Page 63 of Blazing Embers

Her belly is rounded. Glowing.

My knees buckle. I drop into my chair.

“Son of a bitch,” I whisper. “They’re alive.”

“Oh yeah,” Konstantin confirms. “Guess who owns this island?”

“It’s Greek, so… Nikolas Vasilikis?”

“That’s what I thought. But no. The Lost Subjects Corporation owns it.”

I inhale sharply.

“They faked that car explosion. It was the fucking Lost Subjects that helped Gavriil and Irina vanish.”

I clench my jaw. Fucking Clyde. Fucking ghosts. They must’ve extracted Tara too. I remember Stepan hearing Clyde say, “Go to safehouse five for extraction.” Tara knew. She was ready. My brothers never had a chance in hell of catching her.

And just then?—

“For fuck sakes, Molly, you’re not the one getting as sick as I am. This isn’t supposed to be harder the second time around.”

That voice. That perfect, razor-edged voice.

She walks into frame.

Tara.

Smiling.

Glowing.

Pregnant.

21

RUSLAN

Five Days Later – Dragunov Village, Darko Kremlin

I pace like a caged animal near the back entrance of the fortress.

I should've fucking left the day Konstantin showed me that video.

I should’ve gone to that damn island, put her over my shoulder, and dragged her home.

But no.

I listened to Nadia and her fucked-up plan to end the RMSAD once and for all so Tara, her family, and Nadia’s girlfriend, Valeska Ergogrov would be free once and for all. No more having to look over their shoulder.

Hey, maybe because you’re married to their queen bee, you might even get a set of genetically engineered bad-ass black ops to join the Dragunov Guard. You already have Petra.

I’m not sure those Black Ops teams can work for anyone. They’re like mercenaries now and gone feral.

I sigh. Fuck, and now I have to worry about what my crazy sister is getting herself into. And hope she can carry on this mission without getting herself or anyone else killed.

And I hope for fucking Oleksi Mirochin’s sake my brothers, who I know he know has prison in Vegas, lets them go unharmed.

My nerves are jumpy, and I feel like a teenage boy about to go on a first date with the high school cheerleader captain.

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