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Then my phone buzzes. Dima has Pavel well in hand, so I check it. It’s Nik.
Luna is awake and the contractions are back. It’s happening.
“Fuck.”
Dima turns to me, seemingly unaware of the man suffocating under his foot. “What is it now? More guards?”
“Luna is in labor. The twins are coming.”
He lets out a long whistle. “Okay. Then I’ll make this brief.”
He lifts his foot off of Pavel’s neck just long enough for the man to suck in a ragged breath. Then Dima shoots Pavel in the head.
BANG. Then, echo, echo, echo…
And then silence.
“You didn’t need to rush it on my account.”
He waves me off. “That’s all the time the fucker deserved, anyway. I’ll worry about cleaning up. You need to go.”
“I owe you for this,” I say, already halfway to the door.
“That’s a dangerous thing to say to someone like me.” He laughs. “Consider this a baby gift. Go be with your woman.”
He doesn’t need to tell me twice.
I run for the stairwell and take the stairs two at a time.
63
LUNA
I grit my teeth as another contraction rips through me. “This shouldn’t be hurting. What was the point of having that long-ass needle in my spine if this is still going to hurt?”
“It hurts me, too,” Nik whimpers. He’s been shaking out his hand between each contraction.
I woke up thirty minutes ago to a slight discomfort. Now, I’m writhing in pain, which was not at all part of the plan.
“Baby A is sunny side up,” a nurse explains calmly.
“He’s a baby, not an egg.” Right? Maybe the pain is making me delirious.
“It means he is coming out face up. It can make an epidural less effective.” She lifts my gown to check my dilation. I shouldn’t be able to feel anything, but I feel her fingers between my legs.
“Fantastic,” I growl. I turn to Nik. “Where is Yakov?”
His face is pale, but he plasters on a smile. “He’s on his way. He’ll be here.”
“He better hurry.” The nurse peels off her gloves. “The babies are coming. I’m going to find a doctor.”
I bite back a sob. “This isn’t how this was supposed to go. The epidural should be working. Yakov should be here instead of you. No offense.”
Nik waves me off. “None taken.”
“I should be calm and relaxed. Maybe sucking on some ice chips.” I whimper as another contraction builds. My entire midsection cinches until I can’t breathe. I feel the urge to push, but I try to fight it. “It’s happening.” I close my eyes as tears roll down my cheeks. “I can’t wait. I’m going to have to push. I’m going to have to do this without him.”
Another nurse is laying out blankets in matching bassinets in the corner. She stops and comes over to check me. “Oh. Oh no.”
