Page 23 of Surprise Quadruplets for the Mob

“Promise you’ll be careful?” Maggie asks, her eyes filled with worry.

“Promise,” I respond, giving her a reassuring smile.

As I climb into my car and pull away from the house, I feel a strange mixture of freedom and fear. It’s almost exhilarating, driving alone through the city streets. But beneath the thrill, anxiety gnaws at me.

I’m only a few blocks from my appointment when it happens—a sudden jolt, my car lurching forward as it’s rear-ended. My heart leaps into my throat, panic surging through me. This isn’t a coincidence. They’ve found me.

“Dammit!” I exclaim, gripping the steering wheel tightly as I pull up to the curb.

Forcing myself to stay calm, I’m just psyching myself up to step out of my car, praying it’s only an accident, when I catch site of a huge, burly man in a crisp black suit stepping out of the car, and I immediately panic. Eyes wide with terror, I realize the truth. The mobsters are after me.

I try to restart my car and slam my foot against the accelerator, but something must have jammed with my mechanics because it won’t restart.

The man leans momentarily through his car window and says something, and a second man steps out. That’s when the first turns with a hand hidden inside his jacket, as if holding a gun, and I snap.

I scream internally, my body bursting into motion before my mind can catch up. Adrenaline pulses through me, lending speed to my legs, and I race out of the car and sprint away from the scene, desperate to escape the men chasing me.

“Get back here!” one of them shouts, his menacing voice echoing through the street.

“Please, God, let me get away,” I silently plead, my chest heaving with each ragged breath. “I can’t die today. Not like this.”

“Stop her!” another man yells, his footsteps pounding the pavement behind me.

I force myself to push harder, ignoring the burning in my lungs and legs. I have to outrun them—for my babies, for Maggie, for myself. Failure isn’t an option.

Heart pounding, I veer off the street and into a nearby park, hoping to lose my pursuers amid the trees and winding pathways. The scent of freshly cut grass fills my nostrils as I sprint past families enjoying picnics and children playing on swings.

I’m panting, darting between trees and bushes, trying to put as much distance between them and me as possible. But thesound of gunshots pierces the air, followed by the screams of bystanders, and I know they’re getting closer.

Tears blur my vision as I feel trapped and scared for my life. My mind races, desperately searching for a way out, a place to hide. Suddenly, as I turn a corner, I run right into Maksim, who is waiting for me in his sleek black car. My heart lurches at the sight of him, fear and relief warring within me.

“Get in!” he barks as he swings open the passenger door.

At first, I’m convinced he’s going to kill me, that this has all been an elaborate ruse to lure me to my death.

“Abby, hurry!” he snaps, his eyes filled with urgency.

But that doesn’t make sense, because if that was his intention, I’m sure he’d have shot me by now.

Shaking with fear, I get in and fumble with the seatbelt, finally clicking it into place. “What do you want from me?” I demand, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my own heart.

“Right now? To get us both out of here alive,” Maksim replies, slamming his foot on the gas pedal. The car rockets forward, leaving the park and my pursuers behind.

“Alive?” I choke out, my hands gripping the edge of my seat. “Why should I trust you?”

“Because,” he says, his eyes locked on the road ahead, “I’m your only chance.”

Chapter 12

Maksim

Abby’s eyes flash, and her whole body is shaking. “Where are we going? Take me to my sister’s house.”

I clench my jaw. “I can’t do that.”

“The hell you can’t!”

“It’s too dangerous,” I growl. “Those were professionals tailing you.”

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