Page 53 of Ruby Menace

“There’s your other little one.” He twists his head to look at us. “Baby Number Two is a little shy today. Hiding from me behind Baby One. But things will be clearer at your next scan.”

“And everything is okay?” I need to confirm it. After all that’s happened, it’s hard to believe Tiana came through unscathed.

“One hundred percent.” The doctor looks as relieved as I am. Possibly because he wouldn’t want to be the one to give me bad news. “But I’d like our patient to take it easy for a while. Get some rest. You’ve been through a lot, Miss Avants.”

“I will make sure of it,” I say firmly. I watch as the doctor wipes the gel off Tiana’s belly with tissue paper and then helps her sit up. She’s still staring at the screen with a look of wonder on her face.

“Spasibo, doktor,” I say to the Kuznetsov, my voice filled with gratitude. It’s an unfamiliar emotion.

He nods, a smile on his face. “Pozhaluysta, Pakhan. It’s my pleasure. Congratulations to both of you.” He adjusts Tiana’s robe and then puts his hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to give you a prescription for some prenatal vitamins,” he says. “And I want you to come back in for a checkup in two weeks.”

“She will be here.” I’ll make sure of it.

“Thank you, doctor,” Tiana adds. She’s staring back at the screen. So am I. I want to commit this image to memory.

The doctor inclines his head at me and then leaves the room.

Tiana turns to me, her eyes sparkling. I sense that there are a thousand unspoken words behind them. “Did I tell you I love you?” she asks, beaming.

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m telling you again.” Her smile is as playful as radiant. It’s a smile a man could love. I should know, because I love it.

“I’m taking you home.” I reach for her hand.

“Now? But what about the others? Aren’t there things you need to do?”

“Dima will take care of things. Everything else can wait. But now, you need to be in bed. You need to rest. You heard the doctor.”

“But I feel fine.”

“Don’t argue with me, woman.” I pull her closer against me, then graze my lips over hers. “You have already been through too much. All because of me. You will rest, and while you do that, I will make this world safer for you and our children.”

I say the words with a quiet conviction because that’s exactly what I plan to do.

“I know,” she says. “I know everything’s going to be okay.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Tiana

My head spins on the car ride back to the mansion.

So much has happened that I don’t even know what to focus on. We still have so much to talk about, so much to go over, and I don’t even know where to start. But Kirill’s hand is warm on my knee, and that grounds me. That’s all that matters right now.

“So, you’re really not mad about this whole FBI thing?” I ask for the umpteenth time. I’ve changed into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt that Dr. Kuznetsov managed to uncover from one of the nurses’ lockers. I’m swamped in the clothing, but at least I’ve managed to ditch the ruined dress.

“I’m not, Ptichka.” He looks at me. “You told me about it, and that tells me whose side you’re on. That’s all that matters to me.” His jaw works. “Although I should make them pay for targeting my woman.”

Make them pay.

Whatever that means. He’s an unusual man with an unusual code. But I can never get over how much he cares for me. He would go to war for me, no matter who or what he’s up against. I rest my head on his shoulder and allow my body to relax. It’s a moment of peace that I’ve not had enough of lately. I make a mental note to have more peaceful moments in my life. I must remember that I have not one, but two tiny souls to care for.

Unfortunately for me, my peace doesn’t last very long.

As we pull up to the mansion, something prickles at my nerve endings. It’s a sense of something not being right.

By the time Kirill and I walk up the steps to the mansion, my heart is already pounding in my chest. The feeling of unease that I started to have in the car has only grown stronger.

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