Page 106 of Beautiful Agony

"Bullshit." Megan's hands ball into fists. "He's manipulating you, can't you see that? First the marriage, now this?"

I feel my jaw clench but force myself to remain silent. This isn't my fight.

"Nobody is manipulating me." Lacey's voice carries that steel edge I've come to know so well. "I chose this. All of it."

"You're pregnant, Lacey!" Megan's voice cracks. "You can't just put yourself out there like this! There has to be another way."

"There isn't." Lacey moves to take her sister's hands. "Believe me, if there was, we'd be doing that, but there just isn't. We need Kirsan emotional and irrational. And I'm the only person who can get him to act that way."

"Lacey, don't do this." Megan's voice breaks. "I'm begging you. Please don't do this. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't." Lacey pulls her sister into an embrace. "I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" Megan pulls back to look at Lacey. "How do you know you'll come back?"

"Because Vadim will be there." Lacey's voice holds absolute conviction. "He'll protect me."

Megan's skeptical gaze shifts to me. "Like he protected Irina?"

The words hit like a physical blow. I force myself to meet her eyes, seeing the same fierce protectiveness for Lacey that I feel burning in them.

"That's not fair," Lacey says softly. "What happened to Irina wasn't Vadim's fault."

"Isn't it?" Megan's voice is sharp. "He put her in danger. Just like he's putting you in danger now."

"Megan, I told you." Lacey shakes her head. "I'mchoosing this. And Vadim will keep me safe."

"You keep saying that." Megan's hands ball into fists. "But you don't fucking know, Lace! Nobody knows!"

I watch the sisters' exchange, feeling like an intruder in their intimate moment.

"I'm not changing my mind, Meg." Lacey's voice soft but unyielding. "What we need from you is to focus on your part. Getting the truth out there about what Svoboda really does."

Megan runs her hands through her short black hair, clearly frustrated. "Fine. I'll write about how Svoboda helps traffickingvictims escape. How you give them jobs, dignity, a chance at a real life." She looks between us. "But I still think what you're doing is a terrible idea."

"I know." Lacey reaches for her sister's hand. "But you know me. Once I set my mind to something..."

"Nothing will stop you." Megan's shoulders slump in defeat. "God, you're the most stubborn person I know. Always have been." She squeezes Lacey's hand before letting go. "Can I talk to your husband alone for a minute?"

Lacey glances at me, concern flickering across her face. I give her a slight nod.

She presses a quick kiss to my cheek before heading to the door. "Try not to kill each other."

The door closes behind her with a soft click, leaving me alone with my sister-in-law's piercing gaze. I've faced down countless enemies without flinching, but something about Megan's protective fury makes me want to look away.

"Well?" I keep my voice steady. "What did you want to say to me?"

As soon as the door closes, Megan rounds on me. "If anything fucking happens to my sister or my niece in Los Angeles, there won't be a place on Earth where you can hide from me."

"I know." I meet her fierce gaze.

"I mean it, Vadim! Not your army of killers, not your fucking money, not even that big blond boy toy of yours will keep you safe from what I'll do to you."

My lips twitch at her description of Demyon. "That last part felt unnecessarily specific."

"Don't fucking change the subject." A hint of color touches her cheeks. "This is about Lacey."

"It is." I soften my voice. "Don't forget, the child she's carrying ismydaughter too, Megan. I will protect them both with my life."

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