Page 110 of Gangster's Empire: Leeza & Havel

Before Shaun could finish, Havel cut her off. “Abort it.”

“What?” Leeza gasped. She couldn’t have heard him correctly.

“There’s no reason she can’t carry the baby –” Shaun tried to reassure him.

“Take it the fuck out,” he snapped, pacing the room and rubbing a hand over his head. “I won’t allow one more thing to threaten her life. I’m done. We don’t need a baby. We have Kris.”

Tears sparked in Leeza’s eyes and her heart ached over the terror in his voice. He couldn’t manage the thought of losing her. But this baby. She touched her stomach. This baby was hers and Havel's and it didn't matter how terrified he was, they were having it.

“I’ll leave you two alone.” Shaun slipped from her stool and left the room, closing the door softly.

Havel gazed at Leeza and the pain she read in his eyes was gut-wrenching.

“Havel, come to me.” She opened her arms and he was instantly in front of her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her against him as he looked down at her.

“I can’t lose you.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Just like I can’t lose you. Havel, I fall to pieces every time you go into the field.”

“I don’t have a heart condition,” he argued.

“And I have a very minor one that will likely go back to nothing once the baby is born.”

“You can’t have this baby.”

“Havel.” She took his face in her hands. “We’re having this baby.” He shook his head, but she persisted. “We are having this baby.”

“You can’t.” His voice was hoarse, his fear for her overwhelming him. She’d seen him kill people like he was passing time before lunch, yet the thought of something hurting her damn near dropped him.

She pressed her hand to his chest. “You don’t want to abort this baby any more than I do. So accept that we’re going to do this, okay?”

Long seconds passed before he finally nodded, then whispered, “What if something happens to you?”

The uncertainty in his voice brought an answering ache to her throat. “Then you raise Kris and the baby. But nothing is going to happen.”

“Promise me nothing will happen.”

“I promise.” She sealed it with a kiss, tasting his desperation as he clung to her, his hands hurting where they gripped.

Framing her face, he growled down at her, “If something happens to you, I’ll wrest you away from the devil and take you to my own private lair where I’ll spend eternity making you pay for leaving me on this earth alone.”

Her lips stretched into a smile. “You have a poetic streak, Havel Tsotsarov.”

“Tell anyone and I’ll have them killed.”

She laughed and together they left the hospital with a bag of neonatal vitamins and blood pressure pills.

They drove to the mansion to pick up Kris. When he caught sight of Leeza, he ran to her, stopping in front of her, tears rolling down cheeks. Where were you? I saw father and he hit you and took you away. I got hurt on my back. His signs were so frantic Leeza could barely read them.

“I’m okay, baby,” she said gently, pulling him against her and waiting for his arms to circle her before hugging him tight. “I’m sorry you got hurt. Adam tried to take me away, but Havel came and found me.” She rocked him until his sobs grew quieter, then she held him out and looked him over. “You won’t be able to see Adam again.” She refused to call him Kris’s father.

Kris didn’t respond, but patted her shoulder over and over, telling her in his unique way how much he loved her.

Havel held his hands out to Kris, lifting him in his arms. Kris gripped Havel, his head against his shoulder, his eyes on his mother.

Leeza turned to Fatima. “Thank you so much for staying with him.”

“He was frantic for you, but I did what I could to keep him calm.” Her concerned gaze lingered on Leeza. “How are you doing?”

---