Page 54 of Tattooed Vow

“And just sit here doing nothing, waiting to be saved or sacrificed?” I stop pacing, my mind made up. “No thanks. I'm already involved, Tal. I need to know what Nick knows.”

“You can't seriously be considering meeting him.”

“I am,” I say firmly. “Tomorrow at noon.”

Talia shoots to her feet. “Absolutelynot. Aleksandr just ordered the mansion locked down. No one in or out, remember?”

“Which is why I'm not asking permission,” I mutter, a plan already forming in my mind. “I heard them—they'll all be occupied with this Red Hook operation tomorrow night. During the day, security will be preparing, distracted.”

“Sandy...” Talia grabs my hands, her eyes pleading. “This is madness. Even if Nick is telling the truth, meeting him puts you both in danger. And if it's a trap...”

I squeeze her hands. “I need answers. I need to know how to end this. If there's even a chance Nick knows something important...”

She sighs, shoulders slumping in defeat. “I can't go with you. I have to stay with the children.”

I hug her tightly. “I just need you to cover for me. Two hours, that's it.”

She pulls back, her expression torn between loyalty and fear. “Two hours. Then I'm telling Dimitri, promise or no promise.”

“I'll be back before then.” I assure her. “If anyone asks, tell them I'm not feeling well and taking a nap.”

“Sis...” She catches my arm as I turn away. “Be careful. Please.”

Her genuine fear makes me pause, but only for a moment. I have to do this. I have to know what information Nick has. If there is a chance it can give Dimitri and Aleksandr the upper hand and end this war, then I have to go.

Later, as we get the children ready for dinner, Talia gives me one last chance to reconsider.

“You know I'll have to tell Dimitri if you're not back on time,” she says quietly.

“I know,” I respond, helping Sasha into her favorite pink dress. “But I'll be back before anyone notices.”

I believe it, but I had no idea how wrong I would be.

The next day dawns bright and clear, a perfect New York spring morning that belies the storm brewing within the Avilov household. From my window, I watch as men come and go, their movements tense and purposeful. Weapons are being cleaned in the security office. Maps are consulted. Conversations are hushed.

War preparations.

Amid it all, Aleksandr gives orders with quiet authority, and Dimitri executes them with deadly efficiency. I saw Dimitri only briefly at breakfast. He kissed my forehead and murmured that he'd be busy today but would find me before he left for the evening.

It made what I was planning even more reckless. But also, more feasible.

At eleven o’clock, I change into jeans and a T-shirt, clothes that won’t draw attention in Brooklyn, and tuck my hair under a baseball cap.

“This is your last chance to be sensible,” Talia says from the doorway, chewing on her bottom lip.

“I've never been sensible a day in my life,” I reply with forced lightness. “Why start now?”

She doesn’t smile. “Two hours. Then I'm calling Dimitri, promise or no promise.”

“I'll be back before then.” I give her a tight hug.

“Sis...” She tugs my hand as I move past her. “Be careful.”

The genuine fear in her eyes is unsettling, but I have to do this.

Sneaking out of the mansion proves easier than expected. The guards are focused elsewhere, and the service entrance near the pool house is momentarily unattended. Within minutes, I’m slipping through the gate and hurrying down the wooded slope to the road below, where I call rideshare with shaking hands.

The coffee shop on Bedford Avenue hasn’t changed. It has the same mismatched furniture, the same pretentious chalkboard menu, and the same baristas with their carefully cultivated indifference. Nick and I had spent countless Sunday mornings here during our time together, sharing lattes and planning a future that would never come.

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