Page 146 of Cruel Promise

He stares at me intently. “Come back home.”

It would be so easy to. I want to fall back into his arms. Almost losing him made me realize I do truly love him. But I have to protect myself.

“I can’t,” I finally say, watching as his face falls in disappointment. “I just need time to think. My mom needs me.”

He nods heavily. “I know I deserve it. I want you to have your freedom, Ava. I want you to be happy.” He takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “If you want, we can divorce.”

I suck in a breath. “Is that what you want?”

“God, no. I want you in my life. Forever. But if you want to be free of me … well, I’ll let you go. If that’s what you truly want.”

Is it what I want?

“I need to think,” I whisper, starting to walk away. “I’m sorry, Nik.”

He doesn’t stop me as I leave even though I wish he would.

NIKOLAI

Getting Maxim and Dimitri in one place at the same time isn’t easy, but I manage to convince them to meet me at a private, upscale bar.

“What is this about?” Maxim asks, hovering next to the table.

Dimitri slides into the booth before me, a large grin on his face. “We getting the team back together?”

“There was never a team,” Maxim says.

“I need your help,” I say. “There’s a man from my past?—”

“Already sounds kinky.”

I glare at Dimitri. “His name is Anton Volkov. He’s the reason I have this scar.” I point at my face. “He tried to kill me. Again. I’m not sure when he’ll strike in the future—if he even will. But I wanted to speak with you two. I want to cement an alliance between all of us. A partnership.”

“We’ve made peace,” Maxim says. “But it’s hard to trust you, Nikolai.”

“I know. I’ve made mistakes in the past. We all have.” I level a look at Dimitri, who pretends to look innocent even though we all know he’s the furthest thing from innocent. “But I’ve changed. I’ve realized what’s important in life.”

“Your wife?” Dimitri asks. “Where is Ava by the way? I heard she wasn’t living with you anymore.”

“My wife is none of your concern, Dimitri. I still haven’t fully forgiven you for kidnapping her to use her against me.”

He shrugs. “I had to do what I had to do. But we’re even now. I have no desire to kill you, Nik. You’re too much fun.”

I stifle a sigh. “Listen, I want to put the past behind us. I want to make amends. This is me moving to the future.”

“How do I know I can believe you?” Maxim asks.

“The truth? I’m trying to be a better man. For Ava. For … myself. And having a strong force behind me will keep Anton at bay. It will keep him from destroying this city. I propose a three-way split of all income we make. No one cheats. We each hire auditors to keep each other accountable. We truly share the rewards of this city. What do you say?”

Maxim lets out a long whistle. “It’s a good deal. Almost too good.”

“We’ll offer each other protection,” I say. “No backstabbing.” I look right at Maxim. “I promise.”

“I’m taking you at your word, Nikolai.”

“You’ve given me new scars, Maxim. I can forgive you for torturing me if you can forgive me for my past transgressions.”

He looks at me for a moment before nodding. “I can do that.”

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