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But the longer I stew in this revelation—proven or otherwise—the more the doubts begin to creep in. Could there have been a day where I missed it? I’ve been so busy with the internship; there’s a sliver of a chance it could have slipped my mind. My heart thuds harshly, my pulse so loud past my ears I can barely hear my own thoughts.
No. No, no,no.
If I’m pregnant, it’s Mikhail’s child. And if Catherina suspects I’m carrying her grandchild and deliberately sold me out to Konstantin… I can’t make sense of any of this. Is she really so heartless that she’d use me and her grandchild as bait?
I take a deep breath. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I’mnotpregnant. But if I am…
A wash of emotions floods through me. On the surface, I feel nothing but fear. I don’t want to bring a baby into the world with all this nonsense going on. It’s too dangerous. My child wouldn’t be safe. But when I start to search my feelings, a strange protectiveness overcomes me. I don’t know if it’s true, but if I really am carrying Mikhail’s baby…
It’s a little exciting, actually. Me, a mother. I’ve never given much thought to settling down, to starting a family of my own. Hell, I’m still searching formyfamily. My father’s out there somewhere doing God knows what, and here I am, contemplating the thought of a little one of my own. I won’t know for certain until a doctor comes to check on me, but I know things are going to be complicated either way.
If I’m not pregnant, fine. Good. I just have to worry about getting Charlotte and myself as far away from the Bratva as possible. And if I am…
If Iampregnant, then my resolve will triple. I will survive this. Iwillfigure out a way out of this mess. I don’t care if it throws a wrench in Catherina’s absurd ploy. I don’t give a shit if I make trouble for Konstantin.
For now, I’ll bide my time. The moment we arrive in Moscow is the moment I blow their plans sky high.
Until then, I’m in desperate need of sleep. With several hours left to go in our journey, I close my eyes and let the rumble of the plane lull me into a weak semblance of peace.
Chapter 25
Mikhail
“You can’t be serious,” Lukas grumbles. “You’ve lost your mind, Misha.”
Dimitri frowns, unusually quiet. “Konstantin will never let you return to America, you know that, right? Once he has you there, you’ll be trapped forever.”
“I don’t believe in absolutes,” I tell him, packing the last of my things. We’re in my office at CyberFort. I’ve got all my business squared away. All important documents have been forwarded to Merrybell for proper filing, my business accounts have been transferred to Pyotr, and everything related to my company profile is now in Luka’s hands. I’ve also given Dimitri a copy of my will. Just in case.
“At least let us come with you,” Pyotr says, his tone grave. “You can’t do this alone.”
“No, you need to remain behind to take care of the company.”
“Who gives a fuck about the company?” Dimitri snaps. “He took our mother. He took your… girlfriend? Are we putting labels on that?”
“Not the point,” Luka interjects.
“Right, not the point. The point is, you need back up, Misha. Going by yourself is a death sentence.”
I pull on my coat, the muscles in my neck so tense it’s giving me a headache. “I know. That’s why the three of you must remain here. In the off chance I don’t survive this, CyberFort will be left to you. I trust the three of you to run the company in my place.”
Pyotr shakes his head, his jaw a tight line. “We need to go to the authorities. Get the police involved. Interpol. Don’t we have clients in Russia?”
“You know as well as I do our influence outside of the States is new. Fragile. There’s a reason our uncle wants me to meet him in Moscow where his power is strongest.”
Dimitri clenches his fist. “There has to be something we can do.”
“You were too young to remember it,” I say calmly. “But I do. The Antonov Bratva… Their influence extends into all branches of government. Nobody can help us with this. Konstantin has a gun to my head.”
“So you would abandon your life here?” Luka asks, incredulous.
“If it means I can save Aurora and our mother, then yes.”
“This is stupid,” Pyotr grumbles.
“I don’t disagree. But we’re playing by his rules now. I thought I could keep him away, but our uncle can’t be reasoned with.” I look each of my brothers directly in the eye. I can see their fear, their frustration, their anger. I can tell how much they want to come with me, but this is something I have to do alone. “Konstantin only wants me. He didn’t mention anything about you three, and I’d very much like to keep it that way. I’m your big brother. It’s my job to look out for you. It’s clear our uncle will go to incredible lengths to get what he wants. If I don’t do this, he might come after you next. I won’t let that happen.”
Luka furrows his brows. “Don’t do this. There has to be another way.”
