Page 179 of Filthy Promises

“What doyouwant?” I demand.

“Not here.” He takes my elbow and starts to guide me toward the exit. “Let’s go somewhere private.”

I jerk away from his touch. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Rowan.” His voice drops, uncharacteristically serious. “You are currently standing in the open with at least three different hitmen watching your every move. We need to leave. Now.”

“Wh-what are you talking about? What hitmen?”

He sighs, exasperated. “The ones who now know you’re Grigor Petrov’s daughter carrying Vincent Akopov’s child. You might as well have a flashing target on your back and a neon sign that saysPlease Kill Me.”

My blood runs cold. “How— How do they know?”

“Information travels fast in our world. Especially information this explosive.” He nods toward the exit. “Car’s waiting. We can talk there.”

Against my better judgment, I follow him. Something in his tone—the urgency, the genuine concern—cuts through my anger.

Once we’re in the back seat of a dark SUV with tinted windows, Arkady turns to face me. “The situation is complicated,” he begins.

“No shit,” I interrupt. “My fiancé’s been investigating me for five years because he thinks I’m the daughter of his family’s biggest enemy. My best friend is on his payroll. My entire life is a lie. Please, tell me more about howcomplicatedthings are.”

Arkady fidgets uncomfortably. “I understand you’re upset?—”

“Upset? I’m notupset, Arkady. I’m fuckingdevastated.” My voice cracks on the last word. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to discover your entire life is some kind of sick surveillance operation?”

“Vin’s intentions were never?—”

“I don’t give a damn about his intentions!” I snap. “I care about the fact that he lied to me.”

Arkady sighs, running a hand through his blonde hair. “Fair enough. But right now, we have bigger problems.”

“What could possibly be a bigger problem than finding out the father of my child has been manipulating me since day one?”

“How about the fact that Andrei Akopov’s enemies now see you as the perfect leverage against him and his son?” Arkady’s voice is grim. “Or that Grigor Petrov’s rivals would love nothing more than to get their hands on his secret American daughter?”

I stare at him, the full implications slowly sinking in. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that the moment your identity became known, you became a walking target.” He holds my gaze. “The Solovyovs already have a plan to grab you. The Egorovs are watching your apartment. And those are just the ones we know about.”

I close my eyes, trying to process this new nightmare. “So what am I supposed to do? Hide forever?”

“Go back to Vin,” Arkady offers, as if it’s the most obvious solution in the world. “Let him protect you.”

I laugh in his face. “Right. Because I can totally trust him.”

“You can trust that he won’t let anything happen to you or that baby.” Arkady looks at me with unexpected seriousness. “Whatever else he’s done, whatever lies he’s told… That much is true. You know it is.”

I turn away, looking out at the city passing by. All these normal people living their normal lives, blissfully unaware of the shadow world lurking just beneath the surface.

“Take me back to my motel,” I say finally. “I need to think.”

“Rowan—”

“My motel, Arkady. Now.”

He sighs but relays the instruction to the driver. When we pull up outside my seedy temporary refuge, Arkady hands me a card. “My private number. Call anytime, day or night, if you feel threatened.”

I take it reluctantly. “Thanks.”

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