Page 71 of Baby for the Bratva

It lands weakly on my thigh, and I chuckle. “Calm down now, or the doctor is going to come in here and put you to sleep.”

“I slept plenty in the water. Only way to pass the time out there alone,” he replies, leaning back into his pillow and looking up at the ceiling. “Still surprised I made it out. I thought I was dead the moment that bitch pushed me.”

“Clara. Did she tell you her name?”

He looks at me and smirks. “She told me it was April. I should’ve known she was lying, but she had an ass on her like two overfilling water balloons.”

I wag my finger at him. “You see, thinking with your dick is what gets you killed.”

He shrugs. “I was being careful. Honestly, I didn’t expect her to be able to push me over the railing like that. Not really sure why either, seeing as she told me she wanted to have sex out in the moonlight.”

“She thought you were me,” I say, shaking my head. “Total idiot, but that’s what happens when you’re walking around with a bounty on your head. Every idiot in the world wants a piece of you.”

“For my safety as well as yours, then, you should do something about that bounty.”

“Been trying. Not working.”

“Try harder.”

I chuckle. “I do have a plan, but it’s drastic. You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“Too late, man, I already do,” he grumbles, looking at the ceiling again. “And I think I’m crazy, too. Considering calling it off and retiring, honestly.”

“Really?” I ask, but I’m not surprised. After what he’s been through, and at his age, I’d be considering calling it off, too. The only difference between us is that he can leave without consequences, but I’ll always have danger following me. Everyone knows my face already. The only way out is death.

“I’m considering it, but I’m not going to leave you hanging on such an important mission. We’ll see it through and then talk about it,” Chekhov says.

I nod. “Understandable. Just get your rest now. I know you need it.”

“But don’t go,” he blurts, grabbing at my arm as I attempt to turn away.

I raise an eyebrow, curious why he wants me to stay. He needs to rest, even if he thinks he can just jump back into business like nothing happened. He’s probably still in shock, and all the little aches and pains will appear once his body processes what it’s been through.

Chekhov drops his arm again. “Just… stay for a second. I want to ask you something?”

I shrug, pulling a chair from the wall and sitting next to his bed. “Ask away.”

He takes a deep breath, letting it out through his nose. The beeping on his heart rate monitor quickens.

The room is drenched in silence for a few seconds before he speaks. “Did I fail you?”

“What?” I hadn’t seen this question coming, and honestly, I can’t fathom why he would ask it.

“Did I fail you? You know I wasn’t supposed to be fucking around with women on a business trip, and I nearly threw the whole operation away along with my life.”

I hold up my finger to silence him. “But you didn’t. Everyone is fine, and there’s one less bounty hunter out to get me.”

He shakes his head, unwilling to leave it at that. “But I fucked up. I know I fucked up, and I don’t know how I got so damn sloppy.”

“We’re all stressed out. This mission has been considerably more… intense… than the rest. Just relax,” I say, laying my hand down on his bed again. “I’ve made my own fair share of mistakes. I’ve let my guard down, and it’s gotten me in trouble, too.”

His worried face turns up into a devious smile. “That woman, Stella.”

I laugh, leaning back in my chair. “Yeah, she’s trouble, alright, but at least she isn’t going to push me overboard.”

“Hey, you don’t know that,” he teases. “Best to watch your back.”

I bury my face in the palms of my hands, trying to come up with the best way to tell him this. I’m already far past the point of watching my back with Stella. I’ve already caught feelings for her, and what’s more, we’re going to get married.

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