Page 82 of His Son's Brid
"Your security held," I say before he can speak, before he can ask the questions I see forming. "Barely, but it held."
"Because of your men." Luca pours himself whiskey even though it's 3 AM and we should both be trying to sleep. "Viktor's coordination, Sergei's response time. Your training. Without them, we'd be dead."
"We got lucky."
"We got prepared." He takes a long drink, adam's apple bobbing. "Aurora. Is she okay?"
"She's fine. Shaken, but physically fine."
"You got her to the safe room. I saw the footage." His eyes are searching mine, looking for something I can't give him. "You covered her with your own body, Axel. Put yourself between her and the bullets. Risked your life."
Because she's carrying my child. Because the thought of losing her makes me want to burn the world down.
"She's your daughter," I say instead, keeping my voice carefully neutral. "Of course I protected her."
"Still." He sets down his glass with a heavy thunk. "Thank you. For keeping her safe. For—" He stops, swallows hard. "For treating her like she matters."
The gratitude feels like a knife sliding between my ribs.
"Don't thank me," I say quietly, the words rough in my throat.
"Why not?"
"Because—" I stop myself. Can't finish that sentence. Can't tell him the truth that would destroy twenty years of brotherhood. "Just don't."
Luca studies me for a long moment, his gaze heavy and searching. Whatever he's looking for, he doesn't find it.
"The engagement," he says finally. "You still want to end it?"
"Yes."
"And you still won't tell me why."
"Leo's not right for her. That's all you need to know."
"That's not a reason, Axel. That's an opinion." He leans forward, elbows on his desk, hands clasped. "What happened? What changed between you proposing this marriage and now wanting to destroy it?"
Everything. Everything changed because I found out she's the woman I can't stop thinking about.
"He's not the man I thought he was when I suggested this arrangement."
"Explain that to me. Make me understand."
I can't. Not without revealing things that'll blow up both our lives, that'll turn a brother into an enemy.
"Trust me," I say finally, meeting his eyes. "Please. Just trust that I know what I'm talking about. That I wouldn't ask this if it wasn't necessary."
Luca's quiet for a long moment, his jaw working like he's chewing on words he doesn't want to say.
"Fine," he says eventually. "Keep your secrets. But Axel? Whatever's going on, it needs to resolve soon. This limbo we're all living in, it's killing Aurora. She deserves to know what's happening with her own life. She deserves better than being kept in the dark while we argue about her future."
He's right. She does deserve better.
But I have no idea how to give her that without burning everything to the ground.
I'm in my room an hour later, trying to sleep and failing spectacularly. Every time I close my eyes, I see that Volkov soldier's hands on Aurora, see her face pale with terror, see a thousand ways tonight could have gone wrong.
A soft knock interrupts my spiral.
