“And?”

“They had a lead on him. But at the last minute, he managed to evade capture.”

I nod, unsurprised. “He’s always been slippery. Get another team on the job.”

“Right away, boss. Would you like me to increase security around the grounds, in case he tries anything unexpected?”

“No need,” I tell him. “I have another plan in mind.”

19

KOLYA

“Leaving?” Milana asks, perplexed. “But… why?”

“Because Adrian has a plan. And it most certainly involves June.”

She arches her eyebrows in suspicion. “Tell me this: are you trying to protect her from him? Or are you trying to keep her from him?”

“Both.”

She gives me a knowing smile. “So it’s safe to say you’re worried?”

“I’m not worried,” I snap. “I’m pragmatic. She is vulnerable, and she’s also carrying his baby.”

“And we can’t discount the years they spent together. That’s gonna pull at her heartstrings even if she tries to resist it,” Milana adds, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. I shoot her a glare, but she just smiles blankly back at me, though she knows damn well that I’m aware she’s trying to push my buttons. “You need to be prepared.”

“For what?”

“For the possibility that she chooses him over you.”

I put down my cigar and fix her with a hard stare. Most men take one look at my eyes and run screaming for the nearest exit. But it has next to no effect on Milana.

It’s why I picked her as my second, despite all the voices raised against the decision when I announced it to the Bratva. The woman is a stone-cold warrior. She’d been through so much, so young. Nothing frightens her anymore.

“She’s not going to.”

“You’re confident.”

“Because I have reason to be. June loves me. She’s just not up to admitting it at the moment.”

Milana looks skeptical. “I don’t doubt that she loves you. I’m just worried about her history with Adrian. It’s possible to love more than one person at the same time, you know.”

I scoff. “That’s weak love.”

She sashays closer. “You talk a lot about what June feels for you. But you haven’t once mentioned how you feel about her. Unless you’re just not up to admitting it at the moment…?”

“Don’t be cute,” I growl. “It doesn’t suit you.”

Milana laughs pleasantly. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious at this point, but a woman needs to hear certain things.”

“Speaking from personal experience?”

She avoids my gaze, suddenly shy. “I have no experience to speak of in this department. You know me. I don’t see the point of a relationship that can’t go anywhere. No man wants a barren woman.”

“Don’t be so hard on my sex. We’re not all animals.”

She smirks. “I beg to differ. And now, I am speaking from experience.”

“You’re enough on your own, Milana. Not all men want children. Devil knows I don’t.”

She meets my gaze and I see the contained anger in her darkened eyes. She tries to hide it behind humor and skepticism, behind grace and violence, and most of the time, it works.