She closed her eyes briefly, and I didn’t know which was worse, the expressionless look in her eyes from moments before or now, when I could see them shiny and red with unshed tears.
Nikolay leaned down and kissed her cheek, and she ducked down and got in the car.
I turned to him.
“Be careful,” he said.
A small noise came from the back of my throat in agreement. “I’ll protect her, Nico.”
He let out a frustrated sigh.
“I know that. But that’s not what I said.” He cupped my cheek, his voice coming out rough when he added, “Be careful.”
I took in a deep breath. “You, too.”
Before he could say any more, I pulled him in for a hug. He wrapped his arms tightly around me. My brother, not by blood, but by a bond much stronger than that. A bond made of violence and death.
“Everything is going to be okay. We’re going to get Damien back,” he said, his voice soft.
I wondered if, like me, he thought it might just come true if he said it enough times.
“We’re going to get Damien back,” I echoed before climbing into the car.
Kirill met my eyes from the rearview mirror. I nodded, and he took off without another word.
* * *
The flightto California was long and uneventful.
I had already set up a meeting with Ricci and Francisco at a restaurant as soon as we landed.
Catalina shifted beside me when I reached over to put her seatbelt on as we prepared for landing, but otherwise, she didn’t wake.
The sun was just setting in California when the plane touched the ground.
I glanced briefly at Kirill sitting on the other side of the plane. His eyes were focused out the window, lost in thought.
He had been quiet since the moment Damien was taken, and I knew he blamed himself for not being able to get to our Pakhan in time.
I looked away from him and turned back to the sleeping girl beside me. I couldn’t even think of the last time she had a full night's sleep. Perhaps before all this shit happened.
I swept Catalina’s long hair away from her face, gently tracing the outline of her lips with my fingers.
Her face scrunched up a bit from the touch. I could feel my heart softening at the sight. She opened her eyes then and took me in.
There was a glassy quality in her gaze that was fucking me up a little.
“Hey,kotyonok. We’re here.”
For a brief moment, the peace that eluded her for days now was fully present in her eyes. Everything didn’t feel so heavy, and I found myself desperately trying to hold on to that feeling just a little longer.
But reality soon entered, and that peace—along with the sudden lightness in my chest—quickly disappeared.
I leaned down and kissed her lips gently, chastely.
She didn’t kiss me back, but when I pulled away, I found her eyes still closed, as if she was savoring the taste of me.
Unable to stop myself, I pressed another kiss against her lips.