Page 8 of Brutal Bratva Boss

He looks me up and down. “Come with me.” He motions for me to follow him.

Ignoring the uneasy feeling in my gut, I follow him inside the building.

Other than the occasional glance over his shoulder accompanied by a shake of his head and a grunt, we walk along in silence.

It is eerily quiet inside the club, the empty dance floor a polar opposite of how crowded it was the night I was here. The air is clear, and I am able to appreciate the architecture of the interior. Large columns run vertically between the different levels, each one with intricate designs carved into them. Most seem to be assorted kinds of gargoyles, ranging from small innocent-looking ones to forms resembling monsters.

We head up a set of stairs by one corner of the club floor where another man is waiting for us at the top. Like the mammoth, this man shares some of Theo’s facial features, except his features are harder and his nose is extremely crooked, as if it has been broken before and was not able to heal properly. And like the mammoth, this man seems to disapprove of me for whatever reason. He is just not as subtle about it. He does not try to hide the look he gives me, as if I am accompanied by some kind of foul odor.

It makes no sense; I have never met these men before, so I have no clue what I could have done to offend them.

When we reach an office at the end of one hall, they usher me inside.

As soon as I walk through the doors, I see him. Theo. He looks the same as he did the night we met, although now I can see him in more detail. His dark hair is mussed, a contrast to how put together the rest of him looks wrapped in what must be another custom suit. The lines at the corners of his eyes are deeper than I remember, pushing his age up by a few more years than I had originally guessed. Dark ink peeks out where his sleeves are rolled up to the elbow, over the muscles of his forearm. One side of his mouth quirks up slightly when he sees me, but it drops just as quickly when one of the men behind me starts speaking.

“Fy-”

“Leave us.” He levels a glare at the man.

A few seconds later, the door clicks shut behind me. With that reaction, I am not sure what to expect with the news I have to deliver.

I shift my weight from one foot to the other. “I wasn’t sure I would find you.”

“Here I am.” He gives me an appreciative once over before he starts walking towards me.

“Wait.” I hold up a hand to stop him. “I need to tell you something. It’s important, and I won’t be able to think clearly if you come any closer.”

Theo stops, amusement dancing across his face. “Should I be sitting down?” he asks with a slight chuckle.

“I don’t know, maybe?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

I square my shoulders. I need to get this out one way or another, and there’s no point in dragging it out. “Yes, you should sit down.”

Maintaining eye contact, Theo leans against the desk, crossing one ankle over the other and folding his arms over his chest. The muscles in his forearms jump deliciously just like they did when he held himself over me that night.

Stop it! This is neither the time nor place for that.

“So, about that night ...”

He tips his head to one side. “What about it?”

I figure there is no way to finesse the situation. I might as well just come out and say it.

“We didn’t use protection.”

It’s not a question; I am well aware we did not use any. And I wasn’t with anyone else around that time or since, so there is no question as to who the father is. The slight smile on Theo’s face fades, his eyebrows drawing down slightly.

“I took a test. Five, actually, and all of them had the same result. I’m pregnant.”

Theo’s eyes drop to the floor, and the silence is deafening. I can’t be certain what thoughts are running through his mind, but I can take a guess.

“I know you must be wondering if it’s yours. It is. I haven’t been with anyone else in the time period it happened. But I’m happy to do a DNA test to prove it.”

I have never been one to ramble, but the stillness of Theo’s frame in front of me is unnerving and I can’t stop the words from spilling out.

“I’m not expecting you to take on any responsibilities, so you do not have to worry about that. I realize this is a shock. I also won’t be pestering you for child support. I do need to ask a favor, though. I need some money, just enough to get out of town and go somewhere safe. You will never have to see me again after that.”

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