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Blue and red lights flashed. Sirens wailed.

Present.

“Uh, yes, of course, sir,” the police chief finally muttered before hanging up.

“Alright, can we go now ?” Roman asked, rising from his chair. I stared at him, wide-eyed, as he motioned for me to stand. Since the arrest, Roman had been disturbingly calm and casual. From what I could tell, this wasn’t his first time being detained.

The officer gave him a smile I didn’t like one bit before signaling to two others.

“Escort Mr. and Mrs. Ivanov to a cell, boys,” he said, and I felt my lips tremble.

Am I going to jail ? I’d just wanted to do something exciting for once in my life—and now I was going to end up behind bars?

“What the hell?” Roman growled, pulling me close when one of the officers reached for my arm.

“Mr. Nikolai requested that you both remain here until he arrives,” the officer replied calmly.

I winced. Nikolai is coming here? Oh God.

“So what? We can wait right here,” Roman snapped, shooting him a glare as he gently rubbed my arm to soothe my trembling.

“Unfortunately, we’re short on space and need the room,” the officer said as he sat back down.

Roman and I exchanged glances, scanning the almost-empty precinct.

“I always knew you were an idiot, Jeff,” Roman said through clenched teeth. “But putting Nikolai’s wife in a freezing cell? That’s a whole new level of stupidity.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no other choice,” Jeff replied, looking falsely uncomfortable.

“No, you’re not sorry. Not yet,” Roman hissed before shoving the officers aside and guiding me toward the stairs leading down to the holding cells.

“It’ll be fine,moyasestra(my sister), even if Nikolai kills me later,” Roman sighed as we stepped into the basement, where the air turned colder.

An officer opened the door to a cell, and I stepped inside, wrapping my arms tightly around my stomach.

“You’ll go in the other cell, Mr. Ivanov,” another officer said, placing a hand on Roman’s shoulder as he attempted to follow me in.

Roman slowly lifted his head, staring the man down with an icy, lethal glare. What happened next was a blur. In a flash, the officer was pinned against the bars of my cell, his arm twisted painfully behind his back.

I gasped, covering my mouth, stunned.

Roman leaned in and whispered something in his ear, and the man turned pale. My brother-in-law released him and stepped inside the cell with me. The other officer, who hadn’t movedthe entire time, quietly shut the door behind him, avoiding eye contact.

“Come here. Sit down,moyasestra,” Roman said, shrugging off his leather jacket and laying it on the cold concrete bench.

I murmured a soft thank you and sat down, pulling my jacket tighter around myself as a shiver ran through me. Roman sat beside me and pulled me close, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Selina,” he said, gently rubbing my arm. “I didn’t expect them to come down on us tonight. And I shouldn’t have gone so hard out there.”

I shook my head. “I loved the race, Roman. I’ve never felt so… alive. Except when I’m with Nikolai,” I admitted with a small smile, my cheeks flushing.

It was true. Nikolai made me feel alive—powerful, beautiful.

Yes, I’d been scared tonight, but it was nothing compared to the fear I lived with under Antonio’s roof. This was different. This, I didn’t regret.

“I loved it… until we ended up in the back of a cop car and your buddy in the rabbit costume got tackled and cuffed. Actually, no, that part was hilarious too,” I laughed.

Roman chuckled, shaking his head, his laughter echoing in the cell. “Anton is… special,” he said, still catching his breath.