I bite my lip, my eyes beginning to burn with incipient tears. “But what kind of future can this child have with parents like us, Rosa? Look at what’s happened to me and Julian over the past two years. How can I be sure my baby won’t be kidnapped or tortured by Julian’s enemies?”

“You can’t be sure.” Rosa’s gaze is unflinching. “Nobody can be sure of anything. Bad things can happen to anyone, anywhere. There are soldiers who live to a ripe old age, and office workers who die young. There’s no rhyme or reason to life, Nora. You can choose to live every moment in fear, or you can enjoy life. Enjoy what you have with Julian. Enjoy this baby you have growing inside you. It’s a gift, not a curse, to bring forth life. You might not have chosen to bring a child into this world, but it’s here now, and all you can do is love it. Treasure it. Don’t let your fears spoil it for you.” She pauses, and then adds softly, “Don’t let your soul get tarnished by what you can’t change.”

11

Julian

“So what’s the damage?” I ask Lucas as we leave the training area. I’m breathing hard, my muscles are sore, and my left shoulder is aching, but I feel satisfied.

I’m nearly back to my former fighting shape—as the three guards limping away can testify.

“There was another hit in France, and two more in Germany.” Lucas wipes the sweat off his face with a balled-up towel. “He’s not wasting any time.”

“I didn’t think he would.” Given Peter Sokolov’s singular focus on revenge, I know it’s only a matter of time before he eliminates the rest of the men on that list. “How did he do it this time?”

“The French guy was found floating in a river, with marks of torture and strangulation, so I’m guessing Sokolov must’ve kidnapped him first. For the Germans, one hit was a car bomb, and the other one a sniper rifle.” Lucas grins darkly. “They must not have pissed him off as much.”

“Or he went for expediency.”

“Or that,” Lucas agrees. “He probably knows Interpol is on his tail.”

“I’m sure he does.” I try to imagine what I would do if someone hurt my family, and a shudder of fury ripples through me. I can’t even imagine what Peter must be feeling—not that it excuses his endangering Nora to get this fucking list.

I still want to kill him for that.

“By the way,” Lucas says casually, “I’m having Yulia Tzakova brought here from Moscow.”

I stop dead in my tracks. “The interpreter who betrayed us to the Ukrainians? Why?”

“I want to personally interrogate her,” Lucas says, draping the towel around his neck. “I don’t trust the Russians to do a thorough job.” His expression is as impassive as ever, but I see a hint of excitement in his pale gaze.

He’s looking forward to this.

I narrow my eyes, studying him. “Is it because you fucked her that night in Moscow?” The Russian girl came on to me first, but I passed on her invitation—and then Lucas expressed an interest in her. “Is that what this is about?”