Page 75 of Runaway Queen

I was a goner.

I’d burn the entire world down to keep them safe.

My family.

My everything.

“I read up about these things. Sometimes they don’t last forever, and you need another one, eventually.”

I leaned back and tried to arrange the IV from my hand to be more comfortable. “That’s fine. He can have the other one when he needs it, if I’m a match.”

“You know you need to keep one, unless you want to die.”

“I’m aware.”

Bran snorted and changed the subject. “People have been asking about Sloane. His secretary is looking for him and his men. What should I do?”

“Nothing. When I get out of here, I’ll speak to the Russians. They’re the backbone of the business. It won’t be too much work to take it over.”

“And thisvorybusiness. Now that you have the title, do you get paid or something?”

“No, not at all. Beingvorisn’t about money.”

‘What’s it about then?”

“It’s about power. The power to keep my family safe.”

Bran stared and then chuckled, running a hand up his arm. “Man, that just gave me shivers, like when a wolf protects its cub instead of eating it. So unexpected. So, what’s the plan now?”

“Take Sofia and Leo home. Watch them. Don’t let them out of your sight, until I can get there later. Nothing matters more than making sure they’re safe. Antonio De Sanctis won’t let this lie. He’s planning his move. We’ve got to be ready for him.”

“Got it, brother. I’ve got it.”

26

SOFIA

Iset the steaming casserole dish on the table and called upstairs to Leo. It was his first home-cooked meal in a week, and I’d made his favorite.Pasta al forno. A pasta dish, with tomatoes, baked in the oven until the cheese was melted to perfection. I tossed a salad and set it in the middle.

“There’s room for one more, isn’t there? Don’t break my heart,” a lilting Irish brogue murmured just behind me.

I turned to find Bran looking longingly at the food. The man had been sitting outside on the porch for an hour, after I’d chased him out of the kitchen.

“There’s plenty. I’m having guests.”

“Hmm, is it the bodyguard and his bride? How exciting.” Bran leaned an elbow on the counter and stole a radish from the chopping board. “How did you end up here together? Nikolai told me a little of what went down at the end of his time with your family.”

“It was terrible in the way that only my father can be responsible for. The only good thing to come from the entire thing was how Nikolai’s brother, Kirill, made sure Angelo and Chiara got money to start over. He never asked them where they were going. He just equipped them to escape.”

“Kirill is a goodpakhan, according to Nikolai.”

“Yeah, except for that time when he handed him over to my father.” I gave Bran a wry grin.

“Maybe so, but you wouldn’t be here, and Leo wouldn’t be either if he hadn’t. Sometimes, fate has plans for us.” Bran smiled at me.

“Well, fate didn’t bring Angelo and Chiara to Maine. It was me. She managed to contact me through our college emails, since I didn’t have a phone she could call or the ability to see anyone I knew. She’d offered to come where I was. I jumped at the chance. I was so scared of being pregnant and alone, without any money or place to go… It was pretty selfish of me.”

“That doesn’t sound selfish to me. It sounds like you found your people, and they found you. Maybe they needed you, too. One person they didn’t have to lie about their identities in front of. One person who really knew them. It’s important.”

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