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His smile returns for a split second. “I won’t be alone. Ilya is only a phone call away.”
I shake my head with a smile of my own. Ilya Kuznetsov isn’t some random person. He is the Russian mobster. Teddy met him when we used to get our supply from Europe. They crossed paths and somewhat hit it off and had always kept an understanding, but it was more Julius who got close to him.
Ilya was intrigued by his silence, and Julius was amazed with his tactics. Neither of them scared of the other which was scary. But if he’s willing to help Julius in his hunt for vengeance, I won’t get in the way. The two of them together would be nothing but deadly.
“Just—”
“Be careful,” he cuts me off before I can finish. “I’ll be fine.”
I leave him behind as I walk back to Teddy’s room. When I make it to the door, I pause for a second and think about everything that’s brought us to where we are now. At first, Charlie was nothing more than an obsession, something I knew would end badly for Teddy, but now she’s everything to me. In a way, I think some of my love for her can be attributed to Teddy. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have her in my life. If he didn’t fuck up and make a mess, I would have never got a chance to fix it.
She used to be nothing more than someone I despised. Starting from the time I would spend hours in a car with Teddy just watching her. But at soon as he ordered us to bring her home, it was game over. I wanted to hate her. I told myself that was the only way to make sure shit never got complicated, but over all of the months together—seeing how fiercely she loved and how strong her loyalty was—I turned into a fucking goner.
I let out a deep breath and turn the knob. When I step in, Charlie is curled into a ball on her side, sleeping peacefully. I had plans to tell her what Julius said, to really drive home the point we should get out of here, but I can’t bring myself to wake her. Instead, I walk to the bed and crawl in behind her.
When I slip my arm around her, she stirs and turns over. “I was wondering when you were coming back.”
I study her face for a moment, and my earlier plan goes out the window. She’s pale and her eyes are tired. Maybe it’s just the rough pregnancy, but I can’t help but to think it’s all the bullshit she’s had to deal with. She’s still beautiful of course, but she doesn’t have that same light in her eyes she used to. Her lips don’t stay in a soft smile almost permanently like before. Northridge Heights is wilting my flower, and all I want to do is stop it.
“I know today has been rough, and I’m sorry for that, but we need to talk.” I reach out and run the pad of my thumb over her cheekbone.
Her eyes go a bit wider. “What’s going on? Don’t tell me Emil had someone else on his side. Or Cameron.”
“No, no, no.” I glide my thumb over her face as I cup it. “Everything is fine as far as I know, but I’m not sure it’ll stay that way for long.”
“What are you saying?”
“We need to get out of here. What Julius did was reckless, and he’s prepared to handle the consequences, but he doesn’t want us here when it happens.”
She sits up in the bed, backing up until her back is resting on the headboard. “We can’t just leave him, Lucas.”
I nod. “I know. But he won’t be alone.”
“What do you mean he won’t be alone? Because of Cat? She is like a scared little mouse, and all of those people who will be coming for her are falcons.”
I laugh at her metaphor. “Not just Cat. He has Ilya on his side.”
“Who is that?”
“Someone I hope to never meet on a bad day. Imagine me, Julius, Teddy, and Carl combined, then multiply it by five. He’s not someone to be fucked with. Julius will be fine.”
She chews her bottom lip and stares into the distance, almost like she’s contemplating on really staying or going.
“Hey.” I pull her face back to mine. “Out of everyone, you should know I wouldn’t be the one to leave him if I was worried. He will be okay, and we can always come back after Hale is born and make sure shit is good. I just don’t want any more stress on you than there already is.”
Her eyes bounce between mine. “You have to promise me if he needs you, you’ll leave me. I refuse to lose anyone else.”
I give her another nod because I don’t want to lose anyone either. When it comes to Julius, he’s been my constant. Yes, he’s my twin, but it’s more than that. He’s the first person I loved and the first person to show me love. He’s always had my back and taken care of me when I can’t take care of myself. That’s not something you can forget overnight.
“I promise.”
A soft smile pulls at her lips. “I know I should be happy. You know, to finally get away. This is all my dad ever wanted from me, and it’s all I ever wanted, but now that it’s here it hurts. This is all I know.”
I kiss her temple and pull her into my chest. “I know, but you’ll have me.” I move my hand to her tiny stomach. “And Hale.”
I can feel her body relax as she sags into me, and I swear it’s probably the best feeling in the world.
