30
Chloe
Nikolai’s jaw turns to stone, volcanic clouds gathering in his eyes. In a dangerously level voice, he says, “I can do the first, but not the second. Bransford is a threat to you for as long as he’s alive.”
“Not if he’s been exposed and people know what he is. I can go public with my DNA results; with that kind of proof, the media will have to listen.”
I don’t know when the idea of this Faustian bargain with Nikolai came to me, at which point I decided that since there’s no way to avoid losing the marriage battle, I will at least surrender on my own terms. These two matters—finding out the truth about Nikolai’s past and getting him to leave Bransford alive—are equally important to me, and I need to use what little leverage I have.
Bransford has to pay for his crimes, but I don
