Page 111 of Claimed in the Dark

I rolled my head to face her fully. “He’s been talking about it so much lately, and I don’t know what to say. I can’t see him just going off to any old school now. If he’ll be a Volkov, that name will carry weight.”

“It will also demand respect,” she insisted calmly. “But you’re right. He can’t be expected to lead a life like he had before.”

“I know. But how does that work?” I wasn’t asking rhetorically. This woman was a solid source of information. She’d worked for the family for years—decades—and she saw all the ins and outs of what it took to make the house a success.

“The boys all had tutors. Sometimes, they had lessons together, other times, separately. They all have such different personalities. Their grandmother was actually very involved.” She smiled as if recalling her. “I was her assistant for a while, an all-around helper. We made sure they all did their work. It was a lot, but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”

“You miss her,” I said.

“I do. Every day. Both of them.” Her face lined as she scowled. “But not him.” She shook her head, seething. “There is a special place in hell for Gregori. All the loss this family suffered from his hands, and to think he’s trying again?” She scoffed. “There’s no way those boys would let him assume a second of power.”

I smiled despite her vehement disdain.

“What?”

“You still call them boys.”

She grinned. “To me, they always will be. Now we’ve got Brady. And another on the way.”

“All I want is for this baby to be healthy and happy. Between you and me, though…” I smiled mischievously. “Imagine a little girl.”

She replied with a silly smile of her own. “Ooh, I can’t wait!”

“Me neither.” We fell against each other in a hug. With her arms wrapped around me, I felt like I was a little girl again, comforted by a mother.

“Although I must say…” She released me as she sat up. “Brady seems to really have it in his mind that he’ll be welcoming a baby brother.”

I laughed, amused about his tunnel-vision. After I got up and went to bed to wait for Nikolai to come home, I knew that Brady would love a brother or sister. He doted on Luka and Isabel just the same.

And that was why I couldn’t let my spirits sink. Even though I received a ping that the automation code had flagged Rico Johnson being on the move, his phone trackable now, I couldn’t dwell on worrying and fretting about whether Nikolai and Alexei were safe.

That worry would always reside in me now, but it stayed at a low simmer. Instead, I sat in bed and flipped through a baby name book that I’d gotten out of the boxes that had been moved to a spare room in the storage area of this huge house.

None of the names particularly stood out to me, but I wondered if I would make a better use of my time to make an absolutely not list. A name mattered. In my circumstances, it was a matter of life or death. Being a Volkov and owned by Nikolai would ensure me the best odds of survival.

I don’t even know what I’m looking for…

I chose Brady on a whim, and it suited him. But for this one…

“We’ll think of something,” I whispered aloud.

Even though I spoke quietly, it felt so loud.

Not compared to the door opening and closing, though. Nikolai entered the room without a word.

Head hung low, blood streaked over his arm.

He looked like a mess, but there wasn’t a hint of that vacant expression like after he’d killed Owen.

“Nik!” I pushed the covers off and hurried toward him. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, reaching back to lock the door. I couldn’t be sure if he would be in the mood for that. Every step he took further into the room came with a wince.

“Found him,” he said, limping toward the bathroom.

“My God, you’re hurt.” I scrambled after him as he tried to shrug his jacket off.

His suit was ruined, ripped and dirtied and bloody. If it was his blood— “Were you shot?”