wasn’t even locked. She didn’t even try it.
Assuming the worst of me, I see.
Opening it slowly, Lily stops and takes a step back.
The second I see her face, I catch just how red and wild her eyes are. Her skin is flushed, her hair’s a mess, and she’s breathing harder than necessary.
Even so, she still looks beautiful to me—more than she should.
“Lily,” I begin, trying to school my concern. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I need to go,” she blurts out, voice unsteady. “Please, Mikhail…you can’t keep me here. I’m a med student, and I have class on Monday. People are damn well going to notice if I vanish out of thin air.”
She isn’t wrong. If a dedicated student suddenly falls off the face of the earth, someone will notice, and someone will start digging. But there are ways to get around that, of course.
Leaning against the doorframe, I look down at her, not letting my expression betray my thoughts. “You’ve mentioned that a few times now.”
“You don’t care,” she says through grit teeth, not afraid to be upfront with me now. “You’re trying to ruin my life because of something I don’t even understand. I swear, I won’t say anything. Just let me go. Please.”
Those big brown eyes look even bigger now while she pleads, and as much as I try to keep it down, it stirs something in me. The thing I’ve been trying to ignore since she fell back into my life.
I’m used to people scheming and trying to play an angle. But she isn’t. I know she isn’t.
No, she’s desperate.
And I can certainly work with that.
Pushing off the frame, I take a few measured steps into the bedroom, letting the gears turn in my head.
Lily backs up instinctively, but that doesn’t stop me from taking up more of that space.
When I’m close enough, I reach out and gently brush back a strand of dark hair from her face. My fingertips just barely ghost across her cheek.
“Answer something honestly for me,” I murmur, keeping my eyes on hers and creating an intimate space between us. “If I were to offer you a way out—something legal and clean for both of us—would you take it?”
She nods almost too quickly. Far too fast to truly consider anything. “Yes, anything.”
My lips pull slightly.
There’s always a better angle if you wait long enough, and this one can fix everything for me.
“Then marry me,” I say as simply as anything else.
Lily blinks back at me, not hiding her disbelief. “What?”
“Marry me,” I repeat, unfazed by the notion. “If you do, you’ll have your freedom. No locks, no boundaries, and no questions. You’ll be free to fulfill your little medical dreams without having to worry about anyone trying to track you down.”
She looks entirely stunned, just barely managing to get her words out. “That’s not funny.”
“I’m not joking.”
Her words leave her slowly and deliberately, as if making sure she heard me right. “You want me to marry you…so you can what, keep me quiet?”
“No,” I murmur, gently hooking a finger beneath her chin while barely guiding her face up. “So I can protect you officially.”
She swallows hard, steeling herself against my proximity. “That’s insane.”
“If anything, it’s practical,” I hum, tracing every feature of hers with my gaze.
“If you do this, you’ll be safe, and if anyone else happens to see you near the alley, they won’t be able to touch you. You’ll be family.”
“Family,” she utters, almost spitting it out like the thought is poisonous. “I never asked for you or anyone else to be my family.”
“That’s true, but the more the merrier, right?” I hum, letting that smile pull on my lips again while I hold her gaze. “I don’t have to force you, but the alternative is complicated. And far less agreeable.”
Lily doesn’t move, and she tries everything in her power not to hold my gaze, but I don’t give her much of a choice. It’s almost like she’s hoping I’ll disappear if she doesn’t say anything, but she can’t get rid of me that easily.
“Don’t be so quick to resist it, Lily,” I say, voice still smooth. “You won’t have to go back to that shitty apartment of yours, you won’t go anywhere unprotected, and you’ll never have to worry about making ends meet again.”
Her brows furrow slightly. “You know where my apartment is?”
I hum again, this time amused. “I do.”
She looks almost appalled by the idea, trying to pull back. Really, she shouldn’t be surprised.
But I lightly place a hand on her waist, keeping her contained to the spot. “I’m offering you a way out—one that will allow you to keep most traces of your former life intact.”
Well aware that her struggle is for nothing, she stops and can only look up at me. “But it doesn’t keep me intact. You don’t even care what that would do to me.”
I lift a brow at her. “Don’t I?”
My grip on her chin becomes a tad firmer, not letting her eyes settle anywhere else but on my face. She looks like she both wants to bite me and maybe even cry.
“I’ll be very clear about this…you were only supposed to be a one-night distraction, as I’m sure you intended for me to be too. But I didn’t drag you here for fun. Now, you’re something else entirely. This is me protecting you and protecting my family the best way I can.”
She doesn’t believe me, shaking her head in refusal. “This isn’t care. It’s manipulation.”
“If that’s how you want to see it, then fine. But it’s also the truth.”
Letting go of her face, I step back to give her space to breathe, letting my offer linger between us.
“Marry me, and you walk free. You can keep studying and keep your future. As easy as it would be for me to do, I won’t take that from you,” I say, staying as neutral as possible.
Even if I could force her, I don’t want to.
“Nobody threatens you, and I make any problem disappear. The paperwork can be finalized as early as the end of this weekend, and you’ll be sitting in class by Monday. ”
Lily stands there, hands shaking, eyes glossy with unshed tears.
I know it’s too much too fast, but I also know things could look much bleaker for both of us.
While my plan may not seem ideal to her, I’m still giving her the best I’ve got.