“Why would you give him your car?” I ask.
He shrugs. “He and I were both willing to do what it took to get you back safely. And, if we’re being honest, Alekseiev was willing to do a lot more terrible things without thinking twice than me, so it only made sense to give him the keys. I never thought having a criminal working for me would be a blessing.”
A man in blue scrubs walks up to me. “Miss Harrington? Mr. Alekseiev is out of surgery. It was touch- and-go for a while, but he made it through. It will take him some time to wake up from the sedatives, but considering what happened, we’re willing to let you see him now.”
“I’m going to go talk to the press,” my father says. His hand rests on my shoulder and he kisses my forehead. “I’ll make sure they know about you and your fiancé.”
* * *
At Lev’s hospital bed, I watch him. The bruises on his face and the tubes sweeping over his body don’t make him appear any less strong and he still makes me feel like I’ve taken every amphetamine under the sun. Everything is different, but all those euphoric feelings have only amplified.
His hand twitches over his thigh. I lean forward, placing my hand over his and kissing his cheek. His other hand slides up into my hair, pulling me closer. I get into his hospital bed as he carefully shifts to make more space for me.
He kisses the side of my mouth, stroking the side of my face. His eyes stay closed.
“I want you to be the one to prosecute me,” he says, his voice hoarse. “I’ll tell the police that I’ll only confess if that’s the case. It will ensure that nobody connects the two of us in a way that will hurt your reputation and it will be a great start to your career.”
“You’re not going to be arrested,” I tell him.
“It’s fine, Ally. I deserve it for a thousand things I’ve done.”
“That’s not what I mean,” I say. “I told first responders that you saved me from Marco. I told them everything that happened—I just didn’t mention why he was coming after you. I made it sound like he only went after me because of my father. My dad knows all that, too. He’s going to take care of it. And your plan is going to work because my father is going to refer to you as my fiancé. Nobody will question the story after that.”
His eyes flicker open. The green of his eyes sends a shock of electricity under my skin.
“I can’t risk your career and your father’s career like that. You deserve—”
“I deserve every damn thing I want,” I snap. “And I don’t want you to go to prison.”
“Ally … you’re confused. This whole thing was my fault. I deserve life in prison just for that. I’ll plead guilty. I don’t have a problem with that. If—”
“If you don’t go along with my plan, I’ll go to the media and tell them the whole truth,” I say. “That includes the fact that I caused a man to die and collaborated with you to cover it up. And then I covered up your involvement in a certain criminal organization when I talked to my father and first responders.”
He frowns at me but it slowly twists into a half smile. “You’re learning fast.”
“You taught me well. Never thought I’d use your blackmail against me to blackmail you, did you?”
“Can’t say I did.” He kisses me, his lips dry, but it still makes me want more. He pulls me closer to him, his fingertips finding a home on my hips. “If that’s the path you want to go down, then I have to ask you something.”
“Mmm?”
He takes my hand, one of the thinner tubes nearly getting caught on the side rail.
“I know our relationship didn’t start in a good way,” he says, his thumb rubbing the skin between my thumb and index finger. “I know I forced you to agree to marry me. That’s off the table. It doesn’t matter. But I want you to know that the moment you want to marry me—to really marry me—I’m ready. I’d drop everything to make you mine. I want everybody to know you’re mine, not as a bargaining chip, but because I want to be able to point to you and proudly say that you’re my wife. I want everyone to know that I love you and I’m committed to that for the rest of my life.”
I lay my head on his arm, letting his words sink in. He caresses my hair as the sound of beeping and the bustle of the hospital surrounds us. Thoughts of the baby tumble through my mind but I don’t tell him yet. He’s dealt with enough shocks today.
Finally, I look up at him, tears of happiness in my eyes. “How about next month?”
Epilogue Lev
A month later
When Ally walks down the aisle, it scares the shit out of me. I could spend a fortune on an army of bodyguards and jiujitsu training for Ally, I could have every preparation in place, and my enemies could still find a way to hurt her.
She is so beautiful, so intelligent, and so good that it’s terrifying. Her dark hair is decorated with various small braids and beads, pulled into a bun. Her white dress is embellished with the same beads. The Tide & Shore Hotel’s beach carries a strong breeze as she walks toward me, but it still feels like it’s the undertow filling my lungs. It feels like an impossible task to keep her safe and the risk is impossibly high.
As she stops, turning to face in me in front of the pastor, the expression in her eyes is a riptide of love. My panic calms. All the pieces I’m juggling in my head—her protection, the Bratva, Mariya’s Revenge, my physical rehabilitation—fall away and all that’s left is
