Page 38 of The Umarova Crime Family

Carter hurt Amelia badly, and I wasn’t going to let him have an easy death. “I’ll handle the body. You go back to Miss Amelia, boss,” Danill says.

I look over at him and give him a nod in thanks. “Make sure nothing can be traced back. Pull every tooth from what’s left of his skull and burn him until he’s nothing but ash.”

“You got it, boss.”

I know Amelia’s at the mall with Emily right now to destress, but as soon as she gets home, she and I need to have a conversation. I need her to come back to Grozny with me, and if she doesn’t want to go, I might very well throw her over my shoulder and make her.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Amelia

“I can’t believe what happened earlier. I mean, it feels like we’re in some sort of movie or something.” Emily shakes her head in disbelief as she sips her coffee. I’m in shock, too, but not just because of what happened earlier at the apartment.

We ended up staying there for a little bit after the police were done questioning us. Danill and Ruslan had already made sure I was okay, but then they were checking on Emily. I had gone to the restroom, and there wasn’t any toilet paper, so I went below the sink to get some. Then I was staring at a pregnancy test. I’d always kept them in the bottom of the cabinet just for those months when I was terrified there might be an accidental pregnancy. I was always lucky in the sense my periods were just a few days late, probably because of stress. Only, as I was staring at that pregnancy test, I realized I was two weeks late, not just a couple days.

So, what did I do? I peed on the test and almost passed out when I saw ‘pregnant’ on the screen. “Amelia, are you okay?” I glance up at Emily and don’t think I heard her right.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“Um… I asked if you were okay. You’re acting weird, being all quiet and stuff.” Emily takes another sip of her coffee while I haven’t even touched mine.

“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out, and Emily practically chokes.

“Wait. What?”

“I’m pregnant, Emily. I just found out, and I’m…” I can’t even finish my sentence.

“You’re in shock, naturally.” Emily puts the pieces together, and I nod. “Does Ruslan know?”

I shake my head. “No, I haven’t had a second to tell him.”

“Shit, you mean you just found out?”

“Yeah, as in, within the last four hours found out. I’m still processing it. Like, should I even be drinking this right now because I don’t know?” I stare at the coffee in front of me, wondering if it’ll immediately kill a baby if I take a sip. God, I’ve been drinking. What kind of mother am I going to be?

“Okay, take a breath. You can have one cup of coffee a day. I know that for a fact. So drink the coffee. You deserve it after the day you’ve had.” I pick up the iced coffee and take a sip. I shut my eyes as the vanilla flavoring coats my tongue.

“This wasn’t planned, and I’m low-key freaking out. What is Ruslan going to think? What if he doesn’t want this? I keep thinking about so many things, and I’m becoming so worried. He wanted me. He’s never once told me he wanted a family, and my worst fear is that he won’t want this.”

Emily grabs my hand from across the table and gives me a reassuring squeeze. “Ruslan isn’t going to abandon you because you’re pregnant. I haven’t been around the guy too much, but he’s absolutely head over heels for you. One day, I hope to find a man that looks at me the way Ruslan looks at you. It’s what every woman wants, Amelia. You have it right at your fingertips, and I’m sure when you tell him, he’s going to be shocked, but he’s going to be so happy. Unless… do you want to terminate it?”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t think I could stomach the idea of doing that. Not that I’m blaming women who choose it. I just… I can’t do that.”

“Okay, well, no one is forcing you.” As soon as she says it, my thought immediately drifts to what if Ruslan asks me to. “He’s not going to ask you to do it, and you know it.”

God, it’s like she can read my fucking mind. “I know. Everything is so fresh, and I feel so confused, I guess.”

“You’re mind-fucked right now, and that’s totally okay. If it were me, I’d be mind-fucked too.”

“Well, with you, it would make sense since you never screwed Lom, right?” I raise both of my brows and stare at her.

Emily nervously laughs. “I never fucked him back then, but we got close… really close.”

“So, what happened with that? It’s not like you to turn down something when you’re feeling it.”

“I wasn’t the one who turned it down. He said it wouldn’t be a good idea, given how close you are with his brother. He said he didn’t want to create any sort of drama between all of us. I told him we were adults, and he said we were and that if we saw each other again and the connection was still there, we could explore it. It’s why I’ve been texting him so much, I think… because I really want that connection to stick because I like him. I… I did screw him the other day, though.”

I haven’t ever known Emily to be really into a guy. I remember she did date some boys from back home, but like she’s told me before, they’re heartbreaking country boys. They weren’t the type who cherished your heart. They’re the ones who want in your pants and don’t give a fuck if they leave you alone to pick up the pieces when they’re done with you.

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