Mom stirred in her sleep, her hand reaching out for mine. I squeezed it, offering silent reassurance. I hated that she was so restless already. It was hours before her surgery. Maybe she had noticed how restless I was and was reacting to it. "Albert?""Hm?"I hesitated, gauging his reaction. "Do yo
AlbertThe hospital doors slid shut behind me, the sterile environment replaced by the cacophony of the city. Mia's words echoed in my mind, her fear and vulnerability were obvious. I had to protect her. But to do that, I needed to understand the full extent of the threat.As I walked towards my car
"Extract her then."" I can't. She's essentially my cover."He blinked and smirked. " Placeholder for that Mafia wife he wants to give you, huh? How'd you manage to marry someone he probably wouldn't have a problem with?"" We'll get to that. How are the plans coming along? Do you have everything yo
MiaI hurried down the street and down the stairs to the subway. I checked the arrival schedule and hurried to catch the train that was just now pulling into the station. The train rumbled to a stop just as I reached the platform. The screech of metal on metal was jarring. I got on and sighed as the
The guy from the other station must have called them when he first sighted me. Panic surged through me. I had to think fast. Ducking behind a nearby pillar, I scanned the platform, searching for an escape route. The men were closing in, their eyes scanning the crowd. I had to disappear, and fast.My
MiaOlivia led me to her car, a small, practical sedan that offered a sense of normalcy. The men who had been following me were about to cross the street when I got into the car, but they didn't call out for me or anything like that. As we pulled away from the station, I glanced back, my heart pound
She looked at the two of us and sighed, offering us clipboards."I guess this is why you're here.""We'll be quick.""Don't bother," she grumbled. "I'll be here for at least another hour."I frowned and looked at the clock again.She waved her hand. "It's only right twice a day."I laughed with reli
MiaThe world outside blurred into a kaleidoscope of colors as the car sped through the city. It was getting hard to keep track of where we were going. My best bet was to try and find a way to escape when we got there. I wasn't sure if they would actually shoot me, but it was too early in the evenin
She leaned against the bar.“Thank you for the flowers,” she said quietly. “What did you want to talk about?”I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I didn't expect it to be easy, but I had hoped for a slightly warmer reception.“There’s a lot we need to discuss. About us, about what happened, and
MiaNearly a month had passed since the raid, and life had settled into a new routine. I was working as a nurse, and the steady rhythm of the hospital shifts was both grounding and exhausting. Mom was at the penthouse on bedrest, recovering from her surgery, but her spirits were high. She had a job
"Everybody on the ground now!"Agents burst into the room, guns drawn. The attendees opened fire on them but they were overwhelmed.In the midst of the chaos, I spotted Dimitri, clutching his shoulder. Glaring at me, his face twisted in a mix of anger and fear. He tried to get toward the backdoors a
AlbertPolina was mingling with various guests, a smile plastered on her face that took over her whole face. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration when I thought of her. She really thought this was going to go a certain way.I moved through the crowd avoiding her. I noticed several of Dimit
It was bittersweet and lonely and not the mood I needed to be in the day before all my plans would come to fruition.Ivan came into the study nearly an hour later, already dressed for bed. He poured himself a cup of whiskey and sat across the table from me.“I’ve been looking for places for Katie an
AlbertThat night, I found myself sitting across from a few government operatives in a discreet, dimly lit office. The atmosphere was tense as we went over the final elements of the plan, including the layout of the Kulak Estate.The operatives were efficient and to the point. Things were going well
I shook my head. "I don't have to explain myself to you."She set her jaw. "Because you can't.""Because it's none of your business. My relationship with Mia, whatever it is or was, has nothing to do with you. Leave her alone, Polina. I mean it."Polina’s face twisted with a mixture of hurt and disb
AlbertI set my jaw at the sound of the knock. It might be the whiskey, but I really wanted to kiss her. I was almost sure that she'd let me. I turned to answer the door. It was one of my subordinates with a report from Ivan.Definitely more important than almost kissing my soon-to-be ex-wife.Mia s
“How did you get here?” I asked. "I didn't think you had a casino in the city."He glanced around briefly before responding. His tone clipped but informative. “It was Elio’s. I'm doing my rounds.”I winced at that. I wanted to know what that meant and I didn't want to know. Had Elio just paid Albert