Chapter 14 "Get it together," I whisper to myself as I walk toward the science museum entrance. I'm five minutes late. Not because of traffic or an emergency at the hospital-I'm late because I changed clothes four times and still ended up in the first outfit I tried on-faded blue mom jeans and a white linen peasant top. The only thing different is my hair, worn loose and lightly curled around my shoulders instead of pulled back. I spent half the afternoon and evening worrying about my appearance for a man who kidnapped me at gunpoint. What is wrong with me? The museum entrance is crawling with security. Not the usual friendly guard in a blue uniform, but massive men in black suits who look like they could bench press a car. Before I can second-guess my decision to come here, a familiar voice calls out. "Vesper!" Luka waves frantically from the entrance. "You came!" He runs past the guards like they're lifeless furniture and launches himself at me. His arms wrap around my waist, and despite every logical reason to keep my distance, I hug him back. "Hi, kid. You look good." His smile is so bright it makes my chest ache. "Uncle Kovan said you were coming to the museum with us tonight." I glance at the dark windows. "You know it's closed, right?" He grins, and for a second, he looks exactly like his uncle. "Not for us. Come on, it's amazing inside." One of the guards steps in front of us. "I need to do a security check on your friend, Master Luka." My spine straightens. "Excuse me?" "Standard procedure for Mr. Krayev." "I'm sure Mr. Krayev will make an exception. I am his guest." The guard doesn't budge. "I have explicit instructions to search you." "It's not a big deal, Vesper," Luka chimes in. "Maybe not for you, but this is about refusing to be bullied." I cross my arms. "No matter how intimidating the muscle. Step aside, or I'm leaving." "Don't leave," Luka pleads. "Yeah, Vesper." That voice sends heat straight through me. "Don't leave." I turn to find Kovan watching us, and my heart does something embarrassing in my chest. "Is this how you treat guests?" I ask through a dry mouth. "Invite them somewhere and then subject them to pat-downs?" Kovan's eyes find mine. "Go inside, Luka. Vesper and I need to talk." The moment Luka disappears, Kovan's expression shifts. "It's a precaution." "I refuse to let your bodyguard grope me." "Stand down, Dima." The guard melts away at Kovan's command. "If you won't let him do it..." His hands settle on my hips before I can protest. " ... then I'll have to do it myself." "Absolutely not." "I'm afraid you don't get a vote." He steps closer and reaches out, his palms sliding over my ribs, my waist. "Turn around." "This is ridiculous⁠-" "Turn. Around." The authority in his voice sends an unwelcome shiver down my spine. Against every rational thought in my head, I comply. "It's just procedure," he says quietly, his breath warm against my ear. "Right. Procedure." His hands ghost up my ribs, then back down over the curve of my hips. I try to push him away, but my body betrays me. Every nerve ending lights up under his touch. It's been so long since anyone touched me that even this feels electric. My nipples are puckering up into hardened points no matter how many times I tell them to stand down. "Now, you're just messing with me," I breathe. "Just being thorough." His hands move lower, and I bite back a sound that will humiliate me in my nightmares for the rest of my life. But when his hand ventures toward my belt buckle, I wrench away, turning to face him. "We're done here." He catches my arm and pulls me against his chest. This close, I can see gold flecks in his green eyes, can smell his cologne. My brain short-circuits. "I'll decide when we're done," he murmurs, his hand trailing down my spine. For a moment, neither of us moves. The air between us crackles with something dangerous and heated and inevitable. Then he steps back. The spell breaks. The loss of contact is so jarring it hurts. "There. All clear." He pats my shoulder like I'm a good dog. "If this is how you treat women," I snap, "it's no wonder you're single." His grin is sharp. "Don't look so excited at the job opportunity." "In your dreams." I turn toward the entrance so he can't see my cheeks flush red. "Let's go. Luka's waiting." The museum feels different in the dark. Empty and vast, our footsteps echoing off the walls. Even the massive t-rex skeleton in the lobby pales in comparison to the man walking beside me. Luka bounces over to us. "Can we go to the planetarium?" "Let's start with the aquarium," Kovan suggests, ruffling the boy's hair. "Save the planetarium for the finale." "I haven't been here in years," I offer. "Maybe you can show me around?" That brightens Luka's face. He takes my hand. "I'll introduce you to Goliath!" He leads us through the museum, chattering about exhibits. Being here at night feels otherworldly. The long halls amplify every sound, every breath. It's beautiful and eerie, something