As I sit on the edge of the bed in the dingy motel room, the air feels thick and stagnant, carrying a faint smell of mildew. I grip the burner phone I grabbed from a shady convenience store while the clerk was in the back, my fingers trembling as I dial Nate’s number.


    The phone rings, and I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping my brother answers. I don’t know how much time I have before someone tracks me down. The seconds feel like hours, but finally, I hear him.


    “Hello?”


    “Hey, Nate.”


    “Em? What’s going on? What happened to your phone?”


    I lean back, running my hand through my hair. “I-I’m on the run. I had to leave. It’s bad.” I pause, struggling to find the right words. “He knows. Konstantin knows everything.”


    Silence stretches on the other end for a moment, as if he’s trying to grasp the full impact of what I just said.


    “What do you mean he knows? How?”


    “He got a file.” Myshes fall shut. “One with my real identity. Your identity. He…he must have gotten it from Gerardo, though it was anonymous. But it had to be him. Fiona and Riley are the only other two who knew what I was doing, and they wouldn’t do this to us.”


    “Shit…” He exhales sharply, his anger palpable even through the phone. “That fucking bastard.”


    “Yeah,” I whisper, not sure what to do or say anymore.


    I can almost hear Nate moving around, his frustration growing as fast as mine. “You have to lie low. Don’t trust anyone, Em. We’ll figure this out. Once we bring Gerardo down, we’ll run. You and me. Somewhere far, just like we dreamed about when we were kids.”


    The idea of running, of leaving everything behind, twists something in my chest. The thought of not watching Konstantin be a father, of walking away from the family we could have, rips at me in a way I never expected.


    Despite everything he’s done, the way he chained me to the floor, there’s a part of me that can’t shake the sadness that settles deep in my bones at the thought of leaving him. Of the possibility that we could never be a family.


    When I found out I was pregnant in the hospital, it felt surreal. So much so, I took a test at home just to be sure. I was on the pill, thought I was safe, but I was wrong. The doctor told me privately, unsure if I knew, but I didn’t.


    I hadn’t even noticed I’d missed my period, too overwhelmed by everything else going on. Now, holding on to this knowledge, I want this baby. I want Konstantin.


    But can I truly have it all?


    “Are you listening to me?” Nate calls, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    “Yeah. Yeah, I am. It’s just all too much.”


    “I know, but look. You just lie low for a bit. I don’t even wanna know where you are, just in case. We’ll figure this out. Together.” The way he says it takes me back, reminding me of when I first started living with him.


    He was always the strong one, the protector. I looked up to him then, wanted to be just like him.


    “I’ve gotta go, Nate. I’ll be in touch if anything newes up.”


    “Love you, Em.”


    “Love you.”


    As soon as the call ends, I’m dialing Riley’s number, needing her to know what happened just in case.


    “Hey, it’s me.”


    “Em! Oh, thank God!”


    The urgency in her voice sends a chill down my spine. “What’s wrong?”


    “I found something insane about Gerardo, and I’ve been trying to reach you.”


    “What?” Panic surges, sharp and immediate.


    “I found out Gerardo isn’t just helping the DeLucas. He is a DeLuca.”


    My head jerks back, confusion and disbelief swirling inside me. “I don’t understand.”


    “His brother is actually Marco DeLuca. The boss. They’re brothers, Emilia.”


    My lungs throb as I try to breathe, the words hanging in the air. “W-w-what?”


    “Yeah. They have differentst names because they have different fathers, but they’re brothers, and Gerardo’s just as deep in the organization as DeLuca himself.”


    My body locks up, a surge of shock running through me. “Holy shit…”


    “That’s not all,” Riley continues, her tone dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I intercepted some texts between Gerardo and DeLuca. They want you and Nate dead. I don’t know when, but they’reing for him first.”


    My breath stops. Everything goes still. My heart lurches painfully in my chest, and for a moment, all I can hear is the frantic pounding in my ears.


    “I have to go. I’ll contact you when I can.”


    “Be careful, Em. Please watch your back.”


