Page 93 of Deceptive Vows
Lucas and Pasha exchanged glances. “I’ll speak with the doctor,” Pasha said finally. “See what can be arranged.”
“Thank you.” I shifted uncomfortably, the bandages around my ribs growing tighter with each breath. “What about the auction clients? Marco’s buyers?”
“The list we recovered from the facility is... extensive,” Lucas said. “Some very powerful people were planning to attend. We’ve turned it over to people we trust.”
“Good, hopefully it includes enough evidence to connect Gabriele to it.”
Lucas exhaled. “He’s been careful to maintain the appearance of separationfrom Marco’s operations. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if we can link him at all.”
Thea’s hand tightened on mine. “We’ll find a way. He doesn’t get to walk away from this.”
“We should let you rest,” Pasha said after a moment.
“And you too.” Lucas’s eyes lingered on his sister with a mixture of concern and pride. “There’s nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.”
Pasha nodded in agreement. “I’ll get everything set up at the penthouse.”
After they left, closing the door behind them, Thea returned to her position beside me on the narrow hospital bed, careful not to disturb my IV or monitoring equipment.
For a while, we sat in companionable silence. The rhythmic beeping of the monitors and the distant murmur of hospital sounds created a strange backdrop to the intimacy of the moment. I studied her face—memorizing every line, every shadow, every fleeting expression.
“When they took you,” I said finally, my voice low, “I’ve never felt fear like that before.”
Her eyes roamed my face. “I genuinely thought they’d killed you...” Her voice dipped low and thick, and she dropped her gaze, butnot before I caught the shimmer of unshed tears.
“I’m still here.”
“A few weeks ago, you were a stranger across the room in that bar.” I exhaled, my gaze locked on her, unflinching. I struggled to believe we made it. “And now we’re here.”
She lifted her eyes, her lips curving into a soft smile. “We make a good team.”
“I meant what I said on the church steps. Those vows were real to me.” I slipped my hand behind her neck and pulled her forehead down to mine. “I love you, Thea Volkov.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
THEA
The words strucklike a physical blow, stealing my breath. I stilled, heart slamming against my ribs as something terrifying and wonderful unfurled inside me. Every instinct screamed at me to pull away—to shield myself from the vulnerability those words demanded.
But I couldn’t.
“I’m broken, Nazar?—”
“Not—”
I pressed my fingers to his lips, silencing him. “As broken as I am, I’d rather entrust my pieces to you than anyone else.” My voice cracked with the weight ofthis admission. “When you hit the ground, I thought my heart had been ripped out. And right then, I knew, if I was ever going to choose someone, offer my love and devotion to anyone, it could only be you.”
The heart monitor began to shriek, betraying the frantic pace of his pulse. He cursed under his breath and reached for the alarm silence button on the monitor. “The last thing I want is a nurse barging in.”
Despite everything we’d been through, laughter bubbled up from somewhere deep inside me.
His hand caught the back of my neck, rough yet reverent, fingers splaying wide as he pulled me close. His mouth crashed against mine—fierce, unyielding, desperate. I gasped against his lips, the heat of them stealing the last of my restraint. My fingers curled around his wrist, anchoring myself to him as I leaned into the kiss. Years of walls crumbled with each heartbeat. It should have terrified me, but instead, I felt lighter and freer than I had in years.
When we finally parted, I pressed my forehead to his, my breath uneven against his skin. There was still one thing we needed to address.
“Lucas and I had a long talk while you were out,” I said, suddenly unsure how to start.
He held me out slightly, his eyes searching mine. “And?”
