“I can’t. That’s not allowed.” I cock my head and arch a brow. “I’m British not Russian.”
Nikolai laughs as if he’s not precariously placing a lifetime of injustices on the line for me. “I’m well aware of your heritage. It’s one of the reasons I made you my number two guy.”
I straighten my shirt all pompous like. “And here I was thinking it was because of my roguishly handsome face.”
It isn’t the time for jokes, however, I’m lost of a better reply. If shit hits the fan as I’m anticipating, this won’t just place Nikolai’s life on the line. It’ll put his legacy in my hands. I did a shit job with my family name, so I have no fucking clue why Nikolai is being so trusting.
I get an inkling of an idea when Nikolai says matter-of-factly, “I need someone I can trust. We’re still on unsolid ground since Alexei’s death. If we’re blindsided by a second takeover bid, I need someone at the helm who’ll maintain control. I trust that man is you, Trey.”
His words floor me. Jaw unhinged, air-free lungs, floored. He’s my brother, my best friend, but still, this is a fucking shock. Just like K, Nikolai doesn’t trust anyone, so this isn’t just unexpected, it’s making me feel all teary-eyed and shit. Even my pulse is thudding in my ears. It’s nothing like the thump it hears when K is around, but enough to have me convinced we have some sort of bromance forming.
After rehinging my jaw, I ask, “Are you sure this is what you want, Nikolai?”
He makes light of the shock in my tone. “It’s only for a few days. I'm certain even avyperduschlike you won’t fuck things up that quickly.”
“Ah, you make my heart tingle with your sweet words.” My words switch to laughter when he flings his letter opener to my side of his office. The fucker is blunt, yet it still manages to nick me.
Smirking about his ominous jab, he stands to his feet. “Offer for Rico to travel with Justine and me, but warn him I’m traveling heavy.” His smirk shifts to a genuine smile when he growls out, “His little kitty might faint when she sees how things truly operate in our industry.” When I give him a look as if to sayand Justine won’t?he adds, “Myahrenwas born to lead. She doesn’t kneel for anyone.”
With his mind elsewhere, he leaves me to finalize his plans. After gesturing for K to join me, and instructing for Eight to get the men ready, that’s precisely what I do for the next three hours. I organize for a dozen men to go over Justine’s childhood home with a fine-toothed comb, organize a heavy presence at the private airstrips Nikolai’s jet will land and depart from, then forward my schedules to Roman. He’ll give them a once-over to ensure I haven’t missed anything while I take K to her first appointment with Dr. Laura. Because we still want to keep Clarks location on the downlow, we’ll go to her office in town instead of her coming to us like she did at Dok’s request months ago.
“Jesus Christ,” I mumble under my breath when I crank open the passenger side door of my car for K. I dumped Lester and West at Jim’s this morning but my car still reeks of death and desecration.
After slipping in behind the steering wheel, I roll down the window then fire up the engine. K’s eyes shoot to mine when I say, “West must have shit himself when you pierced your fork through his hand. Serves the fucker right. If he didn’t want to die, he shouldn’t have threatened a momma bear with her cub.” I smirk at K’s shocked expression. It lowers my anger by a smidge. “That’s what he did, wasn’t it? He threatened our baby?”
When K dips her chin, I keep my cool—barely. I wring the steering wheel with my hands instead of pounding it with my fists like I really want to.
“How?” K could say more, but she doesn’t need to. Her eyes speak the words she’s yet to learn.
I hit the steering wheel with a handful of firm squeezes before sharing a story I’ve never shared before. “Your eyes had the same fighting gleam my mom’s had when they dragged Cole away from her. She didn’t want my father to pick her. She wanted him to save Cole.” I lick my dry lips before continuing, “His decision drove her mad. She killed herself five months later. Our sister perished right along with her.” When shock crosses K’s features, I explain myself better. “She didn’t kill her daughter. She was pregnant when they tried to take her. It’s why my father wouldn’t let her go. He thought Cole would fare better than them.” My sigh exposes how that turned out. Just like K, our baby is the only direct descendant to my blood line. Doesn’t mean I ever want to be in the position my father was placed in, though. “Don’t ever make me pick, Duchess. I never want to be in that situation. If you put me through that, I’ll have to hurt you. I promise I wouldn’t do that, so don’t force me to break my promise.”
Fear is usually the first thing K expresses when threatened with pain. Today is pride. She knows I won’t physically harm her. I’m referencing the hurt I’ll put her through when I pick her over our baby.
For six years, her feelings always came last. That shit won’t fly with me. Her needs come before anyone’s, including those who share my blood.
Kstops fiddling with the flimsy paper gown she’s wearing when I flatten my palms on each side of her teeny tiny thighs. “You good?” It takes me placing my hand under her chin for her eyes to lock with mine. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. I won’t let anyone hurt you. You know that, right?” My heart thumps in my ears when she nods without the slightest pause for consideration. “Then what’s got you so worked up? You weren’t this jittery last night when you married a madman.”
With her lips itching into a smile, her eyes stray to our right. When I follow the direction of her gaze, my heart beats out a funky tune. There’s a heap of medical equipment you’d expect at any gynecologists office, but a box of condoms is unexpected—especially since it’s sitting behind a dildo-looking instrument.
“What the fuck is that?”
Dr. Laura’s eyes pop up from the report she’s compiling on K. When she notices the direction of my gawk, her throat works hard to swallow. “That’s an internal ultrasound wand.”
“Internal? As in, it goes inside of her.” I very ungentlemanly-like gesture what I mean with my hands. It whitens K’s gills even more.
When Dr. Laura nods, I shake my head. “Nope. Nuh-uh. Not happening.” I nudge my head to the coatrack holding K’s clothing. “Get dressed, K. We’re heading out.”
Dr. Laura jumps up from her desk as quickly as K leaps off the fancy bed with stirrups tucked under the sides. “If my dates are correct, we won’t need the internal wand.” Both K and I freeze like statues when she garbles out, “From what I felt during my examination of your stomach, I’m guessing you’re around four or five months along.”
“Months?” I double check, certain I heard her wrong. My pulse is thudding in my ears, so poor hearing can be excused, and I’m not going to mention the fact K’s stomach is as flat as a tack. There’s no way she’s hiding any kid in there, much less one that’ll grow to my size.
Dr. Laura nods again. “Months.” She shifts on her feet to face K. “Do you remember the scan we did to check your ovaries and uterus?” She waits for K to nod before adding, “That’s all we need to do. If you’re as far along as I’m thinking, the internal wand won’t be needed.”
When K’s eyes lift to mine, I shrug. “It’s up to you, Duchess. It’s your body.”
After a few seconds of deliberation, she returns to the bed and lays down as per Dr. Laura’s instructions. Once she has a canister of warm lubricant in her hand, Dr. Laura opens the front of K’s hospital gown so she can squirt the liquid onto her stomach. Her aim is a little lower this time around than the examination she did months ago.
“If we can see the baby’s gender, do you want to know what it is?” Dr. Laura asks as her eyes bounce between K and me. She smiles when we nod at the same time.
