Page 151 of Cruel Promise

I smile fondly at the memory. Thinking about Sienna these past few months hasn’t hurt me as much as it once did. The ache won’t ever fully leave, I don’t think, but it’s no longer quite as sharp around the edges.

Josh smiles. “I wish I remembered her more.”

“Oh, honey, if you only knew how much all three of you remind me of her. Your compassion and kindness—that’s all Sienna. Reagan’s feistiness, Caroline’s creativity—it all comes from your mother. She’s always with you, even when you don’t know it.”

I raise my arm and Josh leans into my shoulder. I try not to make a big deal out of it, but he never lets me hold him like this anymore. “I heard you talk to Ruslan,” he mumbles softly. “Are you really not gonna be with him because of what he said?”

I gulp.Isn’t that a doozy of a question?

“The first few days, I genuinely considered it,” I admit. “But I also don’t know what happened that night to make him so…”

“Sad?”

“Right. Sad. I owe it to him to hear his side of the story first. And even then…” I glance down at Josh. “I know he loves you guys. He was just in a bad place that day. Sometimes, people say stuff they don’t mean because they’re afraid of what might happen if they were completely honest.”

Josh frowns. “That’s confusing.”

I laugh. “For you and me both, bud.” I tousle his hair and kiss the top of his head. “How about you try to get some sleep?”

“No. You sleep and I’ll stay up and keep watch.”

“Josh, sweetheart, you’re tired.”

“I’m not.”

I purse my lips. “That’s another trait you get from your mama—stubbornness.”

He snorts a laugh. “Okay, I guess you can take the first watch. But I’ll take the second.”

“Deal.”

Barely five minutes later, he’s on the bed next to his sisters, dead asleep. It gives me some relief to see them all together like that, even if I have no earthly idea how to get us out of this situation.

My phone had been wrestled away from me back on school grounds, so my live location isn’t about to help Kirill or Ruslan find us. Which means I’m gonna have to use my imagination to get us outta here.

I stand in the middle of the room and turn on the spot.Come on, Emma, think like an action star. Manifest your way to freedom.

Then I hear the lock turn in the door. I freeze, dreading the sight of Adrik again. But when the door opens, I’m faced with…

Ben.

Which is not a whole lot better.

“You,” I snarl softly.

To my surprise, he walks in and shuts the door. “Don’t try to rush the door or anything. Adrik’s got men posted outside it.”

I scowl at him. “You really think I’d try to escape without the kids?”

There’s a beautiful purple bruise on the left side of his face and he’s sporting a colorful split lip, too. Honestly, Josh deserves a standing ovation for that performance earlier. A few more minutes and he would’ve made mincemeat of the rest of Ben’s sneer.

Apparently, Ben is thinking along the same lines, because he glances at all three of them in the bed. “Where the fuck did he learn to fight like that?”

“Where do you think?”

He walks over to the boarded window and sits on the same table that Josh was using as a window seat. “They replaced me pretty damn fast.”

“What did you expect, Ben?” I want to say so much more but self-preservation keeps my tongue in check.

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