Page 7 of Tattooed Heart

Nick exhales, the sound filled with hints of regret. “I might be able to work something out with Marina. But Sandy… you’ve gotta promise me one thing.”

“That depends on what you’re asking,” I mutter, my voice flat, arms crossed tight.

“If this goes sideways, if anything happens, you tell Aleksandr it was all me. That I forced you into it.”

I almost laughed. “Nobody forces me to do anything, Nick.”

His gaze drops to the floor. “When Morozov’s men came after me at the coffee shop, I dragged you into this. You were in the line of fire the second I opened my mouth. And now, Aleksandr and Dimitri… they’re protecting me. Giving me a second chance I don’t deserve. They're helping me disappear.”

His eyes meet mine again, steady now, with no flinch or hesitation. “I owe them. I owe you. If this blows up, I take the fall. Not you.”

I don’t respond. There isn’t anything to say that doesn’t feel small in the face of that kind of loyalty.

“I’ll call you tomorrow with the details,” Nick says quietly, walking me to the door. Then, just as I step out, his voice stops me.

“And Sandy?”

I turn, catching the strain in his expression.

“Be careful. Morozov isn’t just dangerous because he’s violent. He’s dangerous because he sees people. He figures out what they want, what they fear… where they’re weak. And he turns it all into a weapon.”

I nod, the warning sinking in like a blade.

“Goodnight, Nick.”

As I drive back to the Avilov estate, I think about Nick's words regarding Morozov's understanding of people's fears. I place my hand on my stomach, feeling the gentle kick of my baby. The truth is, Morozov already knows my greatest fear. He's already targeted Dimitri.

But Morozov doesn’t understand that fear can be transformed into something else entirely. Something far more dangerous. Determination.

When I pull into the driveway, a plan begins to take shape. It isn’t perfect, and it sure as hell isn’t safe, but it’s something. A foothold in a war I’m not willing to lose.

The house is quiet when I step inside, but I’m not surprised to find Talia waiting. She emerges barefoot and wide-eyed from the living room shadows like she hasn’t moved in hours.

“Did you talk to him?” she asks softly.

I nod, dropping onto the couch beside her with a weary exhale. “Yeah. And I might have a way to get to Morozov’s lawyer, Benjamin Petrov.”

Talia’s eyebrows snap together. “Benjamin Petrov? Aleksandr’s mentioned him before.”

“But Aleksandr doesn’t have what I do.”

She tilts her head. “What’s that?”

I let a slow, dark smile pull at my lips. “The element of surprise. Nobody sees the pregnant girlfriend as a threat.”

Talia studies me, the worry unmistakable in her eyes. “This is a dangerous game, sis."

“I know,” I admit. “But what choice do I have? Dimitri's running out of time. I can feel it.”

She reaches for my hand, squeezing it tightly. “Then we better make sure you're prepared. Because if we’re going after Petrov, you're going to need more than just surprise on your side.”

“What do you meanwe?”

Talia's expression hardens. “I mean, it's time you learned what it really means to be part of this family. To be an Avilov.”

At this moment, as I look into my sister's eyes, I realize that the path forward isn’t about escaping the darkness. It’s about embracing it, becoming it, for Dimitri and our child. For all of us.

“We start tomorrow,” she states.

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