Page 92 of Midnight Sanctuary

Heart in my throat, I pull my boxer briefs on and slip out of the room, ignoring the chill in the air. The cabin is flush with quiet. Everyone’s in their own rooms, taking advantage of the lazy morning.

I call Kruger back and walk towards the gigantic window at the end of the carpeted hallway. “What’s going on? You have an update for me?”

“Ever heard of Artur Agapov?”

I frown. “No. But I’m guessing he’s related to Oleg. His son?”

“Younger brother. And according to all my sources, this guy is unpredictable and reckless.”

“Let me guess: he’s gearing up to take revenge on me for offing his brother?”

“That’s what I’m hearing. And he’s not doing it alone.”

“Sobakin,” I growl.

“None other. I caught a whiff of his name earlier when I was scoping out a couple of Agapov’s men. It seems that the two are joining forces.”

My jaw clenches tightly. “Then we’ve got to prepare. I need you to stick to Agapov’s men as closely as you can. Pass any information you get from them directly to me.”

“Got it, boss.”

The moment he hangs up, I call up Stepan. His voice is groggy with sleep when he answers. “Sir?”

“Stepan, get everything ready. We’re coming home today.”

“Consider it done, sir.”

I hang up and turn around to find Alyssa, standing in our doorway, a thin bedsheet wrapped around her body. Her hair falls carelessly over her shoulders but her forehead is creased with worry.

“Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine.” I walk over and brush the bangs from her forehead. “Go back to bed.”

“Only if you come with me.”

I kiss her forehead. “I wish I could. I have to prepare a couple of things.”

She chews at the inside of her cheek. “So we’re leaving today, huh? Back to the mansion?”

I nod. “It’s the best place to protect you all. I’ve had my men run dozens of sweeps of the place. Any weakness in the estate’s perimeter has been fortified. There’s no way in or out unless I say so.”

“Does that mean you figured out where Sobakin is?”

I don’t want to get into this conversation with her, but she’s got that look on her face. Her eyebrows are arched, her lips are pursed, and her cheeks have lost their color. That expression usually means that she’s not going to back down easily.

“Alyssa—”

“Don’t you dare tell me that none of this is my concern. Itismy concern. This is my family, too.”

With a sigh, I reach out to stroke the curve of her neck. Her skin is warm and soft beneath my fingertips. “I don’t know where Sobakin is, but I have an idea what he might be planning. And that means we need to prepare ourselves for a fight.”

Her jaw squares as she nods. “I’ll go get packing.”

She walks with her shoulders pushed back and chin high, as though she’s prepared to enter the fight herself. It chills me to my core. But it also leaves me feeling fulfilled, amazed. Grateful.

Somehow, over the last few months, the thief on the fence has proved that she’s made of more than I ever would’ve guessed.

She’s made of steel, too.