“He lied to his family to get you here today. They’d kill him if they knew he put the knowledge of our whereabouts in jeopardy,” she says lowly, keeping her gaze lowered on the counter. “I don’t know why he did it, but he did. So until I have a viable option to get me out of this mess without lingering consequences, I’m taking his word for the truth.”

Slowly lifting her chin, she brings her eyes up to meet mine. “Now, I’m not supposed to leave this cabin for any reason unless he tells me it’s okay, so I’d appreciate it if you’d take this out to him so he doesn’t have to starve, in addition to freezing, while spending the night in his truck. Then, I want you to come back inside, and allow me to show you again how much I love you. As many times as I can before you have to leave.”

I stand up without hesitation and grab the thermos, kissing the tip of her nose before delivering the food to the man who’s responsible for keeping the love of my life safe in the middle of a mafia war. Perplexed at first, he grumbles a thank you once he realizes what I’m handing him then hastily rolls the window up to keep the cold out of the truck.

The rest of the night, Blake and I take turns pleasing one another while whispering our declarations of love, and before I know it, my time with her is up, and I’m forced to leave her someplace I can’t protect her.

Neither of us uses the word goodbye during our last few minutes together, refusing to accept this as our final farewell. And when Raze secures the blindfold over my eyes, I’m thankful for the fabric to help soak up the watershed of tears streaming down my face.

I DROP MADDEN OFF AT the same McDonald’s I picked him up at yesterday, and for the first time in a long fucking time, I feel good about something I’ve done. But the feeling is short-lived.

As I drive back to the cabin, the alarm on my phone dings, alerting me that it’s time for my daily call in to headquarters. Immediately, I know something is awry when the Pakhan himself answers instead of Aleksandr, who is both my uncle and second-in-command.

“Dedushka.” Startled at the sound of his voice, I acknowledge him with the Russian word for grandfather instead of his proper title. Then, remembering my manners, I follow up in our native language with, “For what do I owe this honor, Pakhan?”

He is short and to the point as he lays out the plans for the job. A job that will forever change the future of my family. A job that I am solely responsible for executing.

The orders are simple: Collect the money from Ricci in exchange for the girl. Confirm Ricci’s death. Leave no witnesses.

The time for retribution is here. In less than a week, the man I’ve dreamed of brutally persecuting for the better part of two years will be standing before me. The mere thought of how sweet it will taste to finally get revenge on the man who ordered Darya’s murder makes my mouth water.

But there’s only one problem. Leave no witnesses means leave no witnesses.

Including her.

I ALLOW MYSELF EXACTLY ONE minute to be sad after the truck pulls away. Only sixty seconds to stare out the tiny window, watching until the red taillights disappear into the early-morning fog surrounding the trees, to feel wrecked and ruined over the thought that last night and this morning could be the last time I ever see Madden Decker.

Then, when that minute is up, all the disparaging thoughts and negative energy are tucked away, and I leap off the couch with an encouraging smile on my face. My situation may not be ideal, but things are starting to look up. Madden knowing the truth about my past and still loving me despite it all is the ultimate reason I need to do whatever it is that’s required of me here, and then return to my life with him. Even if it means murdering a man in cold-blood. I’ve done it before to save my life, and it’s exactly what I plan to do again.

Grabbing the bucket of disinfectants and wood polish, I clean the cabin from top to bottom, just like I did yesterday while Raze was gone. I’m desperate for something to keep my mind occupied until he returns. I can’t wait to tell him thank you for what he did, and even more than that, I’m eager to find out if he has more information on Vincent and Anatoli’s discussions. I’m ready to get this shit over with.

By early afternoon, there’s not a speck of dust in the entire place and the toilet is more sanitary than most people’s kitchen table. But still no Raze.

I briefly consider taking a shower, but I’m not ready to wash Madden’s scent off my skin just yet, so I opt for reading on the couch, randomly selecting one of the books Raze had brought for me. Unfortunately, I don’t make it past the second page before the lack of sleep from last night catches up with me, and I pass out cold.

I’m not sure if it’s the cabin door slamming shut or Raze’s boots stomping across the floor that jolts me from my slumber, but whichever it is, it’s clear by his brusque movements and lack of words he’s pissed about something. As he makes a beeline for the safe in the corner of the bedroom, I prop myself up with my elbow on the armrest of the couch, which provides me an unobstructed view to what he’s doing.

Hurriedly, he enters some numbers on the keypad then presses his thumb against a small rectangular scanner, and the door releases with a loud click. Pulling the laptop out first, he sets it to the side before digging through a stack of file folders, his jaw clenching tight when he finds the one he’s looking for. Something Russian is muttered under his breath as he opens it and scans the first couple of pages, and then he tosses it back inside with the others and snags the computer.

“Is everything okay?” I ask meekly when he stalks back out into the main room and throws himself into a kitchen chair.

Ignoring my question, he plugs in the device and glowers at the screen while it boots up. He doesn’t look in my direction once, like I’m not even here.

Clearing my throat, I repeat my question louder. “Is everything okay?”

Again, no response. Just angry fingers vehemently punching away on the keyboard, stopping every few seconds to jot down a note on a piece of paper.

“Raze, damn it, I know you can hear me,” I snap, jackknifing up to a ninety-degree angle as worry about Madden’s wellbeing seeps in. “Tell me what happened. I know something’s wrong with you.”

He growls, cutting his intimidating stare in my direction. “You know nothing about me, girl. Go back to sleep.”

Incensed at the sudden cold-shoulder act, I toss the throw blanket aside and scramble to my feet. “You’re wrong,” I seethe, crossing my arms over my chest. “You think I’ve learned nothing about you while we’ve basically been living together over the last couple of weeks? Like I can’t tell when something’s happened that’s clearly upset you? ”

Fisting his hands, he pounds them on the table as he shoots up to standing. His nostrils flare and I swear I see foam gathering at the corners of his mouth. “This is your last warning. Shut your fucking mouth or I will gag you and shut it for you.”

I don’t.

“No! You fly in here after being gone all day, don’t even bother with a hello, and frantically search for shit in your safe. Then, when I ask you if you’re okay, you flat out ignore me until I throw a fit. And all of this is coming from the person who just went through the trouble of sneaking in a man to see me so I could get a chance to tell him I love him . . . it doesn’t make any sense, Raze. Now tell me what’s going on!”

Slumping back in the hard wooden chair, he pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as he shakes his head, muttering something I can’t understand. Suddenly, I’m no longer irritated with him, but filled with worry instead. The only other time I’ve seen him look so vulnerable was when he mentioned his late-wife. And despite the fact he towers over most everyone, is built like the Rock of Gibraltar, can kill a man with his bare hands, and has a vicious scar marring his face that would intimidate Tony Montana himself, right now he looks like a helpless, lost soul. Struggling to find answers.