Page 23

For years, I had been a loyal soldier, a man who did his job without hesitation, without complaint. I never asked for favors, never stepped out of line. I followed orders, enforced the Pakhan’s will, and left no loose ends behind.

Egor Yezhov, a man feared more than death itself, ruled with an iron grip. Betrayal wasn’t just punished; it was erased.

I had seen it firsthand. A man who skimmed money from the books? Buried alive. A soldier who let emotions cloud his judgment? His own family paid the price before he did. He was not a man of second chances.

And yet, I stood before him now, ready to make an announcement that sounded more like a death sentence.

“I can’t continue with the engagement.” My announcement breezed through the ripples on the blue pool and was met with brooding silence.

Cool wind rustled through the nearby trees, ruffling the strands of my hair, and I seized a minute to inhale the freshness, knowing there was no guarantee that I would walk away from this scene with my head on my shoulders.

Egor stood beside me, his rough hands clasped behind his back and broad shoulders relaxed as he watched the maintenance staff seize debris from the water’s surface with a skimmer.

“You mean your engagement to Ivanova’s daughter?”

His voice was eerily calm, like an echo in the canyons, and it was neither a promise of good nor bad tidings.

I gave a curt nod, keeping my eyes on the pool just as he did. For all I knew, Egor could pull out a Marakov in the blink of an eye, and the next debris the staff would carry in his skimmer would be my dead body from a bloody pool.

Before I drove to Egor’s hotel for this private meeting, I reminded myself that, after I dropped the announcement, every breath I drew could be my last.

He shifted his feet and started walking around the edges of the pool, quietly paying attention to invisible things I couldn’t see in the water.

“And you are calling it off because?”

I followed after his footsteps, eyeing the smooth flex of his back and every little thing that could be a fucking signal of his explosion. “I have eyes for someone else.”

Egor halted in his steps and turned around. The setting sun, all purple and orange splashes of rays, bathed him in its warm light, and the depths of his eyes swirled with years of experience, deep secrets, and…nothing else. I couldn’t pick a hint of his possible reaction toward this conversation we were having.

“You have eyes for someone else, or you’ve already told that someone else that you’re coming back for her. Which one is it, Miron?”

I shrugged as casually as I could. “Don’t they mean the same thing?”

“Arrogant asshole.” Egor shook his head, a hint of a smile curving on his mouth. “The former means that there’s still a chance to remind you where your loyalty lies and turn your eyes back to Alina. The latter means you have made a promise and made up your mind, and you somehow believe that you can leave this place with my blessing to do whatever the hell you want.”

“My loyalty lies with you, Egor. It always has and always will.”

“And yet,” the smile turned into a full-fledged grin now, “there’s someone else who I had no clue existed until now. How long has it been?”

Briefly, my gaze faltered. He was taking this more calmly than I imagined, and it disturbed me. “A few weeks after I started therapy.”

Evidently intrigued, he lifted a brow. “The therapist or her daughter?”

“The therapist. She’s twenty-four. Single. No children.”

“Same age as your fiancée, no?” He frowned slightly. “And this therapist knows who you are and what you do?”

I cleared my throat. “I told her two days ago, and she took it well. ”

“Interesting. She took it well,” Egor repeated, unclasping his hands, and my brows creased in alert when he slid them into his pockets. He watched me like a predator studying a shift in the wind.

“Miron, do you know what happens to a man who looks back on a battlefield?”

“He’ll probably die.”

“You’re looking back. So, you know that you can get shot right in the head, and you wouldn’t know until you’re down on the ground.”

“Egor, I—”

“There is a lot at stake here. A lot to consider. It strikes as odd that you would choose such a delicate time to pull this stunt.” He was talking more to himself than to me. “Unless you’re in love with her?”

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t.

Love?

The word felt too small, too simple for what twisted inside me. It wasn’t just attraction. It wasn’t just need. It was darker, deeper. I wanted her safe. I wanted her close. I wanted her to know that no one—not even herself—would take her from me.

“Your silence says enough.” Egor chuckled again, shaking his head. “I promised you to Ivanova, and his daughter is preparing for a wedding next month, Miron. You know that this decision of yours would cost us heavily. Millions of dollars lost, good connections for future business dissolved. Most importantly, Alina’s pride. I doubt that Ivanova wouldn’t dare cross me, but the girl is wildfire.”

Alina? Easy. I could take care of her. Alina was not a threat. She was the least of my problems. What mattered was whether the Pakhan was on board or not.

With Egor’s question still plaguing my thoughts, I exhaled through my nose, unwilling to admit to something I wasn’t even sure of myself. “I have counted the costs, and I’m willing to work harder to restore every loss recurred in triplefold. What concerns me the most is your blessings, Egor. As I said, my loyalty lies with you, and always will. As for everything else, I’ve made my choice and will not change my mind.”

“You surprise me, Miron. Never would I have thought that you, of all people, would take these steps for a woman.” He studied me for a long moment before giving a slow nod. “As for my blessings, I give them to you. But I hope, for your sake, she’s worth all the hell that will break loose.”

I didn’t reply.

I already knew the answer to that.