Page 63

“What’s going on ?” she asked, her gaze moving across each of the brothers, except for Sasha, who was perched on the corner of the desk, arms and legs crossed, his eyes fixed solely on her.

“We’re arranging your departure,” Grigori explained. “You’ll travel with us to California and then move to a secure location that my wife will find within the next few days.”

My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes slowly lifted toward Nikolaï, who met my gaze, his jaw clenched.

“We don’t need you to find us a safe place. Just let us go—”

“This situation no longer concerns just you,” Sasha cut in with a low growl, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Sasha is right,” Grigori agreed, folding his hands on the desk. “The Italians believe we helped you escape and are currently holding one of our shipments hostage. If you get caught before we can recover it, we’ll suffer a significant loss. On top of that, our reputation will take a hit if something happens to women under our protection.”

So, they were only helping us to maintain their power and influence in this monstrous world. In reality, I couldn’t blame them. This was their world—one where they had to survive and protect those they loved.

I felt Sienna bristling beside me, ready to argue, but I squeezed her hand, inhaling deeply as I locked eyes with Nikolaï—the only one I could stand to look at.

“Fine,” I agreed.

I felt my sister’s gaze on me, but she said nothing.

“Good. To ensure everyone’s safety, we’ll travel in two groups,” Grigori continued. “The first group will include the children, Rafael, and Roman. The second group will be you, Nikolaï, Sasha, and myself.”

I was on my feet before I even realized it, all my fear and hesitation evaporating.

“There is no way I’m being separated from my son,” I said, my brows furrowing at the mere thought of it.

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen to him with me,” Roman said, rising from his seat beside me.

My throat tightened as he towered over me, my vision narrowing. I let out a shaky breath, instinctively stepping back and lowering my head.

“Sit down, Roman,” Nikolaï growled.

His brother obeyed instantly, his expression apologetic as he glanced at me.

Sienna’s hand slipped into mine, gently pulling me back onto the couch as Nikolaï stepped forward, settling into the second armchair.

“This is the best decision, Selina,” he said. “The Italians are watching our every move. We can’t afford for them to captureboth of you at the same time. If they get one of you, we still have a chance to get the other back through negotiation. And Roman is right—if there’s anyone who can protect Rafael, it’s him.”

“And I don’t just say that lightly,” Roman added, crossing his arms behind his head, his usual playful tone absent from his gaze. “I’ve been through training none of my dear brothers would have survived.”

Despite their reassurances, the thought of leaving my son, even for a few hours, twisted my stomach.

“Hey, I’ll go with him, okay ?” Sienna said, rubbing my back gently.

“I’ll watch over him. I would give my life to protect him if necessary, Selina,” she added, her determined gaze locking onto mine.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sasha straighten slightly from where he stood.

“Very well, that’s how we’ll do it then,” Grigori said, standing up. “The children, Sienna, and Roman will leave tonight. Night flights are the safest. The rest of us will travel in the morning.”

He moved toward the door but stopped when Sienna stepped in front of him.

I stood as well, tension filling the room.

“I want to see the man you captured the night we tried to escape,” she stated firmly, lifting her chin.

“Absolutely not,” Sasha growled, stepping forward.

Grigori raised a hand to stop him, lowering his dark gaze to my sister, who didn’t flinch.