Page 74 of Gilded in Blood

She stares at me.

“It won’t help your brothers either.”

Her brow furrows.

“Michael isn’t finished. This was never about you. You’re leverage. Your brothers are the real target.”

She says nothing.

“I’m the only person on the inside who knows how Michael thinks. The only one who can help stop him before he comes after your family again.” I hold her gaze. “I can’t do that if I’m sitting in a jail cell.”

She looks away.

“I know you don’t believe a word I say right now. I don’t blame you. But if you want your brothers to have a chance of winning this war, you need me.”

Silence stretches between us.

Ilya groans weakly beneath her hands. Finally, she speaks. “…Fine.”

The word is barely audible.

“What’s the story?”

I release a slow breath.

“When the police arrive, we tell them we both heard noises coming from the basement. We went down to investigate and found Ilya chained there. We brought him upstairs, and while you were trying to call 911…” I nod toward the dead gunman. “…he came after us shooting.”

Her eyes flick to the body.

“We tell them I had no choice. I returned fire. We tell them he was the one holding Ilya captive.”

She lets out another bitter laugh. “That’s a good one. How long did it take you to come up with that? Or did you just make it up on the spot?”

The jab lands. I deserve it. Instead of answering, I ask, “Do you understand?”

She doesn’t respond immediately.

Then she gives a single, reluctant nod.

“I understand.”

Just then, the wail of sirens cuts through the silence. They’re here.

Before I can think better of it, I cross the space between us. I cup her face, searching her eyes for one last second, then pull her gently to her feet. My mouth finds hers.

She freezes beneath my lips, her body going completely still.

For a heartbeat, I think she’s going to push me away. Then she lets out a shaky breath and slowly kisses me back.

The kiss is slow, lingering, an apology wrapped in everything I don’t know how to say. Regret. Relief. Fear. Hope. Every emotion I’ve spent my life burying pours into those few stolen seconds.

When I finally pull away, we’re both staring at each other, equally stunned by what just happened.

“I’ll let them in,” I murmur hoarsely.

I force myself to step back before I lose whatever resolve I have left, then cross the apartment and buzz the emergency responders into the building.

The first to arrive are the paramedics. Two of them rush straight to Ilya while another kneels beside Milana.