Page 35 of Forced By the Bratva Beast

“Your source is full of shit and doesn’t have their facts straight. We would never take mothers away from their children. It’s the opposite, darling.”

“Really?” Baffled by Dr. Perri’s statement, I think it over. Why would she tell me that? She’s done so much research in her field, so how could she get it so wrong?

“Mothers are the nurturers of the child. Russian men don’t do such a thing,” Andrei clarifies.

Crippled by the decision I’m making, I concede a little, trying to think of the best solution. “Can we co-parent the child together?” Mixed emotions are running high because I have no idea what to do about my college degree. I want to be able to attend classes, but my future’s tainted now….

Andrei’s mouth breaks into a heartwarming smile. “Here’s what we’re going to do.” Relaxing, I fall back into myself, thankful I don’t have to come up with everything myself. “We need to attend a ceremony first to seal things if we’re having a child together.”

Intrigued, I dig deeper. “Why do we need to have a ceremony?”

Straight-faced, Andrei answers, “A wedding ceremony.”

Feeling dizzy, my head spins as I breathe shallowly. From one hot frying pan to another….

Chapter Eighteen – Andrei

Checking my calendar of events for the week, I contemplate shuffling a few meetings around. None of them are particularly pressing. Two good things came out of the New York Phantom Charity Gala, and they’re going to ten x our profits over the next five years. It will give us the possibility to open a new operation out of Boston. Our tentacles are slowly creeping into the area anyway, but by securing a meeting for gun sales with the US Secretary of Defense, we are bound to expand.

The Bratva are sitting pretty in other words, and I couldn’t be happier. I have the TV on in the background more so for ambient noise than anything else. Tapping my foot on the floor, a dull thump rings out from one of the many rooms in my house.

“Let me out! Let me out!” Sophia has been shouting at the top of her lungs for the last hour intermittently, but I don’t have any plans to let her go. She must have thought I was joking when I told her on the plane we were to be married.

“You must be joking. I’m not going to marry you. We are going to co-parent,”she said, her inner fire driving her mouth. She will make a good lawyer, but also a fierce protector of our child. Perhaps she is the right woman to have a baby with. Having a family is something I’ve thought about, but not wanted to pursue. To me, it seemed to be more of an obligation.

“We are to marry, and there’s nothing you can do. You will collect your things and stay at my house. It’s bigger anyway. You can’t raise a child in that small apartment anyway. It doesn’t make sense. We will be co-parenting, but itwill be together, not separately,”I enforced, clear of what was to happen.

Of course, she wouldn’t let it end there. She tried to escape once I brought her home to get her things, but there was no point. I took her keys, one step ahead of her.

“Are you looking for these?”I asked as she patted down her pockets. Part of the key hung out of her back pocket allowing me to lift it out and keep it. Dangling them in her face, she fought to get them back.

“Give me my keys!” She swiped, jumping to get them, but being much taller than her, there was no point for her to exhaust herself. “You can’t do this. I’m not coming with you,” she shrieked, her ginger hair flying in every direction.

“Yes. You are. If you come quietly this process won’t be so hard, then we can work things out for the ceremony.”

“That’s what you’re calling it? A ceremony? No, it’s called kidnapping against my will!” she yelled, her distress growing, but she did stop jumping.

“Is it? And who will you tell? The cops? It’s likely they’re on my payroll. They will just drive you right to me. Come quietly.”

She stood sulking on the curb as I stood near the car watching the scene play out, until eventually she walked herself over to my SUV getting in of her own accord. I have to hand it to her, she’s willing to fight for herself and that’s an admirable trait.

Picking up my cup of coffee, I wait for her to stop banging. Soon enough she does, bringing a smile to my face. Rita, my housekeeper, starts dusting the shelves behind me, and I feel the feathers on top of my head.

“Rita, I better not have dust in my hair otherwise I’m going to dock your pay,” I warn, skimming a hand over the top of my head, finding no dust particles at all. She’s been with me for a very long time, and her ears have heard many a secret. I’ve never had to worry about her telling them as she’s aided me in many ways. If she ever were to leave, strangely enough, I would trust her to keep all she saw confidential. Besides, she’s a family woman and I would kill her sons if she divulged anything.

“Oh sorry, Andrei. I didn’t mean to. I’m worried.”

“About?” I ask in curiosity, turning to face her as she stops dusting.

“About the young one you have locked in the room. You should let her out. She’s inside your house. What is she going to do to escape?” Her sympathetic tone touches me a little, but my stubbornness prevails.

“It’s a big enough suite. She has everything inside it. There’s no need for her to come out. She can open the windows. She’s even got her own balcony, and the housekeeping staff fed her already. I checked, she hasn’t eaten any of the snacks,” I justify, but Rita isn’t buying it, hitting me on the shoulder with the feather duster.

“This is a new shirt, Rita.”

She is the only person I would let do that to me, and it would only be in private. Not in front of others. “No. She is stressed out, and it’s not good for the baby. Think of the baby.”

Sighing, I put my coffee down. I do care about my baby, whatever we’re having, and she has been in there for half the day without me talking to her. She’s probably still upset about New York as well. “Fine. I’m going to check on her.”

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