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“Roman won’t be able to want anything anymore if we don’t do something, Elif,” I countered.

She stared at me, her expression unreadable, then looked at my son, “Grigori, call Sasha before he leaves Lorenzo. We’re going to need him,” Elif said softly.

Grigori studied me for a moment, and I simply nodded.

We had to save Roman.

And nothing would take Rafael from me.

Present

“Lorenzo will take care of him until we get him back,” Elif said as I followed her into the kitchen. “Sasha will go with you to pick him up, along with Velma and Sena,” she added.

I froze when I saw the two women waiting inside—and on the counter, where they usually prepared food, lay an arsenal fit for an army.

“What the…?”

I looked at Velma and Sena, as if truly seeing them for the first time. They were dressed in all black, calmly selecting knives and guns as if choosing vegetables at the market.

“I don’t understand…” I whispered as Elif picked up a pistol, checked the magazine, and then set it back down.

“Velma and Sena have… particular skills. Velma was here long before me. She served Grigori’s mother, Elena Ivanov, and Velma taught everything she knew to Sena,” Elif explained.

“How do I look ? Is this discreet enough to infiltrate the hotel ?” my sister asked, walking into the room dressed in black cargo pants and a sweatshirt.

I had told her the plan last night. At first, she had refused, but once she realized we had no choice, she stopped arguing.

“Sienna, you’re not coming with us !” I said, stepping toward her, but she raised a hand.

“Tut, tut, little sister. You’re not going anywhere without me,” she said, wagging her finger.

I said nothing as she walked to the counter and picked up a gun, checking the magazine before sliding it into the holster at her back. Then she took two knives, tucking them into her boots.

Then she picked up another pistol—a smaller one—before handing it to me.

“Here. It’s a Glock. Smaller, but just as deadly. You release the safety like this before using it,” she said, demonstrating before pressing it into my hand.

It was heavy. Cold. And it made me uneasy. I tucked it into my waistband like my sister and shuddered when the metal touched my skin.

I sighed and sat on one of the high stools.

“Selina,” Elif whispered, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You know this was the right decision. If Antonio had taken you instead, he might have taken you far away. He’s obsessed with you, Selina. Rafael doesn’t hold the same value to him.”

She kissed my temple before pulling me into a hug.

Five hours later, several cars stopped in front of the entrance, and we practically rushed outside.

“Roman !” Elif cried out, her voice filled with relief and anguish as I choked back a sob at the sight of him—he was almost unrecognizable. So much blood.

Sasha carried him inside, followed closely by Elif and Velma, while Grigori approached with Nikolai—unconscious—slung over his back.

And Rafael wasn’t there. He was with him. With the monster.

I followed Grigori as he carried Nikolai upstairs to his room. Once he laid him on the bed, I checked his pulse—steady. The tranquilizer would last another ten hours.

“Did he… did he cry ?” I asked softly, my voice barely more than a whisper.

“No. Not a single tear. On the contrary, he waved at Nikolai and said they’d see each other soon. And he called him ‘Dad’ before leaving,” Grigori said.