Page 42 of Pregnant Bratva Virgin

“Sure is.”

She walks down the hallway, opening the door, her face bright, full of life, her hair no longer straggly and her skin back to normal. It’s been an unbelievable recovery, and I can’t believe what she looks like.

Hugging her tight, I don’t want to let go. I nearly lost her, and every moment I get to spend with her is precious. “How are you, Mom?”

“I’m doing great, and yesterday I went for my checkup, and they confirmed it too. The new liver is so good, but I’m never going to eat fried foods to test it,” she adds.

“You look so good. I haven’t seen you this way for so long.” We head into the living room and sit down together.

“I know, I know. And it’s all thanks to the wonderful man you married. How are things going for you two? Getting prepared for the baby to come?” she asks, the hidden secret of my marriage something I will never tell her. She would be devastated if she knew I married a Russian mobster to save her life.

“Um, truthfully, I’m not sure. He doesn’t talk about himself much, and I feel like things are one-sided. Maybe I’m hormonal and reading too much into things.”

Laura nods, hugs me again. This time putting her hands on my baby bump. “Hmm. Sounds like one of those strong, silent, action-oriented guys. It looks like it too. I think this is a cup of tea type of discussion with cookies. Think so?”

Nodding in agreement, I guide myself down into the chair, happy to be with her. “Yes. I think it is.” After chatting for a while and Laura giving me some sage advice from being twice divorced, I head back home with Ryurik on my mind.

He hasn’t texted me, and usually after lunch, he’d give me a quick call, but nothing. The baby’s kicking up, so I take a walk down the halls of the house, turning to the left where Ryurik’s private study door is normally closed. But I stand the with the light streaming in from the outside, the door wide open. Rooted to the spot for a minute I think about it.

Should I?Maybe I’ll find more out about him this way, since he won’t tell me. The door’s open now, and when I enter, I do a little digging rifling through his drawers checking into things. Opening the bottom drawer, I see it. There’s a gun wrapped up. Okay, so he keeps a gun. Not necessarily a crime. Many people are licensed to carry, but then why is my heart beating so damn fast. I stare at it, holding my breath, looking up at the door to check no one’s coming.

Slowly, I take the gun out, staring at the model, and the bullets. It’s wrapped up for some reason with a blue cloth. When I touch it, I feel something, a darkness as I hold it in my hand, as if I shouldn’t have it.

Dropping it back in the drawer, I close it up, continuing to look through all the nightclub paperwork, and that’s when I see the name scrawled in blue ink. William Dee. Friday night. Busse Woods. Body dump. Jan 7th. Panting, I take a photo of the words with my phone. Friday night was the same night Willy Dee wasmurdered at Blindside, and I conduct a Google search of Busse Woods. Of course. It would be the perfect place to buy a body.

No. No. No.I don’t want to see this, but I can’t unsee it. This is the evidence for the case, staring right back at me. Hedidkill Willy. Not that he didn’t tell me to my face, but I’ve got the proof and possibly the gun that killed Willy right in front of me. I take pictures of it all, putting it on my phone, my heart sinking.

No. Maybe it’s not what he means. It could just be a bunch of words. I won’t know unless I go to the place.I want to deny what I’m reading—what I’m feeling inside, but I can’t. It’s wrong and I know it is. He’s a monster and I’ve been ignoring it for so long, building this imaginary world, perceiving him to be this good guy underneath, but the bubble’s burst, and reality won’t let me stay in denial any longer.

Chapter Twenty-Four - Ryurik

“And how is the baby?” Viktor asks, but it’s more of an investigative question.

“As far as the doctors and Emily have told me, she and our baby are doing well. She looks as if she’s about to pop, but it’s good.” Viktor nods, but I know he’s not sold on Emily, and I can’t say I am completely either, but I’m feeling things I’ve never felt for a woman before. Part of me fears becoming a father.

“Fantastic. Do you think you’re going to bring her into the business?”

“I was raised this way, and I can’t see why not. She’s not going to live a normal civilian life, is she? But then again, she’s a girl. If she wants to go to college and do normal things she’s got a better shot at it than I do.”

“Hmm. Could be a problem. I ask because Emily followed her own path into law enforcement.”

“She did, but she wasn’t influenced by her father. He left her for dead wanting to forget about her.” As I state the impassioned plea on Emily’s behalf, a film reel of traumatic events bonding us together flashes through my mind. The Heart and Lung Ball with Paul Butcher, her mother’s transplant, and us at the ultrasound finding out we’re having a girl.

I get up from my seat, my eyes blurry from consuming too much paperwork from the club, and looking down at the bustling streets below, then over to the Chicago skyscrapers wrapped in a cocoon of misty clouds.

“Hmm. He might have, but she could have turned out different. There’s Mafia in her DNA. Look how she ran right into you,” Viktor scoffs, but there’s a soft spot building for her, and it’s only getting deeper the closer we get to the birth of our child.

“She did, and I’m happy about it.” I stop there. I’m not one for mushy goop, but Emily has my heart, and she doesn’t know it.

“Happy about it?” Viktor parrots, unimpressed as he clasps his hands together, leaning forward in his seat. “What are we going to do about the Vegas venture with Paul? Don’t tell me it’s off the table because of Emily.”

“I’m working on a different angle for Paul. We’renotgoing to cut a deal with him.”

Viktor’s eyes clamp down on mine, confusion on his face. “I trust you’ve got a plan, and it’s going to be just as lucrative?”

“Yes. Leave me to work on that one, and I’ll keep you informed as we move along, but I won’t work with him. It’s too dangerous, and I promised Emily. I can’t do that to her.”

“Boss, you’re getting soft. We can’t leave Vegas on the table.”

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