Page 53 of Brutal Reign

“Someone will come for you… eventually,” he tells the priest, before his eyes settle on me. “Gather anything you need. We’re leaving this island.”

My gut twists into knots. “Where are we going?”

“Home,” he says as if that’s a helpful answer. A man as rich and powerful as him probably has multiple homes across the globe.

Before I can register what’s happening, he’s pressing the comms in his ear and speaking in rapid Russian, preparing for our departure.

A part of me was desperately hoping I wouldn’t have to reveal Kin’s existence, that I’d find some way to slip away before it came to this. But since escape is obviously impossible, I need to tell him the truth before he hustles me onto a helicopter.

“No,” I say sharply. “Wait.”

He stops, turning toward me with that unnerving calm.

“There’s… someone else.” I take a shaky breath, gathering my courage. “My son. We can’t leave without him.”

The air goes still.

“A son,” he repeats, his eyes flashing with something dangerous. “You had a child with Simon?”

I could lie. It might throw him off the scent that Kin’s his. But what will he do to the child of his sworn enemy? Especiallythe one who got away? He’d surely use him as bait to lure Simon back.

I look him dead in the eyes. “He’s not Simon’s. We never?—”

“Then whose?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

His jaw tightens. “How old is he?”

I consider lying, but how can I? Kin knows his birth date, and it can easily be fact-checked.

“Four,” I say, offering no more details. My only saving grace is that Kin doesn’t look like Pavel. He looks like me, except for his bright blue eyes.

He’s silent, but the way he looks at me makes me wonder if he’s trying to calculate possibilities I pray he never figures out.

Softer than I expect, he asks, “Where is he?”

“Upstairs. Hiding with his nanny.”I hope.

I brace for his cold dismissal, the too-bad look, the ruthless practicality I know men like him are capable of. I steel myself for a fight, because no matter what happens, I won’t leave Kin behind.

But he surprises me.

“Let’s go get your son.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

HOPE

We climbthe stairs in silence, the sound of our footsteps softened by the thick runner that covers the marble treads. The hem of my dress drags behind me, torn and stained. Ruined, like everything else today.

I glance at Pavel from the corner of my eye. He looks forward, no outward sign of emotion on his face. He’s been cold like this, distant, since I told him about Kin.

We reach his bedroom door, and I pause, my fingers curling around the handle.

“I need to talk to him first,” I say without turning around. “Let him know there’s been a… a change of plans.”