AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t want you to be disappointed, either.”
“I don’t think I will be disappointed.” I lean back to look at him. “Nik should have died that night. Technically, he did. But he’s still here clinging on three weeks later. I think that means something.”
Yakov shrugs but doesn’t say anything.
I wish my hope could rub off on him. The entire Kulikov family are born-and-bred fighters. There is no way Nik is going out without one hell of a fight.
“Does your mom know what happened yet?”
Yakov stiffens. “Not yet.”
“Are you going to?—”
“I can’t,” he says sharply. “Not yet. She’s… fragile. She was always closest with Nikandr. If I tell her how he’s doing, it would make things worse for her. Especially now that she’s all alone.”
I chew on my lower lip. “I know you’re trying to take care of her, but this isn’t really your call to make.”
“Everything is my call.”
“When it comes to the Bratva, yes. But she’s his mother. I know I don’t know exactly what that’s like yet… but I have an idea.” I lay a hand over my stomach. “If she finds out from someone else that Nik is in the hospital and then something happened before she could get here to see him, she would be heartbroken.”
His face is unreadable. I’ve gotten pretty good at reading Yakov over the last few months, but there are still times where he can shut me out entirely.
Now is one of those times.
Before I can pry under the surface and figure out what is going on, his phone vibrates.
“I have to go.”
“Is it the hospital?” I ask.
“Business,” he says. Just before he leaves the room, he adds, “I’ll text Kayla the plan and arrange a car for her.”
I smile. “Thanks.”
He nods, face still expressionless, and leaves.
19
LUNA
I watch from the front porch as the black car carrying Kayla pulls down the driveway.
How long will it take before I don’t think about Akim’s van in the driveway? Before I stop imagining a line of men in dark clothes advancing on the mansion, guns in their hands?
It’s broad daylight. I’m surrounded by guards. Yakov is in his office less than fifty feet away.
I’m safe. My mind knows it, but my body isn’t on board.
When Kayla steps out of the car, I shake off my nerves as best I can and meet her in front of the stairs. “It’s so good to see you!” I call, bouncing from one foot to the other.
I throw my arms wide, but Kayla steps in for a side hug.
“Wow. That’s the first time in years I haven’t had to beg you to stop hugging me so I could breathe.”
“I don’t want to deprive the baby of oxygen,” she explains. But she eyes my stomach like I might be packing a bomb under there. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. Great. But let’s talk about it inside where the snacks are.”
