Page 78 of Knocked-Up Bratva Prisoner

My chest is burning from the massive dose of fresh oxygen and my legs feel warm and alive when I walk back into the garden.

It’s still early. The sun is only just starting to rise.

Clara will still be sleeping. She is usually a morning person, bright and cheerful, but last night, I kept her up pretty late. That session in the bathroom at the bistro carried over to the bedroom when we got home, and I couldn’t get enough of her.

No matter how many times, I wanted more.

So did she. That naughty little minx is a lotnaughtierthan I thought. And now, there is a whole new level of exploration that I want to do with her.

She keeps up with me like we were made for each other. And now I know she is as keen to try new things as I am.

I walk quietly through the house, letting her rest as much as she needs to. I shower in the downstairs guest bathroom.

I have some things to check on this morning for work. I’ve printed them out and I’ll go through them here at home.

I find myself less and less interested in going into town now that Clara is with me.

She gives me everything I need.

The fun adventures, the deep conversations, the intimate moments. She just gives me everything. I’ve been really struggling to imagine the day she leaves. The day the house goes quiet without her in it.

After the shower, dressed and ready for the day before the day has even started, I make a coffee and settle down in the living room with my laptop and all the documents I need to go through. It’s peaceful and easy to concentrate here in the forest, and I should have everything done and out of the way before Clara wakes up so we can still do something fun today. I was thinking of pulling the rowboat out of the garage and taking her down to the wider part of the river so that we can paddle around and play on the water.

The front gate bell rings loudly through the house and I push myself off the sofa where I was reading the latest stock report. I don’t want them to ring again, and I hope the first bell didn’t wake Clara. It’s only eight o'clock and she might easily get another hour's sleep before she wakes up.

At the front door, I check the security cameras—it’s Oleg and Anya. Fuck. My heart constricts and my nerves begin to fire little warning shots of annoyance.

Notagain. I clench my fist, close my eyes and then let out a deep sigh, pressing the gate button to open it and let them onto the property.

I've been kind of avoiding this whole issue like the plague.

I know what they want. There is only one reason they would drive all the way out here, and I don’t want to talk about it.

I unlock the front door and pull it open as they park their car up near the top of the driveway.

I smile, knowing it is a gesture that is not reaching my eyes, watching them climb out the car, trying to figure out how to get rid of them before this conversation has even started. I had such a great morning. I was feeling amazing, full of energy and excited for the day, but this has instantly drained a lot of that good energy from me.

Dammit.

I wish Oleg had at least given me a warning over the phone before he just rolled up here. I could have been more prepared.

“Hi guys, good to see you. You should have let me know you were coming, I could’ve made some breakfast,” I say, as cheerfully as possible, but to my own ears I just sound hollow and tense.

“This isn’t a social call, Alex.” Oleg sounds pissed off. Fuck. He is in serious mode, and that means that this is even worse than I thought. I wonder if something happened. Maybe this has nothing to do with Clara. Maybe this is a work thing. I can only hope.

“Okay. Well, come in,” I sigh, already starting to feel agitated with all the possibilities.

Anya gives me a quick one-armed hug as she walks past, but she doesn’t even say hello. I guess she’s been listening to Oleg rant all the way here, and it’s a pretty long drive. Once Oleg gets going on an idea, he lets you knowexactlywhat he thinks about it. Anya looks like she’s had at least an hour of his lectures, and even though they weren’t directed at her, it’s still draining.

“Can I get you guys a cup of coffee?” I ask, following both of them into the living room.

“No. Where is Clara?” Oleg turns to face me, his fists clenched at his side.

“It’s early, man, she’s still sleeping.” I shrug. “Why do you want her?” Not a chance in hell I am letting him near her in the state he’s in. I don’t need her to start worrying that her being here is upsetting so many people.

“It’s time for this whole thing to end, Alex. The search for Clara has escalated so much, and Giorgio is getting more and more intense about it. The truth is going to come out sooner or later, and Giorgio is going to assume that Yefim and Leon, who havebothbeen helping him with the search, knew about it all along.”

“He is going to be furious, Alex.” Anya speaks for the first time since arriving. Her voice is tight with worry. I feel bad about that. I don’t like to see my baby sister worrying.

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