Page 87 of Baby for the Bratva

Only once I hear Yuri’s distinct Russian accent barking commands do I allow myself to go limp and wait to be rescued. I have no energy in my body anymore. It’s as though it was all transferred to Yuri the moment that he approached me.

I’d like to imagine myself as an independent woman, someone who doesn’t need a man in her life to save her.

And maybe it’s true…

But that doesn’t mean I won’t let him.

“Stella! Stella, are you alright? Tell me you’re not hurt.” Yuri’s hands find my body, scooping me up from the wreckage as men swarm around the van, shouting things in a language I can’t understand.

My eyes flutter open, looking up at the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. From this angle, he looks like a Greek god looking down at me, his brilliant blue eyes clouded only by the scowl he wears as he studies my face.

“Did they hurt you?” he asks, walking me away from the van.

I don’t know where we’re going, but as long as it’s away from that awful white van, I don’t care. I just want to be with Yuri. I want him to hold me and tell me that everything is going to be alright.

A smile pulls up the corners of my mouth, and even though I feel too weak to respond, I want Yuri to know I wasn’t shot or stabbed. “I’m fine,” I croak. “Just… tired.”

“We’ll get you to a hospital. We have a helicopter landing in just a moment,” Yuri says. His voice is shaking, but I can tell he’s trying to sound strong and confident. I’ve never heard him like this, and it melts something deep within me, the last icy chunk of resistance to fully giving my heart to him.

“Yuri,” I mumble, clutching at his shirt. “Please, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” he asks, his breathing heavy as he begins to jog toward the sound of helicopter blades.

“Yuri, I love you.”

“Jesus, Stella, I love you too. I love you more than anything,” he gushes, and I see tears in his bright blue eyes. It’s like a storm on a summer day, with the sun still peeking through the clouds as the rain comes down hard.

It feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a man as powerful and stoic as Yuri cry. It almost feels like a dream, but I know it’s real. I can feel the heat of his emotions radiating from his powerful chest, the tremble of his lips as he repeats himself over and over as we approach the helicopter.

“I love you, Stella. God, I love you so much.”

41

Yuri

All I feel is dread as the nurses rush Stella into the emergency room. It hangs in my stomach like an iron weight, pulling my heart down into the floor.

I’m not allowed to see Stella until they can confirm that she’s stable. Even though she told me she wasn’t hurt, they need to check her because she was in a car accident.

Guilt grips my entire body as I sit down in a blue plastic chair in the waiting room, burying my head in my hands. I can’t help but feel like this hospital visit could’ve been avoided if I’d been able to think faster.

Did I have to shoot at the van? Sure, I didn’t hit Stella, but they did end up crashing, which has put Stella at the risk of unseen injuries. She could be bleeding inside and dying while I sit here like an idiot in the waiting room.

It’s freezing cold in here, but I’m sweating like a sinner in hell. I run my hands through my damp hair, trying to coax myself out of the state of panic I’m in. Stella is fine. She was rescued, and I did the best I could with the resources I had.

She’s not going to die. That’s a ridiculous thing to think. She’s getting some of the best care in the entire country right now.

Despite my positive self-talk, I don’t feel much better as Chekhov rushes in and sits down beside me. I wish he would leave. Seeing him makes me feel even guiltier, because the same shit happened to him just a few weeks prior.

Everyone around me is getting hurt, and I’m the only one to blame for it.

“Sir, I have some news,” Chekhov says, unable to wait for me to start the conversation.

I wave at him dismissively. “I don’t want to hear it right now.”

“I think you do,” he says, and I catch a hint of excitement in his voice.

Why the fuck would he be excited right now?!

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