Page 52 of Knocked Up By the Russian

Amy shot her a glare. "Not helping! And keep quiet, I don't need the rest of the family finding out about this."

"You haven't even explained what's going on," Zia hissed a little more quietly.

Amy blew out a breath, sticking her tongue out at Alexander. "Your mommy's a meanie, Alex."

"Your godmommy's a weirdo, Alex," Zia mocked, and a grin lit up both their faces as he gurgled a giggle. "Okay, come on. Spell it out for me. What are we doing here?"

"It's Ivan," Amy mumbled, ignoring Zia's sarcastic: "No... Really!"

"I'm really going to need a little more detail here. I thought you guys talked," Zia stated, an eyebrow raised in a concerned expression.

"We did," Amy admitted with a shrug. She sipped her coffee before continuing. "But I don't know, Zia. Things don'tfeel right. He's not acting right. It’s like he’s become a different person. He hardly ever comes home in the evenings anymore, and when he does, he’s distant, almost... scared."

"Scared?" Zia shot her a look of disbelief. "He's Bratva, Amy. What the hell would he have to be scared of? Are you sure you aren't overthinking everything? I mean, tensions are high right now, Amy. Besides the threats and the politics, you two are about to become parents! That’s a huge change—"

"I know that! But tensions have been high for the past two months since we got married," Amy interjected, her irritation bubbling to the surface. "It sorta feels like there's more going on here, Z. It feels like we’re slipping through each other’s fingers."

"Have you told him how you feel?" Zia quizzed, and Amy bit her lip as her cheeks flushed.

"Well... I mean, not in those words."

"Uh-uh, girl! No! So what exactly did you guys speak about then?" Zia asked, letting go of Alex as she folded her arms. Amy shifted on the bed, her gaze going outside for a moment until Alex squealed. She still couldn't believe she was going to be a mother in a couple of months. It had been a shock when Zia got pregnant with Alex, but this was so—unbelievable. There were so many things she wasn't certain about—doctor's appointments and maternity clothes, whether she and Ivan would still be married in a few months, and how the hell was she going to run the club.

"Not enough," Amy finally said in answer to Zia's question. "We spoke about the investigation and the baby. That's it. But every time I try and bring up other things, he goes quiet. I don't know what to do. This is Ivan, of all goddamn people. He never shuts up about what he wants—for me, for him... us. I just can't understand why he won't speak to me now. Everything'sunconventional and confusing, and I don't know what I'm doing here."

She gestured vaguely, irritation crossing her features before it fell away and vulnerability replaced it. "We didn't get a love story, Z. Everything that's happened since then has been—" Her words cut off as she struggled to find the right words, and when they wouldn't come, she let out an irritated growl.

"Amy, hon. I know it's unconventional, but you did get a love story. And as for Ivan... Well, you know how he is. This really isn't that out of character for him." Zia reached out, placing a comforting hand on Amy’s arm. "You have to give him time. This is a lot for both of you. He’ll come around. If not, then maybe you two should have a chat to see where you're both standing. It sounds like you've got a lot that you need to talk about—and, who knows? Maybe you guys have the same concerns."

"Fine," she murmured, promising Zia she'd try. At the very least, maybe they just had to wait until the threat was gone.

But Amy’s worry wrapped around her like a chokehold. Every day felt heavier than the last, and every morning Ivan looked around with that same regretful look like he was already saying goodbye to what they had.

Her heart sank further when he didn’t appear for four nights in a row. She waited in their bedroom until the early hours of the morning, spent the days hiding her worry, and kept an eye on the front door. Each time the door opened, her heart raced only to plummet when it was someone else. Uncertainty gnawed at her sanity, and she felt the reckless urge to do something.

On the fifth night, fueled by desperation and fear, she snuck out of Mikhail's house. She'd overheard Lev mentioningsomething to Zia about how they were monitoring their investigation from one of the other houses. It should've been safe. They had Bratva soldiers everywhere, and this was still within the gated estate.

She stepped into the cool night air, and someone else followed. Panic welled, silenced by the glint of a gun in the periphery of her vision. Cold metal pressed against her forehead, and Amy could've sworn she felt her life flash against her eyes.

***

Ivan

Damn it, Amy!

"LEV!" Ivan bellowed, racing on foot after the motherfuckers driving his wife away. "Get the fucking car!"

Fury coursed through him, fueled by the exhaustion of days spent interrogating, making business deals, and generally threatening the Bratva to unearth who was orchestrating the chaos that threatened their lives. Piece by piece, the puzzle had formed.

Aleksander Ivonov. The slimy bastard. All of this for a mistake that Ivan had made when he was young and stupid. A bitter taste of betrayal filled his mouth, knowing that the repercussions of his actions were not limited to him alone.

Harsh breaths spilled from Ivan's lips, his panicked heart threatening to tear apart in his chest.

"NO!" he screamed, collapsing to the floor as the car skidded out the gates. If anything happened to Amy and his baby, he wouldn't have a heart left.

He'd been about to go home to his wife, to let her know things were going to be okay, that they finally found the bastard. But he'd received a call from Kostya letting him know that Aleksander was on the way to the compound, and as he'd left to alert Mikhail, Adrian had phoned to let him know his wife—his little bear—had left the house to go looking for him. They'd caught her on the cameras right before she walked out of view and into the firing range of Aleksander Ivonov's gun.

Tires skidded, an SUV reaching his side as Lev jumped out. "IVAN! Get the fuck in! Adrian's tracking their vehicle now."

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