Page 58 of Reverie
“Amelia wanted to stop Benjamin and Morris and all those other fuckers who played on Isla Cara. She wanted to save Ella from all of it—as well as all the other innocent people who were trapped in The Legion’s web.”
“And me?” I ask, the words bursting from my lips. “Did she want to save me?”
Misha’s gaze turns sad. “I think she wanted to save you most of all. She wanted to save you from becoming like your father.”
We both go quiet, but when he shifts to look at his watch, I track his attitude change. Where he was empathetic…human even, moments ago, now the Pakhan of the Ukrainian Mafiya is back.
“Hunter, a lot of people are going to die if we don’t stop them. The best way for us to do that at this point is to use Ella to draw them out.”
That phrase.Use Ella. Is that very much different from how others wanted to use her existence from the very start of her life? Even before she took her first breath?
“No.” The word is sharp and final as it bursts from my lips.
Misha sighs. “Hunter, if you can’t get out of the way, I will go around you.”
The look on his face is unreadable but dark. The promise that whatever “going around me” means won’t be pleasant.
“If we don’t go to Winthrope, Winthrope will come to us,” I say.
Misha chuckles, but it’s humorless. “You think that logic holds up? You’ve been around these people your whole life, and yet you know nothing about how they operate.”
I don’t know, and that’s by choice. I don’t want to know them or their ways. Why would I?
“If you push him, he will act, Hunter. And the result will be more bloody than either one of us could tolerate,” he says.
“My number one priority is my family and keeping them safe.”
Misha blinks at me for a long beat.
“Understood,” he says and looks at his watch again. “I just hope you can live with the blood on your hands because time is up.”
EIGHT
WINTER
The press of lips to my cheek causes me to stir. Cracking an eye open, I breathe out slowly when Hunter pushes my hair out of my face and back under my bonnet.
“I’m going to meet up with Leo for a bit to talk about logistics,” he says quietly, pressing minty kisses along the side of my face.
I press my mouth into my pillow and say, “Why so early?”
His amused huff causes me to press more into the pillow. Pushing him back, I swing my legs over the edge of the bed to pad to the bathroom. I’m up now, and as is usual these days, I have to pee.
As I pass into the bathroom, I glance at the clock and realize we’ve only gotten a handful of hours of sleep.
“Five a.m. is a despicable time to wake someone, Hunter. Just in case you weren’t aware.” His warm chuckle is his response.
I make quick work of emptying my bladder and commit to brushing my teeth before Hunter leaves.
“I’ll be back in time for lunch,” he says. “Go back to bed.”
I put my arms around his neck, grateful that my injury is only a minor scrape. The bullet did take a sizeable chunk out of my flesh, but there wasn’t any damage to the muscle, tendons, or ligaments.
Still, I know I’m lucky to be alive.
“Why don’t you come back to bed with me?” I tell him, pressing a kiss to his lips. Feeling bold, I run my free hand down to cup him over his slacks. He groans and deepens the kiss, and it takes no time for him to turn to steel in my palm.
“I’m not so fragile, Hunter,” I whisper against his lips and rub my needy breasts against his chest.