Page 82 of Crowned

Kirill bursts out laughing. “Then I say go for it.”

Elyah says nothing. His silence is the coldest thing I’ve ever heard.

Konstantin turns to Dad. “Do not hurt Lilia until after she’s given birth. If you do, I will kill you myself.”

Dad holds up his hands. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Children are the most important thing in the world. You can all join me in America until the child is born if you like.”

I yank my arm from Kirill’s grip, my chest heaving. “You can’t do this. My baby is the only thing I can’t live without.”

Konstantin ignores me and turns to Elyah. “Are you sure about this? You’re the reason we chased Lilia all over the world.”

The blond man swallows, hard. He still won’t meet my eyes. “I am tired of being pushed away by an ungrateful woman. Lilia Aranova has made it clear that she will never love me the way I love her. We should take what is ours and be done with this.”

His expression closes and he steps away from me, cradling his broken arm against his chest.

I rejected him. I broke him. He has nothing left to say to me.

“Then it’s a deal,” Dad purrs.

“I have a plane refueling to take us to London,” Konstantin says. “You’re welcome to join us, and then we can fly to America from there.”

Dad holsters his weapon and smiles at the men. “It would be a pleasure.”

I sink to the ground, too shocked even to cry, both my arms wrapped around my belly. I was growing to trust these men. I was starting to love these men. They are going to throw me away over some diamonds because our love is difficult?

Since when has love been easy? When it’s rare and hard won, you’re supposed to hold on tighter than ever.

Konstantin hunkers down in front of me, his expression lit from within now he’s getting everything he’s ever wanted.

“I would have fought for us,” I say, loud enough for the other two to hear. “I was going to try and make this work for all of us despite everything you’ve done, for the sake of this child, but you’ve thrown it all away.”

“Ah, a sad day,” Konstantin murmurs, brushing his knuckles over my cheek. “But it’s not goodbye just yet, Lilia.”

No, we have months together before he rips my baby from my arms and leaves me to die. That’s all they’ve wanted all along, the three of them. The baby.

“We still have so much more ahead of us. Now, be a good girl for once and close your eyes.”

“What?”

Konstantin takes my face in his hands and kisses me, his lips warm and soft. I’m so confused that my eyes are wide open as I watch Kirill and Elyah raise their weapons at Dad, whose smile is just beginning to fade into horror.

And they shoot.

Dad crumples to the ground, two crimson trails pouring from bullet wounds in his head and chest, puddling beneath his limp body, and running past my knees and into the gutter.

He’s dead.

Konstantin draws back and smiles ruefully. “You never would do as you are told.”

Kirill kicks Dad’s body and spits on the corpse. “Good riddance, you piece of shit.”

I stare at Konstantin. “You were pretending to make a deal with my father? Did you say all that just to mess with me?”

He smiles and shakes his head. “Of course not. We did it to make him put his gun away. He would have shot you if we’d turned his deal down. The three of us discussed this possibility weeks ago.”

“And you didn’t think to let me in on it?” I fume at him.

“A father might know when his daughter is faking her tears. We couldn’t risk him firing his weapons. No one is taking you away from us. Not with money. And not with a bullet.”

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