Dmitri and I slide to the front windows, low behind reinforced cover, watching the road and counting the seconds.
“How do you feel about being back here?” he asks without taking his eyes off the surveillance monitors.
“Strange. Last time I was here, I thought I was your wife recovering from a car accident. Now I’m your partner and preparing to fight for our lives.”
“Do you regret learning the truth?”
“About what you did to me? Or about how I feel now?”
“Both.”
I consider the question while watching Viktor’s assault team advance toward positions where they’ll be vulnerable to our ambush. “I regret that you felt manipulation was necessary. But I don’t regret where it led us.”
“Even knowing I kept you prisoner in this place while pretending it was a romantic retreat?”
“Well, the alternative was letting Viktor’s people kill me, and whatever your motivations were then, you chose to protect me.”
Dmitri turns to face me, and the emotion in his green eyes makes my pulse skip. “Katya, before this starts, I need to tell you something important.”
“If you’re about to give me some speech about the dangers we’re facing, save your breath. I already understand the risks.”
“It’s not about the danger.” He reaches out and takes my hand. “I love you.”
The words echo through the room despite all the background noise. He said it to Alexei during their reconciliation meeting, but hearing him say it to me feels different. More personal, more real, and more like a promise than a statement.
“I know you already know it, but I needed to say it to you. Not because I think we might not survive this, but because it’s the truth, and you deserve to hear it from me.”
I hesitate, but one look at him, and I know he means it.
“I love you, too,” I reply, and my cheeks heat up at the smile that spreads across his face. “You chose to become someone better than the man who kidnapped me, and I chose to forgive someone who earned a second chance through his actions.”
He lifts my hand to his lips and brushes a kiss over my knuckles. “Promise me that if this goes wrong, if something happens to me during the fighting, you’ll get out alive and build a life somewhere safe.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“Promise me anyway.”
“I promise. But you have to promise me the same thing.”
“Deal.”
A high-pitched whistle from Boris interrupts our conversation. On the monitors, the vehicles have stopped at the outer perimeter of the property, and armed figures are emerging from each SUV.
“Sixteen confirmed hostiles visible,” Boris reports through his radio.
“All teams maintain positions,” Dmitri responds calmly. “Let them believe they have a tactical advantage until they’re fully committed to the attack.”
On the surveillance screens, we watch Viktor’s team move toward their assault positions around the main compound. They use proper cover techniques, maintain radio communication, and advance with a systematic approach that demonstrates extensive military training.
“They’re very good at this,” I observe.
“They’re about to discover we’re better.”
The cold confidence in Dmitri’s voice reminds me that, despite his capacity for love and protection, he’s still a dangerous man who’s been eliminating threats to his family for most of his adult life.
“Additional movement detected on the southern approach,” Anya reports from her position at the communications hub. “Two more vehicles, approximately eight additional hostiles. They’re implementing a full-encirclement strategy.”
“Exactly as anticipated,” Dmitri replies without concern. “Alexei’s team is positioned to intercept and eliminate the southern assault group.”
