Page 68 of Broken Embers

Tara cocks her head.

Sabrina straightens. “I want to ask you to be my maid of honor.”

Tara’s jaw drops. “You’re getting married?”

“Yes,” we say in unison.

Her eyes widen. “When? Where?”

“In Vegas,” I say. “Four weeks.”

“There’s a lot of planning to do,” Sabrina adds quickly. “And I need help.”

“I…” Tara glances sideways at Ruslan again. Something flickers in her expression. “Oh, Rina...”

Sabrina’s eyes begin to gloss over, and I see her knuckles tighten.

“We have to lay low…” Tara repeats, voice gentle.

“Come lay low in Vegas,” Sabrina says. “You can stay in our apartment. I live with Oleksi now.”

She crouches, scooping up Elena.

“And… what about your niece?” Sabrina lifts her up so she’s visible on the screen. “You haven’t even met her yet.”

Tara gasps, eyes softening. “You… you already had a baby?”

“She’s eight months old,” I say, stepping in before Sabrina blurts out more. “She’s ours. And…” I place a hand on Sabrina’s stomach. “We’ve got another on the way.”

Tara stares at us.

Stunned.

Silent.

“I…” she fumbles. “Rina… I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll come home,” Sabrina pleads. “Say you’ll help me plan my wedding.”

There’s a beat.

Then Tara glances sideways again.

I see it now—what I missed before.

She’s scared.

But not of us.

Of him.

She tries to mask it with a smile, but I can see right through it.

“What do you say, Ruslan?” Sabrina says, tone deceptively light. “Bring my sister home. Don’t make me sad on my wedding day.”

A flicker of understanding passes between them.

That was a threat. Polished. Polite. Laced in steel.

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