Page 39 of The Umarova Crime Family

“What do you mean you screwed him the other day?”

“He’s here, in the States. We met up for a booty call, I guess, and it was phenomenal. It was so freaking good, and he’s still texting me and everything like normal. I think he might see we do have some sort of connection.” They might have a connection, but Lom lives in Grozny. What’s going to happen when he goes back and Emily’s here?

“How many more months do you have left with your program?”

Emily sucks in a deep breath, “About seven if I keep up with the same workload I have now. I could double up some courses and get done in five, but I think it would fry my brain.” So she has seven more months of being stuck in Atlanta.

“Does Lom know you have to stay here? Like, you can’t just hop on a flight and go to Grozny whenever you want?”

“No, because he hasn’t even asked. We’re not dating. We’re just… friendly people who enjoy each other’s company every once in a while.”

“Ah, is that what you’re doing?” I laugh at Emily and finally feel myself getting a bit more carefree. I’m not focusing on being a pregnant woman right now, and all the worries I have are slowly fading away. The more I think about it, the more I know Emily’s right. It’s not like Ruslan’s going to be mad at me about anything. I’m sure he’ll be shocked at first, too, and then he’ll probably be happy. I’ll still be a nervous wreck until I actually get a moment to talk to him about it, though.

“Yeah, I am.” Emily playfully shoves my hand away, and we both break out into laughter. “On another note, you’re going to be the best mom in the world. I hope you’re not nervous about that.”

“I am, but not in a scary sort of way. Nervous because it’s such a big change, but I’m ready for more change. Look at the last few months. All my changes have been good ones, and it’s put my life on this road to happiness. A road I never expected to be on, honestly.”

“You deserve it. If anyone deserves it, it’s you. You’ve been through so much. God, when you lost your dad, it broke my heart. I know you loved him more than anything else in the world. Then your mom started drinking and using to cope with her loss. I know how hard you tried to keep her on a straight path. You tried so hard, Amelia, and no one blames you for eventually turning a blind eye to what she was doing. I would’ve done the same thing if I was in your shoes.”

No one ever understands that part of my life. Everything was perfect when my father was alive, but when he died, my mother lost a big part of herself. I think she didn’t know how to survive without him. Actually, I take that back. She didn’t know how to live her life without him. What she’s doing now is surviving, but she’s barely surviving.

“Thank you for always being here for me.” I reach over and grab Emily’s hand one more time and give it a squeeze.

“Always. And I think it’s so weird we’re here alone. Ruslan always has someone watching you, right?”

I nod, “Yeah, he always does, and he knew exactly where I was going with you,” I tell her and scan the food court. I look for what I know organized crime members wear, which is usually some sort of suit. Sure enough, my eyes land on Lom with another man and a woman beside him. “You know, you’re pretty damn lucky you weren’t facing my direction.”

“Huh, why?”

“Because your lover boy is back there watching us and can probably read my lips.” I wiggle my eyebrows, and Emily turns around and scans the food court. Sure enough, she looks straight ahead, and Lom smiles the second she sees him. It’s cute, and I hope for my cousin’s sake that she doesn’t get hurt, but she’s a big girl and can handle herself.

“Are you done with your coffee? There’s something I need to do, and I’d really like you to tag along with me if you don’t mind.” Emily turns around to face me as I speak and nods.

“Yeah, where are we going?” she asks.

“Illusion. I need to speak to Gregor or Christian. I’m going to put in my two weeks’ notice since I’m pregnant. I highly doubt Ruslan wants me working at a club while his child’s growing inside me. Now, I know you picked up a couple of shifts a week from there. Would you be opposed to taking my three days a week? This way, they’re not freaking out about finding someone to fill my spot.”

“I make more money there than in the real estate office, so yeah, I’ll do it. The only reason I’m even there is because of the experience.”

Emily and I throw our coffees away, and then she drives us over to Illusion. The club isn’t open yet, so we use the employee entrance, and I search for Gregor. After about five minutes, I hear he’s in Christian’s office, so the two of us head to Christian’s office and knock on the door.

“Ladies, can I help you?” Christian asks.

“Yes, actually. Do you mind if we come in?”

Christian nods, and we both enter, taking a seat across from his desk. Gregor shuts the door behind the two of us, so we have some decent privacy.

“What can I help you ladies with?” Christian questions us, his eyes darting between the two of us.

“I’m here to put my two weeks’ notice in, but Emily’s agreed to take my shifts. She’s already picked up some shifts, so we thought that would be better than hiring someone else and having to deal with training them.”

Christian blusters a laugh, “I’m sorry to see you go. You’re a great employee, Amelia. I appreciate the thought you both put into making sure we wouldn’t be short-staffed. Gregor and I were actually speaking a few minutes ago about getting a more permanent schedule for Emily, so I think this works out great.”

Great, this is one less thing I have to worry about. Now all I need to do is tell Ruslan I’m carrying his child. If only it didn’t make me so damn nervous.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ruslan

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