Page 124 of Ruthless Reign

Seeing them so peaceful tears at me, especially after the hell they endured. But that nightmare is behind us now. I won’t let Anatoly steal another second of my life.

I’d never known fear like when I watched Anatoly standing over Liza, his fingers wrapped around her throat, prepared to take her life. I'm not a religious man, but I prayed to every deity known to man that Liza was unharmed, that I had arrived in time to save her from certain death.

This nightmare has crystallized one thing for me: Liza is my future. I would give everything up for her. Nothing matters if she isn’t by my side. Ever since she came into my life, she has filled every corner of my heart, my mind, and my very being. Now, nothing stands in our way.

Nikolai joins me, his gaze fixed on Sofiya’s sleeping form. He removes his tuxedo jacket and gently drapes it over her, watching her with a tenderness I’d never expect from a man like him. A man who hasn't shown an ounce of emotion in the time I've known him. Which, admittedly, hasn’t been very long.

A flight attendant approaches and hands me the cashmere blankets I requested. I drape one over Liza and another over Sofiya, leaving Nikolai’s jacket still draped over her.

I then signal to Nikolai that we need to talk.

The cabin lights dim as we make our way to the back of the plane, where Viktor and Pavel are seated. As soon as we join them, the atmosphere turns tense. There are too many questions that need answers.

Starting with how Nikolai saved Sofiya.

“Can you explain to me what the fuck happened?” I lean back, arms folded across my chest, and fix Nikolai with a hard stare.

He blows out a casual breath. "Which part are you unclear about?"

For fuck’s sake. “The part that explains why there’s a wedding ring on your finger.”

“Right. That.” He rests his ankle on his knee and steeples his fingers together. “You told me to buy time; I was buying time. The Greek Orthodox ceremony went on and on—it was fucking perfect.”

“She’s seventeen!” I hiss.

He shrugs. “It was life or death. I was surrounded by a handful of trigger-happy guards who would have killed me on the fucking spot if they didn’t believe I was Sergey.”

Shit, this guy really is unhinged. But he does have a point.

By the time I made it down the hill with Liza, Viktor and Pavel had killed all of Anatoly’s men and secured the location. Viktor took Liza back to the safe house in a car he stole from Anatoly, and Pavel and I continued to the chapel. From outside, it was all quiet, but we didn’t know what we’d find inside. We busted through the door, guns raised, only to find all the guards dead and Nikolai and Sofiya missing. I was about to lose it when Viktor called to tell me that Nikolai and Sofiya had managed to escape back to the safe house by ATV.

Given the risks staying on the island posed, we thought it was best to fly home ASAP.

This is my first chance to debrief Nikolai. I wouldn’t even know they got married if Liza didn’t ask me about it as we were boarding the flight. I thought she was kidding at first, but both Nikolai and Sofiya are sporting rings.

Viktor clears his throat as he stares at his phone. “I’m no lawyer, but from what I’m reading here, if marriage consent was obtained through force, duress, or fraud, the marriage isn’t valid.”

“There you go!” Nikolai throws his arms up.

I run an agitated hand through my hair. “Sofiya was probably terrified.”

Nikolai’s expression sours. “She knew I wasn’t Sergey because she’d met my brother before. I tried to tell her that I wasn’t going to hurt her, but yeah, she was fucking scared.”

Pavel crosses his legs and glances out the window. Like all of us, he looks worse for wear after what feels like days without proper food, sleep, or a shower. “How did you manage to take out all six guards?”

Nikolai’s lips tip up at the corner. “I told the guards they needed to witness our ‘holy union’ from the pews. Idiots bought it hook, line, and sinker, and all lined up like ducks on the church benches. Didn’t even think to post a lookout at the door.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Just after I kissed the bride, we heard your explosions, and I knew I had to make a move before they did.” He dips his head to the side. “They were dead before they even had a clue what hit them.”

My lips curl in irritation. I want to be angry that he married Sofiya, which I definitely didn’t tell him to do, but on the other hand, he kept her safe, which is the only thing that matters.

“What happened to the priest who married you?” Viktor asks.

“He took off like the wind the moment I flashed my gun. Anatoly’s goons forced him to perform the ritual. Can’t blame the guy. He would have been dead if he didn’t agree.”

The flight attendants come around with whisky for all of us, and it arrives not a moment too soon. We down it like it’s our last drink on Earth.

“Why don't you leave the bottle with us,” I suggest to the flight attendant.

After pouring another round, we all sit back, lost in our thoughts. But there's something I'm curious about.

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