Page 129 of The Bratva Sinner

“Maksim, don’t even say it.”

“If it goes wrong.” I sit down. “I need you to have something in place. Not a plan I’m hoping we never use; an actual arrangement. Someone reliable, outside the operation, outside Miami, preferably outside the country.”

He looks at me.

“I mean it.”

“There’s a man in Portugal,” he says finally. “Former FSB. He’s been out for years, runs a relocation service for people who need to disappear cleanly. I’ve used him for some of the women who need to get out. He’s expensive, but he’s thorough.”

“Get him on standby.”

“Done. I’ll need a photo for her documents.”

“I’ll get it.”

He picks up his glass. “She won’t like it if she finds out you set this up without telling her.”

“No,” I agree. “She won’t.”

“She’s going to feel like you went behind her back.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“Will you tell her?”

“No.”

“I think that’s a mistake.”

“If I tell her, she’ll tell me she doesn’t want to run. She’ll tell me she wants to face the problemwithme.”

“She will, which is why she’s going to be pissed. You’re taking the choice from her.”

I shrug. “She can be pissed. If she’s pissed, it means she’s alive.”

Damien is quiet.

“I want her somewhere she can go to school,” I add quietly. “She’s good with horses. They make her happy. I want her to go to college.”

“I don’t like this.”

“Damien, you and I both know that this world we live in doesn’t usually lead to a long life. Honestly, I’m surprised I’ve made it this long. I’m not trying to get killed, but if that’s what it takes…”

He stands, raises his glass, and downs it. “I’ll have the contact on standby by morning. You won’t need it.”

“No,” I say, “but she’ll have it anyway.”

I think about a woman who packed up her daughter and ran to keep her alive long enough to end up here. In my house. In my bed. At my table.

“I’ve got it from here,” I whisper into the empty room.

35

Lila

I stroll down the hallway, nod at the guards I pass, and act like I have every right to be there. That’s the key to blending in. I step into his office, and no one says a word.

It’s been a few days since the meeting. Things are good between us. They’re absolute shit beyond these walls, but in here, I feel like we are stronger than ever.