    I end the call and immediately dial Nate again. I need to warn him. I need to make sure he’s okay, even though part of me already knows he might not be.


    When the phone rings, he answers immediately. “Hey, what’s up? You okay?”


    “I need you to listen to me. Riley just found something. Gerardo’s brother is DeLuca, and they want you dead. They could being for you right now. Get the fuck out of there, do you hear me? Cut the fucking ankle monitor and run!”


    “Wait, wha?—”


    The sudden crash of something sends my blood pumping.


    “Nate, what the hell was that?”


    “Shit. Em, they’re here. They’re fucking here!”


    “Wait—what?” My stomach drops. “Nate, what’s happening?”


    “I’ve gotta go, Em!” His voice cracks, followed by a string of curses.


    I register a loud crash, then nothing. The line goes dead. I press the phone to my ear, my pulse mming in my temples so loudly I can hardly hear anything else.


    “Nate?!” I scream.


    But the silence on the other end only deepens the fear wing at my chest.


    I don’t know if he’s alive or dead. I don’t know if he’s trapped or somewhere safe. I only know one thing: the people who’ve been targeting us are here. And they’reing for us both.


    Frantic, I swipe my finger over the phone to call Riley, but before I can even hit dial, her number lights up on the screen.


    “Riley? They took him! They just took him!”


    “Oh God. Em, listen to me right now.”


    Grabbing the car keys, I’m already heading out, needing to find him.


    “I intercepted a text from DeLuca. Nate’s not being taken far.”


    She rattles off the address, and I shut the door, the engine roaring. Icy dread fills my veins as I repeat the address to myself,mitting it to memory.


    “But, Em, there’s something else. There were texts sent to Konstantin and you.”


    Adrenaline rushes through me. “What did it say?”


    “I forwarded them.”


    My eyes focus on the phone, the knot in my stomach tightening as I read the message Konstantin got. The photo attached sends an icy tremor through me.


    The image is of me—my face ck, eyes shut, making it look like I’m unconscious. How the hell did they get a photo of me sleeping?


    When I open the other message, the one sent to me, my hand shakes so violently I almost drop the phone.


    “Oh my God,” I whisper, the words barely leaving my lips.


    It’s Konstantin. His face is bloodied, his eyes closed, and his arms are tied behind him to a chair.


    I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath until it escapes me in a jagged gasp.


    Unknown


    Come alone. Or we kill him.


    The address matches the one Riley gave me—the ce they’re holding Nate.


    I stare at the image of my husband, the father of my child, and the heaviness of it crushes me.


    I know what I have to do. I have to save him. I have to save them both.


    “Em, you’re not thinking of going alone, right?” Riley interrupts, knowing me well enough to know she can’t stop me.


    When I’m silent, she goes on.


    “You’re not thinking clearly. This is a suicide mission. You need to call his brothers, tell them what happened. Get backup.”


    Konstantin would do anything for me. He’s done everything for me, even when I didn’t deserve it. And now I have to return the favor. I can’t let him or Nate die.


    “I’ll call them now, but they’re not as close as I am.”


    But first, I have to go back to my house. There’s a stash of weapons there I’ll have to grab.


    “You’re crazy,” she mutters. “You need to understand that if you do this, you may note back.”


    “I wille back, Riley.”


    And I mean every word, even as fear grips me tighter. Not for me, but for our baby.


    “I’ll talk to you soon.” I end the call, and my thoughts flicker to Konstantin again.


    This man—this ruthless, dangerous man—has somehow be family to me. He’s saved me, he’s protected me, and now I need to do the same for him.


    Even if he decides he doesn’t want me or this baby, I have to get him out of there. And most of all, I can’t leave without letting him know how much I’m falling in love with him, as scary as that is.


    I take onest breath as I make it to my home, jumping out of the car in a hurry.


    I’ll save him. I’ll save Nate.


    And once I do, nothing will ever be the same. Not for me. Not for Konstantin. And certainly not for Gerardo.


    Because for the first time in my life, all the cards are on the table, and I know exactly what I’m fighting for.