“Excuse me?”
“Come back home,” I say softly.
The silence drags out for a long time. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Leo, the mission is not over,” she says, sounding angry now. “If you’re worried that I’m not up for this, then you’re wrong. I’ve been here for fucking ever—"
“I’m not questioning your dedication or your skill.”
“It sure as hell sounds that way to me!”
“I’ve been worried about you for some time now. You’ve been with him too long.”
“You’re worried about the psychological impact?” she asks. “What the fuck does that even matter anymore? I’ve been broken for a long time. This is nothing new.”
“You need to come back home,” I repeat.
“Home?” She laughs at the very concept. “My home died with Pavel."
“You still have people that care about you.”
“Stop trying to save me. I don’t need saving.”
“Ariel—"
“Have you forgotten about your son?” she interrupts. “I need to be here to protect him.”
“Actually, I’m thinking we kill two birds with one stone. You come home… and you bring him with you.”
“Jesus,” she breathes. “I’ll never get away with taking off with this guy in tow. It’s not like I can ask him to cooperate with me, either, is it? Damned useless babies.”
“We can work out the details,” I say, though fuck knows what that will look like. “You’re resourceful enough to figure it out. I’ll help."
“You can only help me from the outside. I have to get out of this fortress first—with a crying baby, no less.”
“Pick a time when he’s sleeping.”
“And what about the rest of it, Leo?” she asks. “I can turn off a camera for twenty minutes, but what about the guards? Not to mention the fact that Spartak is here most of the time. And when he is, he wants me with him.”
“I know it’s a bold plan.”
“It’s not bold; it’s reckless. I have a higher chance of getting caught if I take Pasha and leave. I can try and smuggle him to you but—"
“No,” I snap immediately. “Too risky.”
“For whom?”
“For you. If Belov finds out you got Pasha out, but you're still in his control… You’re as much a part of my family as Pasha is. I won’t lose either of you.”
She goes silent for a second, and I know she’s touched. She just doesn’t know how to process sentimentality anymore. It’s because she believes that if she leans into it, she stands a chance of being hurt. And she can’t take anymore hurt. The next one might kill her.
“My mission will end when Belov does. Not a moment before.”
“Leave Belov to me,” I say. “I’ll end the mudak one way or the other. You don’t have to be chained to his side when I do.”
“But I want to be.”
“Ariel—”
“I want to see him die, Leo. After everything I’ve been through, I deserve to be the one to kill him.”
And I realize one thing: she’s fucking right. If anyone deserves to rob him of his worthless life, it’s her.
“Okay. I’ll make sure that happens.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You can murder the fucker. You have more than earned that honor.”
She mulls that over for a moment. “Okay.”
“Okay what?”
“Okay, I’ll try and find an escape route out of here,” she says. "With Pasha."
I smile. “It’ll be good to have you back, Ariel.”
She snorts. “That’s what you say now.”
“You know I have property all around the world. You can take your pick.”
“See?” she says. “Trying to get rid of me already.”
I laugh. “My gift to you.”
“And to yourself, no doubt,” she says sarcastically.
I hear my son gurgle again, and I feel that strange warmth spread through me. Is this what it means to be a father? Does that feeling last? And if it does, will I ever get used to it?
“I have to go,” she says abruptly. “I’m hearing movement downstairs.”
“Stay safe.”
“Back atcha.”
The line goes dead in the middle of one of Pasha’s cries, and I feel an overwhelming sense of determination settle over me. I don’t know how, but I know this is going to end soon.