Page 73

I grit my teeth.

"What terrible business," Boris says without an ounce of remorse. "It is difficult when, uh…" He stops under the overhang and waves his hand as if he can't find the word. "When things trip over one another, yes?"

"We have a deal," Bradley says, cutting straight to business. "You show us proof that Illyana is alive and Sabina will come with you willingly. Do you have it?"

Boris sucks on his teeth and his gaze snakes to Bradley, then he claps his hands together and squares his shoulders as if trying to size himself up to Bradley. "I have it."

"Show me."

Boris rolls his eyes, curling his tongue around his upper teeth and motioning to one of his men. That man steps forward and the air snaps slightly as every guard we brought with us locks their aim onto the stranger. Such a ripple makes Boris laugh.

"Your guards are well trained." He chuckles deeply. "Like, uh… private military, yes?"

The man stops a foot away from Bradley and holds up his phone. On the screen, a live stream flashes up showing Illyana tucked up in bed. She’s paler than I remember and holding a newspaper with today's date, seemingly very unwilling to look at the camera. Not that I blame her.

"If you've harmed her—" I start, but Boris immediately cuts in.

"Harmed her? How dare you. I take care of her. I am not the one who has stressed her or worsened her condition by dragging her from country to country. If anything, I saved her."

Every muscle in my body locks up one by one, restraining the feral urge to leap at him. Bradley waves the guard away and pulls out his phone, then he quickly dials a number and holds it to his ear.

"We're a go."

My stomach sinks.

On the drive over, I racked my brain for a better plan than this, one that would come with the same guarantee of safety, but I came up with nothing.

This is our best chance and I hate it.

Car doors slam behind me, sending flinches up my spine, but I refuse to take my eye off Boris. A minute later, Sabina walks past me, dry from the umbrella Valentina holds.

"Ahh, Sabina…" Boris rolls her name around his tongue like some kind of purr, then he spreads his arms wide. "Let me take you to your daughter. She misses her mommy."

I need her to look at me. I need to gaze into her eyes one last time.

But she doesn't look at me. Sabina is determined and focused, even as her fists curl and she walks toward Boris. She's only a few feet from him when he surges forward and throws his arm around her shoulders, drawing her in against his body as if they're intimately familiar.

I take a half-step forward, stopped only by Valentina's hand on my forearm.

"People say the Suit are selfish," Boris remarks. "I will tell them they are wrong! Look at you, working to keep the peace between families. I will correct these people! Thank you for your generosity, and I am sorry for the little" —his hand over Sabina's shoulder raises— "drama surrounding your arrival. We let bygones be bygones, yes?"

"You tried to kill my people," Bradley states flatly, but there's a darkness to his voice, like the silent clouds that roll in before the storm. "This does not make us even."

I lock eyes with Sabina for a second, and regret punches through my gut as she winces at how roughly he drags her in while laughing.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Sabina," I say tightly. "I promise you. Real soon."

My words cut Boris's laughter short and he grunts. "Say goodbye," he sneers down at Sabina, grabbing her chin and forcing her head up as she grunts. "Let's go see your baby, huh?"

I let them leave.

I have to.

It's the only way to save Illyana.

But my palms are bloody by the time Boris and his men filter out of the parking lot and we're left alone.

"I'm going to kill him," I spit out. "I'm going to kill him with my bare hands."