Slavik
“We ran some blood tests,” the doctor said.
I didn’t look away from my wife. She was still out of it. I would never forget that cry. It had to be when the bullet hit her that she screamed for help. I heard the fear in her voice, the need.
When I got to the restaurant, Gus and Aurora had been on the ground. Gus had a stomach wound. Aurora had passed out from the bullet lodged inside her arm. They’d taken her to surgery, removed the bullet, and now she was bandaged up, recovering.
“What about them?” I asked.
“Congratulations, Mr. Ivanov, your wife is pregnant.”
I turned to the doctor. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. Blood work doesn’t lie, and I know you like to be thorough. I double-checked it myself. Your wife is pregnant.”
I looked at Aurora. This was good news.
“I would like to start making appointments for your wife’s care-”
“No,” I said. “You make that disappear.”
“You want me to perform an abortion on your wife?”
“No. Those documents, change them. You didn’t discover my wife was pregnant.” I got up from my chair and walked toward him. “That information is between you and me.”
The doctor looked at Aurora then at me. “Sir, with all due respect, pregnancies can be … difficult. We need to make sure she is healthy.”
“I will personally keep an eye on her. When I believe the time is right, I’ll let her know she is pregnant. Until then, you will be quiet about this, or do I have to make you realize who is the one with the power here?”
He bowed his head, submitting to me. Within seconds, he was gone.
I closed the door to the private room and stared at my wife. The men who’d been shooting at her were gone. All but one, who waited for me back at the warehouse. I should be there rather than here. I had men waiting to guard her. Gus was supposed to protect her. Not that I blamed him. He’d done his best.
I sat down. This wasn’t what I was supposed to do. My wife would be taken care of.
So, the first lunch date my wife went on, she was attacked.
I ran fingers through my hair as I watched her.
Pregnant. Aurora was pregnant with my child.
I didn’t know if she was ready to accept that news or if she’d scream at the unfairness of it. Now wasn’t the time to be bringing a child into the world.
I tapped my fingers on my thigh, waiting. The doctor had said she’d wake up soon and she’d be a bit groggy. I shouldn’t care about how she woke up, but I did.
Her hand lay by her side.
Flat.
Lifeless.
I never felt anything but anger in all my life. My rage had helped me to fuel my need to win, to fight. To be the best I could be. To be the monster who took lives and made others afraid.
Arriving at the restaurant and seeing Aurora passed out cold on the ground, I’d known real fear. My wife was becoming a problem because I refused to have feelings. They were a weakness, but my wife, she made me feel so many fucking things, and it wasn’t good.
She was only a piece of property. My wife to cement Ivan’s place. He wanted the treaty in the hope of one day taking over the Italian mafia. Their hold on their turf was sliding. We knew it, they knew it. Binding to us gave them the added power to scare off attacks, but it also meant in time, we’d own them. They would work for us.
This was always a careful balancing act of power, and Ivan was the master of it.
My wife wasn’t supposed to mean anything to me. There was no way I should care if she was out cold or hurt, or injured, or even if someone had fucking upset her. Yet, here I was.
Andrei had changed the woman he was going to marry. Bethany was no longer by his side. The wedding was happening, but with her sister, Adelaide. No one was going to hurt my wife again.
She released a moan, and I leaned forward, taking her hand. “Aurora,” I said.
Her eyes opened then closed. Opened again. I waited for her to get accustomed to the light, and she gasped, sitting up and wincing.
The doctor had given her enough painkillers to help manage whatever pain she experienced. I couldn’t stand the thought of her hurting.
Sitting on the bed, she squeezed my hand. “Slavik,” she said. “You came.”
Even though she was hooked up to wires, she wrapped her arms around me only to gasp as pain likely shot through her system from the bullet wound.
“You were shot,” I said.
“Ouch.” She pouted. “How bad is it?”
“Not bad. They were able to remove the bullet and it didn’t do any lasting damage. You’ve had a few stitches, and you’ll hurt for a short time. Not too long.”
She looked at her arm. “I remember.”
“Do you have any idea who would have shot at you?”
She shook her head. “No. Cara had to leave. She went first. Gus paid the bill and was escorting me out. We waited for the car.”
“Why wasn’t the car there?” I asked.
“You’d have to ask Gus. Is he okay?”
“He’s asleep. The doctors wanted to assess him for the damage.” Gus had been shot in the abdomen, arm, and hand. Severe blood loss had him fighting for his life, but I wasn’t about to tell Aurora.
“Why would anyone shoot at us? It makes no sense.”
“A message.” I stroked her hair back from her cheek. These feelings coursing through my body, I had no idea what they meant. They were coming thick and fast. She looked so beautiful. I knew she’d been pretty, regardless of what other people said. They always called her the ugly Fredo, but they clearly didn’t see her, not really. Even I hadn’t at the start.
Staring at her now, I was … enthralled. Even with the threat of death, she cared more about my men than her own welfare.
It was stupid of her, but after being around so many selfish people, this was refreshing.