“No. I hate to say it, but Roman was right. Killing him won’t solve the problem. Alexsandr has an army of comrades ready, willing, and able to fill any vacant set of boots. Even if we did make it off the island. We’d never be free.”
Nik grinned and shook his head. “What’re you Russian now? Nobody says comrades anymore.”
“Oh, fuck off,” she grumbled. “You’re missing the point. You want to help me? Convince your megalomaniac of an uncle a few more weeks of patience will be worth the wait when I crack the code and give him the key to control Dominion. Otherwise, he can kiss his dreams of wearing the Imperium crown goodbye.”
“You think Alexsandr doesn’t already have a plan B in place? Trust me. He does. Along with plans C, D, and E.” He flicked a finger up with each letter of the alphabet. “He won’t be stopped, and he won’t be satisfied with a spot at the council table. It’s all or nothing for my uncle. You know as well as I do, he’d rather burn down the world than answer to anyone.”
“So, stop him, Nik. You’re the only one who can.”
“You still don’t get it.” He shook his head. “The Imperium Council is an inevitability, and while I may not always agree with his methods, my uncle is the best choice to lead them into the future. Think about it. Under council rule, there’d be no more needless suffering. No wars. No famine. No assassinations of Vice Presidents, or mass shootings in the streets. Everyone as equals, with the same opportunities for work, health care, and housing. Everything a person could need would be provided for.”
“And their wants? Their freedoms? Their dreams of a different life? Tell me. What happens to the people who refuse to live under a totalitarian regime? What about those who’ll fight? What about those who’ll die in the process? Babies? Children? Young people? The old? The sick? What happens to them when the council uses Dominion to cut off access to the very things they’re promising to provide?”
Not the first time they’d had this conversation, they’d come to this impasse before, and Nik’s expression clouded over. “Because societies are governed by democracy and individualism, the world we live in is plagued by chaos and uncertainty. Under the Imperium Council, everyone will know their place and have a role. There’ll be peace and progress. Yes, sometimes change requires hard sacrifices, but it’s a necessary consequence of ushering in a new era of stability and prosperity for all.”
Jesus. Ingrained in his brain, his textbook response to the inevitable loss and suffering of billions of people left no room for debate. “Is it though? Really? And what about me? Am I one of the sacrifices you’re willing to make? One of the necessary consequences of your uncle’s thirst for power?”
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Yeah, you keep saying that.” Hands pressed to the surface of her desk, she used it for support and pushed to a somewhat stable standing position before she faced him. “The problem is, I don’t believe you can save me. No one can. And if Dominion is unleashed and the Imperium Council comes into power, I’m not sure I’d want to be.”
He reached for her hand, a gesture of comfort she didn’t need. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not?” She shrugged. “I killed my parents, Nik. No matter what form it takes, there’s no future left for me.”
“You were sick,” he replied, squeezing her fingers, and defending Maya to the last. “You’re not the same person anymore.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m a fugitive wanted for a crime that has no statute of limitations. Even if I give Alexsandr what he wants, and he keeps his word and lets me leave, I have nowhere to go. No family. No home. No country. If I make it off Big Diomede, I’d be escaping one prison only to land in another.” She faked a heartfelt sigh to add credibility to her lies. “No thank you. I’d rather stay here than spend the rest of my life crammed into a shoebox with four thousand hardened inmates with zero hope left.”
“Then what if we get married instead? Alexsandr wouldn’t follow through on his threats if you were family. And if there was a child on the way, you’d be protected, worshiped, treated like a queen. No one would dare come for you.”
Her non-existent womb clenched at the mention of a baby. Thanks to Maya, there’d be no children. Not for Becca. Not ever. She pulled her hand free. “I’m not fit to be a mother, and what makes you think I’d want to produce an heir to the Volkov throne anyway? It’d be a life of misery.”
“It’d be a life of great wealth and privilege.”
“Yeah.” She snorted and kicked his shin, her padded bear paw doing little damage to his skin and bones. “And look where that got you. Shackled on an island with a couple of murderous degenerates and an army of mindless robots. Sounds like the life of Riley to me.”
“I won’t be here forever.”
“I know.” He’d been sent to babysit her by his uncle. An imposed time-out for the minor indiscretion of disagreeing with Alexsandr’s plan to slaughter his last living sibling and her entire family to gain access to his brother-in-law’s seat on the Imperium Council.
Nik’s aunt, Zelania Volkov, had been married to Russian billionaire Sergi Bagryanov, the original member of the council, when she, her husband, and their three young daughters had been gunned down on their yacht off the coast of Sorrento along with a crew of eight men and two women.
The press had called it a Mafia hit. Nik had known the truth before it happened, and his attempt to convince his uncle to spare the girls had landed him on the island with her and Roman.
Banishment as punishment.
Better than dead, she supposed.
“Well…” Nik stood. “I’ll give you some time to reconsider my proposal.” He leaned over and surprised her with a kiss on the lips. A lover’s gesture. Tender. Sweet. Not at all the kiss she wanted, the lips she craved, or the man she dreamed about.
Nobody would ever come close to replacing Jay.
Did knowing he was still out there searching for her make her heart beat harder? Yes. Did every attempt he made to get past her firewalls give her a thrill? Yes. Did she have to fight the temptation to reveal herself to him every time he got close? Yes.
Did she believe he wanted to find her because he still loved her?
No.