I'll never forget. "There he is!" Luka points to the enormous blue whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling. "Wow." The word comes out breathless. I've seen this exhibit before, but never like this. Never in the hushed darkness with only our voices echoing in the endlessness. "He's eighty-seven feet long," Luka says proudly. "I want to be as big as Goliath someday. Then no one could ever hurt me." The casual way he says it stops my heart. I look down and notice the bruise on his arm, the angry red scar beneath it. "Where did you get that scar, Luka?" His entire body goes rigid. His eyes dart to Kovan. "It's okay," Kovan says quietly. "You can trust her." "I was in the way," he mumbles, eyes downcast. "My stepfather got mad. He made the scar." He says it like he's discussing the weather. Like having scars carved into your skin by adults is normal. Another day in the life. "How did he do it?" Luka shrugs off my hand on his shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it." He runs to the far end of the aquarium, leaving Kovan and me alone with the weight of his words. "I messed up," I say. "Spooked him." "The scar happened after that day at the hospital," Kovan's voice is carefully controlled. "I only found it when I took him swimming. He insisted on wearing a shirt in the pool." "How? I mean, who? Or, fuck, I don't know what I mean. Why, I guess." "Ihor, his stepfather, was angry about something," replies Kovan. "He took it out on the only person who couldn't fight back." I study Kovan's face. The pain there isn't manufactured. Whatever else he is, whatever else he's done or hidden or buried, his love for Luka is real. "And the bruise? That one is fresher." "His mother. She was annoyed that he was playing too loudly." "Jesus." I wrap my arms around myself against the sudden chill. Luka stands silhouetted against the aquarium glass, one small hand pressed to the surface as fish swim past. He looks so alone it breaks something in my chest. "What can a mother have against her own son?" I murmur, more to myself than to him. "He's small. Quiet. Thoughtful. Ihor and Yana see those as weaknesses instead of gifts." Kovan's jaw tightens. "They treat him like a burden instead of a miracle." "And you?" "He's my nephew." The pride in his voice is unmistakable. It's the same tone my father used when he talked about me. Fierce and protective and full of love. Kovan doesn't need to say anything else to make me understand. "Come on," he says. "He trusts easily once he knows you're safe." We join Luka at the aquarium. The water glows an otherworldly blue in the darkness. "How did you get us in here?" I ask. "I know the executive director," says Kovan. I gawk at him. "Of course you do." Luka giggles. "Uncle Kovan knows everyone." "Only the people who matter," Kovan says, but his eyes are on his nephew. "Luka loves this place, so I made sure he'd always have access. He has a lifetime membership." "I didn't know those existed." "They don't." Kovan winks, and Luka copies him. "Show-offs," I tease, squeezing Luka's shoulder. "This isn't even my favorite part," Luka says. "The planetarium is the best. Can we go now?" "If you wish," Kovan answers. "Lead the way." As we walk, I notice the guards hanging back, lurking shadows at the edge of my vision. "Doesn't that bother you? Being watched all the time?" "It keeps Luka safe. And you." Luka takes my hand again, and I get another look at his injuries. They're worse than I first thought. "Does it hurt?" He shrugs. "Not anymore. I'm used to it." The unbothered acceptance in his voice nearly breaks me. "'Used to it'?" "This is nothing. I broke my arm last year. It was hanging wrong for an hour before the doctors fixed it. That really hurt." "How did you break it?" "Ihor pushed me down the stairs." My jaw drops. "But it was my fault!" he adds quickly. "I made him mad." I stop walking and kneel in front of him. "Listen to me, Luka. Nothing you could ever do justifies an adult hurting you. Nothing. Do you understand?" He looks nervously at Kovan. "I shouldn't talk about my arm. Uncle Kovan doesn't like it." "He doesn't like hearing that you were hurt," I explain gently. "Because he cares about you." "I'm fine now. And I got to stay with Uncle Kovan for four weeks after. So it was worth it." He breaks free and runs ahead. "Come on! Planetarium time!" Kovan watches him go, his expression raw. "This is the only place he's ever loud. When it's just us." I wring my hands in front of my waist, torn in a thousand different directions all at once. "Thank you for letting me see this. I know it's special for you two." "You haven't given me your answer yet." I look at Luka, practically vibrating with excitement at the planetarium entrance. Then at Kovan, this violent man who somehow makes an eight-year-old boy feel safe enough to laugh. "Ask me again after the planetarium." His smile is soft and sure. "You're going to say yes." "We'll see." But we both know he's right.