Roman waited until the flight attendant passed.
“Who?”
Norah shook her head.
“You'll make it worse.”
“That's not an answer.”
“I received a message two weeks ago.”
“From?”
“I don't know.”
Roman's voice became dangerously calm.
“What did it say?”
Norah reached into her bag and removed an old phone.
She opened a photograph.
A picture of her leaving a pediatric clinic with the twins.
Underneath were six words:
ROMAN MORETTI SHOULD MEET HIS CHILDREN.
Roman's face changed.
“Why didn't you call me?”
“Because I spent a year hiding from you.”
“And someone found you anyway.”
“Yes.”
Another message followed.
DENVER. CHRISTMAS EVE. COME ALONE.
Roman looked at her.
“You were actually going?”
“I was trying to find out what they wanted.”
“With two infants?”
“I had nowhere safe to leave them!”
Roman lowered his voice immediately when Isabella stirred.
Norah glared at him.
“Don't judge me. You weren't there.”
“Because you disappeared.”
“And why did I disappear?”
They stared at each other.
Neither won.
Roman took out his phone.
Norah grabbed his wrist.
“Don't.”
The movement exposed the black-and-gray tattoos running across Roman's hand beneath his tailored black sleeve, matching the ink climbing the side of his neck.
His eyes dropped to her fingers.
Norah released him.
“Who are you calling?”
“Carlo.”
“No.”
“They already know where you are.”
“You don't know that.”
Roman held up her phone.
“They photographed you. They knew your flight destination. They know about Isabella and Leo.”
Her face tightened.
Roman softened his voice.
“This stopped being about you running from me.”
His eyes moved to the twins.
“Someone found my family.”
Norah whispered, “They're my family too.”
Roman looked at her.
“I know.”
That surprised her.
He called Carlo.
“Trace a number.”
“Send it.”
“And Carlo?”
“Yes?”
“Nobody moves against Brennan.”
“What?”
“Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Nothing happens unless I authorize it personally.”
“Understood.”
Roman ended the call.
Norah studied him.
“You're really stopping the war?”
“I'm postponing it.”
“That's not the same thing.”
“No.”
“Then nothing has changed.”
Roman looked at her for a long moment.
“Maybe not.”
The plane began descending.
Snow streaked across the windows.
Roman looked down at Leo.
“But something has to.”
---