Page 160 of Mission Shift

“I had to,” he said, his voice hoarse. “The only way Nikolai would agree to help save you from Malinov was if I kept Viktor and Valentina’s situation a secret. I used it to blackmail him into getting you out. I had nothing else.”

I stared at him, my pulse pounding in my ears.

Braxton pressed his back into the brick wall, like he needed its stability to keep him standing. “Nikolai is a decent man—for a mafia boss—but as you know, ultimately, there was no way in hell he would voluntarily stick his neck out, burn through a million Kremlin and Volkovi Notchi connections, and risk his life just to save you.”

He squeezed his eyes shut for a second and shook his head. “You know how this world works, Daria. You’ve lived in it a lot longer than me. I had no other choice. Fuck this mafia bullshit world. There are never any good options. Just less bad ones.” His eyes met mine then, imploring me to understand. “And if you think this makes me a liar—if this makes you want to walk away from me—fine, but I’d do it all over again to save your life.”

His hands came up fast, cupping my face, thumbs brushing my cheekbones. “You matter more to me than getting my heart broken. Your safety, your future—that’s everything.”

Then, as though the words had been pressing against his ribs for days, threatening to burst free, he shouted, “I love you! I love you more than life itself.”

Before I could respond, he kissed me. Hard. As if it were the last thing he would ever get from me. When he pulled back, breathless, he pressed his forehead to mine.

“If you love something,” he whispered, “you let it go. If it comes back, it was meant to stay.” His thumbs slipped from my face. “But sometimes…sometimes letting go is the only way to move forward.”

He stepped to the side. Walked past me. And kept going.

I stood there, shaking. I had to brace my hand against the wall to remain standing.

He loves me.

The man…loved me.

I’d spent so long building walls that I’d never thought about someone wanting to climb them just to reach me.

My throat tightened. The one person who had never treated me like I was a tool was walking away because I couldn’t trust him enough to understand why he’d kept one goddamn secret to save my life. More than most people, I understood how the mafia world operated; bargains for people’s lives were made every day. My lack of faith in humanity and my scars had driven my response to the revelation about Viktor and Valentina.

God, I’d messed up.

My hand slid from the wall.

I ran.

“Braxton!” I shouted, my shoes hitting the pavement hard.

He turned just as I threw myself into his arms. He caught me like he always did—without hesitation. I grabbed his face, pulled his mouth to mine, and kissed him until we both forgot where we were.

“I love you,” I whispered into his lips. “You hear me? I love you.”

He groaned, crushing me to him. “Say it again.”

“I love you.”

He spun me, laughing against my neck. “God, Daria—”

“I love you, Boy Scout!” I said, laughing and crying at the same time.

“I love you,” he growled, kissing my jaw, my cheek, my forehead. “I love you so damn much.”

Applause broke out nearby. Someone whistled.

I turned and saw Nikolai leaning against the side of the building, arms crossed, shaking his head.

“I will never understand love,” he said flatly. “But I’m happy for you. I guess.”

I leaned into Braxton’s chest, curling my fingers into the back of his jacket.

Let the world burn. For once, I had something worth protecting. And I wasn’t letting him go.

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