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"And," Gennady added, his voice colder than ice, "find out who those bastards were tonight. I want names. I want who sent them."

"We're on it, Boss. Results soon," Aisor assured him.

They put me in a room that screamed luxury—plush carpets, sleek furniture, better than any five-star hotel. But the bulletproof windows and hidden cameras reminded me this was a safehouse first, a cage second.

Gennady assigned me three bodyguards—big, stone-cold guys who carried the weight of men who'd seen death up close. They were polite, but I knew I was "Gennady's woman" to them before I was Cassie.

"It's just a precaution," Gennady said, but his mind was elsewhere, distracted by whatever was brewing. His phone kept buzzing, each vibration darkening his expression. I caught him exchanging coded gestures with his men, his eyes flashing with that cold, dangerous edge I both knew and feared.

"Gennady," I called out as he turned to leave.

He stopped, his green eyes softening instantly. "What's wrong, Cassie?"

I knew where he was going—to hunt down the men who'd tried to take me. To kill them. The thought terrified me, but it also brought a twisted sense of safety.

"Where are you going?" My voice shook more than I wanted.

"Handling some business," he said, a flicker of something dark in his eyes quickly masked by warmth. "I'll be back soon."

"No." The word slipped out, sharp and desperate, surprising even me.

He froze, his eyes widening slightly.

"Don't go," I said, grabbing his arm, my nails digging into his suit. "Please, don't leave me right now."

I sounded pathetic, weak, but I didn't care. The fear from tonight still pulsed in my veins, the memory of being dragged toward that car too raw. I couldn't handle being alone again.

"Cassie," he said, his hand brushing my cheek, "you're safe here. This is my territory. No one can touch you."

"But you'll leave," I whispered, my voice cracking like glass. "You'll go do something dangerous, and you'll—"

I couldn't say kill someone. But we both knew.

"I'll be stuck here, waiting, not knowing if you'll come back." Tears blurred my vision. "Tonight, I thought I'd never see you again. I thought…"

My words choked into silent sobs.

Gennady's face twisted, caught between wanting to comfort me and the pull of whatever urgent business was calling him. His phone buzzed again, relentless.

"Cassie, I have to—"

"No!" I gripped him tighter, desperate. "I don't care what they did! I just want you alive! I want you here!"

The raw need in my voice shamed me, but fear was stronger. I wrapped my arms around him, clinging like I could physically stop him from stepping back into his deadly world.

"If you leave," I said, trembling, "I'll picture the worst. I'll see you hurt, bleeding, gone…"

I saw him, like my father, dead in a pool of blood. Those green eyes closed forever. The one person who made me feel whole, gone.

The images tore at my heart, stealing my breath.

Gennady looked at me, his eyes a storm of conflict. His phone kept buzzing, but I could see him wavering, rethinking.

"Please," I whispered, my voice soft but heavy with desperation. "Stay with me tonight."

I rose on my toes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him.

In this night of danger and uncertainty, he was my only anchor, my only safe harbor.