Page 84 of Brutal Reign

With the faint glow from the hallway light filtering in, I can make out Hope’s expression, unguarded and open.

Thank you,she mouths.

I dip my chin, savoring the silence. Enjoying being here with both of them. It should feel strange, but instead it feels…right.My shoulders lower a few inches, and the armor I wear all the time dissolves.

I reach across the small space between us, my thumb brushing her cheek. Whether she means to or not, she leans into my touch, and I cradle her face with my palm.

“You’re a good mother, angel moy. He’s lucky to have you.”

Something shifts in her expression. Her beautiful face softens into something raw and vulnerable, and for a few beats, her eyelashes sweep against her skin and she lets herself relax into me.

But it doesn’t last long. She opens her eyes and seems to realize she allowed herself to give in to my touch. She pulls away, her jaw setting with that stubborn tilt I’m starting to recognize.

“You should go,” she murmurs.

“What are you so afraid of, Hope?”

She blinks at me, then looks away. “Everything.”

The single word carries the weight of her entire world.

I recognize that fear because I’ve lived with it my entire life. The fear of letting someone in only to lose them, of caring about something so much it becomes a weapon others can use against you.

She’s fighting herself, fighting the pull between us, because admitting it means admitting she might want to stay. And I bet that terrifies her more than anything else.

I could push and slowly break down her walls until she has nowhere left to hide. I’m used to getting my way by force, but with Hope, I want her to come to me on her own terms.

I rise from the bed carefully so I don’t disturb Kin. As I straighten, I let my hand trail briefly along his tiny shoulder.

At the doorway, I pause without turning around. “I’m a patient man when it comes to things that matter.”

CHAPTER

THIRTY-ONE

HOPE

The night airis cool against my skin as I settle into the lounge chair on the terrace, cigarette smoke drifting up toward the scattered stars above. It’s quiet out here, with only the rustle of leaves in the wind.

The moment Pavel’s thumb brushed my cheek and he told me I’m a good mother, something inside me shattered. His words sliced through every defense I’ve built, making my throat tight.

Nobody’s ever told me I’m doing okay at this whole parenting thing. Not that I’m fishing for compliments; Kin’s smile is all the validation I need. But sometimes the doubt creeps in, especially since I haven’t given him a normal childhood. He’s never had friends, or birthday parties with other kids, or any of the regular things children are supposed to have.

I take another drag of the smoke I bummed from a guard and try to make sense of the jumbled thoughts in my head. Pavel rushed home to say goodnight, to read Kin a bedtime story. That gesture hits harder than any of his sexual promises because itshows me the man I could fall for—the one who sees us as more than leverage.

If I’m not careful, I could lose myself completely.

It’s why I won’t give up on escape. It’s about giving Kin the chance at an actual childhood. Somewhere far away from organized crime, where he can go to school and play sports and have sleepovers without me constantly wondering if today’s the day our past catches up to us.

“I didn’t know you smoked.”

Pavel’s voice nearly makes me jump out of my skin. I turn quickly, a little surprised to find him here but, strangely, not disappointed.

I narrow my eyes. “Are you following me?”

He holds up a glass of amber liquid. “I’d say you’re following me. This is often where I enjoy a nightcap.”

He lowers himself onto the lounge chair beside me. It’s impossible not to drink him in under the low light. He’s pulled off his tie completely, and it hangs loose around his neck. Even disheveled from long days of work, he looks devastating. His hair is slicked back, and his face is softened by the hint of laugh lines around his eyes.