I was saying it for Zoya Makarova, who stared at me like she’d neveronceseen someone object to her brother.
I wasn’t afraid of powerful men.
“I’ll let that slide, Leona,” Konstantin said. “Out of respect for what your men did for me and my sister tonight. But if you ever challenge me on my turf again, we’re going to have problems.”
I inclined my head, my crossed leg bouncing. Once his back was turned, I winked at Zoya.
“Fucking whatever,” he grumbled. “I’m extra pissy tonight.”
“No shit,” I whispered to Ryu. He squeezed my leg.
“What’s next, then, Makarov?” Obi asked, looking up from his phone for the first time in minutes. “Do you need any further assistance from us?”
“No, you’ve already done enough to keep my sister safe.” He collapsed on the big lounge chair in front of the fireplace. “I just need to figure out what to do with her now.”
“I’m still here, Kostya,” she snapped. She glanced in my direction.
Konstantin was right. She wasn’t safe in the city, especially not with Max targeting the Russians. I wouldn’t let her become collateral damage to my war.
But I also couldn’t stand the idea of Konstantin keeping her trapped here.
My father would never let me get my own apartment, no matter how much I begged.Not until you’re married, and your husband can keep you safe, he’d say. And then he’d turn around and tell me I’d never marry Max. I fully understood Zoya’s desire for freedom.
An idea formed in my head.
“I could marry her off,” Konstantin mumbled to himself. “An ally could protect her.”
“No! Kostya—” Zoya interjected, face pale.
“What if we took Zoya?” I asked, voice raised to cut across them both.
Konstantin looked at me like I’d grown a second head. Even Obi and Ryu turned in my direction, eyebrows raised. Only Cas reacted, exhaling heavily with eyes rolling to the ceiling, like he knew exactly why I wanted to defend her—why I felt for her.
“You want to take my sister?”
I nodded. I wouldn’t allow Zoya to be married off just to keep her safe. She wasn’t an object, and I was getting really fucking tired of these arranged marriages. Women were not pawns.
“What if we took her to the Irish in Philadelphia? They could protect her, so you can focus on Max and finishing up whatever remains of the Colombians. I know Fallon can hide her—she offered to do the same for me once.”
Konstantin rubbed his mouth with his other hand braced on his waist. His eyes darted from Zoya to me, to Ryu, and then over to Wynn, who still stood in the kitchen. Finally, Konstantin stood. “Yes. If Fallon can keep her safe, hide her in Philly until this war is over.”
I withheld my relieved smile.
“Kostya,” Zoya hissed, practically stomping her foot. “That’s not any better. You can’t send me away. It would be no different from being guarded here.”
He cupped her cheeks. “What do you mean me to do,zólotse? I don’t want to marry you off against your will, but if it’s the price to keep you safe, I will. At least you’ll be safer in Philadelphia. And if you’re safer there, I can focus here.”
Zoya huffed, casting a wary glance at me before she left the room and walked upstairs.
“Fallon will protect her?” Konstantin asked. His shoulders slumped. This war was exhausting him as much as it was us. Konstantin and the Russians were taking the brunt of the war on the ground. “I can trust her?”
“You can definitely trust her, even if she says no.” I pulled out my phone, texting Fallon that we needed to meet. Fallon would understand, and I needed to do something to make it up to him. His men had been the targets. Yes, Ciel had most likely saved Zoya’s life tonight, but without the Russians, we’d be nowhere.
“So, what, you’ll just take her down there? Do I need to come?”
I shook my head. “Max already knows about my connections to the Irish, and Fallon already wanted to meet with me in person. If we take Zoya with us, hide her on our way out of the city, we can get her out undetected. If she’s not here, she’s not a target.”
In our future, women would be free to make our own decisions. We’d be free to be just as powerful and strong as the men. Zoya deserved that future. We had to win this war so we could make it a reality.
