Page 35 of Immaculate Deception (Romanoff Bratva)

I don’t say anything, though. I wouldn’t know how to phrase this emotion if I tried.

So I swallow the words down and find some others instead. “When will it be safe to go back?”

Dima grimaces. “I have someone working on intel for me back in the city. Once he contacts me, I’ll formulate a plan and take down the mutinous faction in my Bratva. After that, you’ll be under my protection. No one will hurt you.”

“Until you’re under attack again.”

“That won’t happen.”

I snort. “It’s happened at least twice that I’m aware of. Both times put me in direct danger.”

“Outliers.”

“Now, it will put Lukas in danger, too.”

“You can’t keep me out of his life,” he snarls. “He’s safer with me in it.”

“I don’t see a shred of evidence for that yet,” I say. I’m trying hard to keep my voice steady, rational, even though all I want to do is crawl under the covers and cry.

He cracks the knuckles in his fingers with his thumbs. “And you don’t think being raised by a single mom in the city is dangerous? You think you’ll be able to protect him from everything?”

“Of course not, but—”

“But you’d rather raise him poor and by yourself than with help from a man like me.”

“Hey!” I raise my voice enough that Lukas jolts. “I didn’t ask for this, okay? I had no way to contact you. No way to know who you were. I had to plan for a life of raising him on my own, of depending on no one but me. Of keeping him safe. Just because you’ve shown up, guns blazing and tires squealing, doesn’t mean my plans have changed. I don’t know you and I sure as hell don’t trust you. Certainly not enough to count on you as a part of my son’s life.”

Dima has stopped pacing and is watching me. I can’t tell if he’s angry. His expression is neutral, cool. If he is angry, it’s a kind of deep simmering rage that takes a while to rise to the surface. I’m worried of what it could mean for me and Lukas if it ever does.

Finally, he tightens his fists. “What you want doesn’t matter. He’s my son, too.”

“Biologically.”

“And in every other way,” he snaps. “Romanoffs look out for our kin. As soon as I knew he belonged to me, I came back for him. And for you. Whether you trust me or not, I’m going to fix this shit. And then I’m going to provide for my son.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see about that.”

Dima grabs his gun from the table and marches towards the motel door. “Yes,krasativsa. We will.”

12

Arya

An Hour Later

I don’t know how to grasp what is happening, but taking care of Lukas gives me solace. It gives me purpose and structure that I desperately need right now.

I fold up an extra sheet from the closet and make him a little pallet on the floor. It will be safer than letting him sleep on the soft mattress and more comfortable than having him sleep on my chest all night.

Once he’s fed, changed, and asleep, I go to the bathroom and look after myself.

I’m a mess. I can officially say that delivering a baby isn’t exactly a beauty regimen for the stars.

I do the best I can with the limited supplies at my disposal. Then I slink back into the motel room with my hair pulled up in a bun just as the door opens and Dima walks in. His arms are full of bags and he drops them on the floor in front of the door.

“I thought the store was closed.”

He shrugs. “I convinced the security guard otherwise.”

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