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My heart skips a beat at the man’s words. Does that mean these two might be Gleb’s brothers as well? The one who called himself Leon does look vaguely like Miko. I glance over my shoulder at the other towering figure. To my surprise, I find that his eyes are that same unusual color of seafoam.
His expression also says he’s not quite as eager to complete their mission as Leon.
Hope quickening my pulse, I focus my attention on him now, turning as far as my restraints will let me. “I’m telling the truth. Gleb just said it so Vinny wouldn’t keep sending men. But if Gleb knows I don’t want to be with him, he’ll let it go. You don’t have to kill him.”
The guy’s green eyes flick up to meet Leon’s, and they share a silent communication.
“Please,” I beg. “If you have any affection for him—even for who he was in the past—let him live. And I’ll… I’ll come willingly if you just let me write a letter to him.”
“Mishka,” Leon warns.
But the green-eyed man shakes his head. “If they aren’t married, what’s the harm?”
“The harm is trying to think for yourself. Vinny won’t like us disobeying orders.”
“Keoghan also probably wouldn’t appreciate us killing Pyotr Veles’s right-hand man. Vinny’s got tunnel vision. I doubt the bossman really wants to start a conflict with a New York Bratva over one girl.”
Leon stays silent, and what looks like another wordless conversation transpires between them.
Then Mishka turns his gaze on me. “I’ll be reading the letter once you’re finished—to make sure you’re being honest,” he warns flatly.
I nod, my heart in my throat as I pray for my plan to work.
I’m beyond helping. There’s no escape for me. But if I can protect Gabby and save Gleb’s life, that’s what matters. It would be one small step toward repaying him for everything he’s done for me.
Mishka reaches down and cuts the zip tie holding me. And he watches me closely as I head to the kitchen in search of paper and a pen.
Heart in my throat, I sit back down at the dining table to write the hardest letter I’ll ever have to write. My hands shake as I press the pen’s tip to the paper. But before I get the first word down, my phone buzzes in my pocket.
I glance toward it, my stomach quivering, then my eyes meet Leon’s as he watches me closely.
“Take out your phone,” he commands.
I do so clumsily with my trembling fingers and open my texts to find one from Gleb informing me he’s on his way home.
Leon snatches the phone from my hand before I finish reading the text, and he glances at the message suspiciously.
“Looks like you better get writing if you want to save Gleb’s life,” he warns. Then he tosses my phone to Mishka so he can read it, too.
I nod and buckle down, bending over the paper as my heart hammers. But Gleb’s text sparked an idea that will help me keep Gabby out of danger—and out of Vinny’s hands. Now that I know he’s okay and coming home, I feel like I can leave Gabby alone for a brief time.
It’s a risk I wouldn’t normally take. But leaving her in Gleb’s care will be better than allowing Vinny to put her up for adoption. If she’s asleep in bed when Gleb arrives, I trust that he won’t leave her unprotected.
And though I feel awful about it, I know how to ensure he’ll keep caring for Gabby after I’m gone.
It’s the worst possible way I could tell Gleb the truth.
But he needs to know.
And this is the only chance I’ll get to say it.
So I put it in the letter. Point-blank so there can be no ambiguity. Gleb is Gabby’s father. My hands shake violently just from writing the words. I never would have had the guts to say it to his face.
Perhaps it’s for the best. Because he deserves to know. And Gabby deserves to grow up with a loving father.
Tears sting my eyes as I sign the note.
I fold it carefully in half.
