Mag-log inEPILOGUETHE BRUTE AND HIS GIRLAURORASix months later.“Mrs. Volkov!”I stopped in the middle of the kitchen.Slowly, I turned around.Aleksandr stood in the doorway, wearing black sweatpants and absolutely nothing else.His long black hair was tied back.His tattoos covered his broad chest, shoulders, and arms.And he was smiling.That dangerous, arrogant smile that still made my stomach flutter.I narrowed my eyes.“I’m not Mrs. Volkov.”“Not yet.”“Aleksandr.”“What?”“You can’t keep calling me that.”“Why?”“Because you haven’t asked me to marry you!”He grinned.“Details.”I threw a strawberry at him.He caught it.Of course he did.Then he ate it.“Terrible woman.”“Terrible man.”He crossed the kitchen, caught my waist, and lifted me onto the counter.I squealed.“Aleksandr!”“Good morning, beautiful.”“You already said good morning.”“Again.”He kissed me.And just like that, I forgot why I was arguing.Which happened far too often.Six months.We had been living in his secr
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHTTHE HOUSE THAT WAS ALWAYS HERSAURORAThree days later.“Absolutely not.”I stood in the middle of our bedroom with my hands on my hips.Aleksandr stood opposite me.Arms crossed.Black shirt.Black pants.That ridiculous expression he wore whenever he believed he’d already won an argument.Which was often.Far too often.“You haven’t even heard my entire argument,” I informed him.“I heard enough.”“No, you didn’t.”“You want take six suitcases.”“Five.”He looked at the luggage scattered across the bedroom floor.“One. Two. Three. Four. Five.”Then he pointed toward the dressing room.“Six.”I followed his finger.Damn it.“That one doesn’t count.”“Why?”“It’s shoes.”He closed his eyes.I smiled.“See? Completely different.”“We’re going to Russia, Aurora. Not moving entire palace.”“I’m aware.”“For two weeks.”I stopped.“Two weeks?”He opened his eyes.“Yes.”I stared at him.“Aleksandr Volkov.”His expression changed.Oh, he knew that tone.“Why exactly are
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVENAFTER EVERYTHINGAURORAThe moment our bedroom door closed, Aleksandr locked it.I raised an eyebrow.“Expecting someone?”“Yes.”“Who?”“My sister coming to tell me more things I don’t want to know.”I burst out laughing.He turned around.Black shirt.Black pants.Gun holster.Blood dried near his temple.And an expression that suggested he was still trying to understand how Viktor had managed to date his sister for eight months without getting caught.“You’re never going to get over this, are you?”“No.”“Viktor’s a good man.”“He was a good man yesterday.”“He’s still a good man today.”“Yesterday he wasn’t kissing my sister.”I grinned.“That you knew about.”Aleksandr stopped.Slowly, he looked at me.“Aurora.”I pressed my lips together.“What?”“Don’t.”I laughed harder.He shook his head, removed his holster, and placed it inside the bedside drawer.Then he pulled off his shirt.My laughter disappeared.Not because I hadn’t seen him without one before.I h
Absolutely. I’ll reveal that Anya and Viktor have secretly been together for a while, with Aleksandr realizing he somehow missed it—and being very unhappy that Viktor has been sneaking around with his sister.CHAPTER FORTY-SIXTHE SECRET BETWEEN THEMAURORAElias Vale was arrested at 2:17 in the morning.I knew the exact time because I watched a royal guard snap the second handcuff around his wrist while the digital clock on the hangar wall changed.2:16.2:17.Twenty years of running.Twenty years of secrets.Twenty years of people dying, disappearing, hiding, lying, and trying to survive him.And in the end—two metal cuffs.That was it.No dramatic death.No final explosion.No last-minute escape.Just Elias Vale sitting on the concrete floor of a private airfield with blood soaking through the shoulder of his expensive shirt while investigators from three different agencies started calling Isla Palace.Because my mother’s evidence had reached them.All of them.Avery’s laptop hadn
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVEBRING THEM HOMEAURORAThe old chapel exit was sealed.Of course it was.At this point, I would have been more surprised if something actually worked the first time.Avery shoved against the rusted iron lever.Nothing.Aleksandr tried next.Still nothing.Whitney stood behind them with the purple music box pressed against her chest.“How old is this thing?”Samuel leaned against the wall.“Older than you.”“That wasn’t helpful.”“Older than your father.”“Still not helpful.”Daniel raised an eyebrow.“Which father?”Whitney went silent.Samuel looked like he wanted to disappear into the wall.Daniel closed his eyes.“Poor choice of words.”Whitney surprised all of us by laughing.Not much.Barely a breath.But she did.Then her face crumpled again.“My parents.”Avery immediately went to her.“We’re getting them.”“You don’t know where they are.”“Airfield.”“Samuel thinks airfield.”“Then we start there.”“What if Elias moves them?”Avery cupped her face.“Then I f
CHAPTER FORTY-FOURTWO MINUTESAURORA01:5901:5801:57“No!”Daniel lunged toward Elias.Viktor caught him around the waist.“LET ME GO!”“Not happening.”“HE KILLED HER!”“I know.”“LET ME GO!”The countdown kept moving.01:5401:5301:52Aleksandr grabbed me around the waist.“Move!”“The evidence!”“Fuck evidence!”“My mother—”“Is dead! You are not!”The words hit me.Hard.Painful.True.Elias laughed.“You should listen to him, Aurora.”I turned.He knew my name.Of course he knew my name.But hearing it from him made my skin crawl.He stood inside the archive like he had all the time in the world.His three men had moved.One toward the door.One along the wall.One directly behind Elias.Avery raised his gun.“Move away from the exit.”The man smiled.“No.”Avery fired.Whitney screamed.The man dropped.Everything exploded.Gunfire.Shouting.Stone shattered.Aleksandr threw me behind a heavy shelf.“DOWN!”I hit the floor.Whitney landed beside me.Avery crouched in front o







