Page 151 of Vendetta Vows

"Fine." Hannah sighs. "But what are you going to do about Kristofer Psycho? You're a pakhan, right? Can't you just..." She draws her finger across her throat.

Behind them, Artyom rolls his eyes and scoffs audibly.

Hannah whirls around. "Something funny about my friend being stalked by a murderous cop?"

"No." Artyom crosses his arms. "What's funny is your American movie understanding of what we do."

The air between them crackles with tension. Hannah's chin juts forward defiantly, while Artyom's usual collected demeanor turns combative. Interesting.

"Artyom believes it would be unwise to kill a police officer outside California," I explain.

"Why?" Hannah's brow furrows in confusion.

Artyom steps forward. "Because Ruslan may be powerful in California, but Kristofer isn't a California problem. We don't have the same connections that far east. We'd be going somewhere where we don't control the authorities."

"But I've made it clear I intend to treat it as my problem," I add firmly.

Hannah's eyes widen. "Wait, you're actually planning to kill him?" She turns to Aurora. "Did you know about this?"

Aurora's face pales. "No. We never discussed that." She looks up at me. "Ruslan?"

"I would eliminate anyone who threatens you," I say simply. It's not a boast or a threat. Just a fact.

Hannah studies Aurora's face. "And how do you feel about that?"

She looks down at our joined hands as she processes Hannah's question. The resolve I've come to admire in her, that quiet strength that drew me to her from the first moment, flickers and dims ever so slightly.

"I feel..." Aurora's voice wavers. "I feel conflicted."

The room grows silent.

"Part of me wants him dead," she continues, her voice hardening. "After what he did to my family."

She looks up at me, her hazel eyes searching mine.

"But another part of me hates the idea that I would be okaying an official hit. Like I'm sanctioning murder."

I want to comfort her, to tell her that this is what I do to protect what's mine. But something in her expression stops me.

"I didn't think..." She swallows hard. "I guess I never really believed I would step fully into being a pakhan's wife. I thought there was always going to be a way out."

My chest tightens. The guilt that I've been pushing down rises like bile in my throat.

"But it feels like with every day that passes." Her voice drops to a whisper. "I'm only stepping deeper into it."

I made it seem like there would always be a way for her to return to her old life. But the truth is, the moment she married me, that door closed.

I've trapped her here as surely as if I'd locked her in a cell. The difference is that she walked in willingly, believing my promises that she could walk out just as easily.

Hannah's accusatory stare burns into me. She sees what I've done, even if Aurora hasn't fully admitted it to herself yet.

"Aurora," I begin, but what can I possibly say?

That I'm sorry for making her believe she had choices when she never truly did?

I watch Hannah's eyes narrow with suspicion as she studies Aurora's face. The question hangs heavy between them, loaded with implications.

"Let me ask you something," Hannah says, leaning forward. "Do you actuallywantto stay here? With him?" She jerks her chin in my direction without looking at me.

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