Page 102 of Stolen Seconds

The subtle dent of the chip was barely visible, but it was there. And suddenly, it all made sense. He hadn’t been lying when he’d said he would get us out. He knew Roman would come looking for him.

“Why?” I breathed, not understanding the reason for it.

He stilled; his face unexpressive as he stared blankly in front of himself. “Roman is protective of me.”

“I gathered as much.” When he’d held a gun to my head.

He stayed silent, his eyes void and empty, and I knew there was more to it.

“Nicolai.”

“Hm?”

“What’s therealreason?”

“I asked him to.” The answer left his lips as if it had been on the tip of his tongue this whole time, as if it was the first time he admitted the truth to someone.

I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t want you to.”

My stomach dropped, my blood running cold, and I hated that he couldn’t talk to me.

Clearing my voice to stop the hurt from showing, I said, “Because I’m a stranger.”

“Because you’re mysister. And for once, I don’t want someone to know my past and have it define me.”

What happened to you?I wanted to scream.

We were the same in that sense. I didn’t want Luca to know me in fear of how he’d look at me and Nicolai didn’t want me to know him for the same reason.

“Is that why you followed me that night?”

“When we first met, I felt this sudden familiarity with you, and I didn’t understand why or why I felt comfortable in sharing parts of my life with you.” His forehead scrunched in vulnerability. “But then I found out you were my sister, and I couldn’t let you walk away. I do want to have a relationship with you, Irina.”

A watery laugh bubbled out of me as more tears unleashed. “Does this mean you’ll come with me?” Hope rooted inside me as I leaned forward, waiting for his answer.

“What?” His face twisted in confusion. “No, that’s. . . that’s not what I meant. I’m not leaving Italy.”

“But you just said-”

“I know what I said,” he snapped and relaxed his tone when I inched back. “I want to knowyou. The rest doesn’t matter to me.Hedoesn’t matter.”

“Therestcomes with knowing me.”

He leaned back against the headboard, saying nothing, yet everything showed in his gaze.

He was giving me a choice. Either I accepted his wish, or I didn’t get to know him at all.

“You might’ve escaped your past, but you won’t beable to escape your future fate.” I wasn’t intentionally trying to create an issue with him, but he needed to know our father wouldn’t stop until he succeeded. “But I don’t want to lose you.”

I hoped whatever came next in our story wouldn’t hurt him in the process.

“Yet you’re still leaving.”

I scoffed. “I don’t think Roman would appreciate me staying the night.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he said, nodding his head at the door. “Are you leaving Italy? Luca?”

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