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I throw up again, my head reeling from the force of it. My stomach is empty, but it doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo.
“Shit,” Tabitha murmurs. “Should I grab you some Tums?”
“I don’t think Tums is going to do the trick,” I mumble, sitting back against the wall after flushing. I wipe my mouth with the towel she hands me.
“What do you mean?”
Frowning, I decide telling no one is a bad idea. And she’s my sister. “Um, I found out I’m pregnant while I was in the hospital.”
“What! Are you joking?”
“Nope.” I can feel the emotions raging; I’m about to cry. I try to stifle them, but I can’t. They pour out like a waterfall, the sobs jerking my whole body as if I’m being slapped.
“Oh gosh, oh man,” Tabitha mutters, wheeling herself as close as she can so she can put her hand on the top of my head. She lets me sob, lets me get the anguish out, and when the crying jag ends, she asks, “Are you happy about this?”
“I don’t know how to feel yet,” I admit, wiping my eyes. I look at her. “I don’t know if Luka is alive.”
“So it is his baby?” My head jerks up. “Sorry, but I didn’t know if, you know, while you were kidnapped…”
“Oh my God, no, thank God,” I retort, shuddering at the idea. “I can’t think about anything until I know for sure Luka is okay.”
“And what if he’s not?” she asks gently, speaking the words I’m terrified to even think.
“I don’t know…” I whisper, then straighten. “I do know that I’m having this baby.”
Tabitha smiles at me. “Good! I’ll help you. And I bet you anything Luka is fine. You’ll see. You just have to stay positive.”
I smile weakly at her. My decision made, I feel a little better. I’m still terrified for Luka, but if, God forbid, he doesn’t come back to me, the child we made will be my little piece of him. I’ll raise the child, love him or her like I’ve never loved another person.
But I’d rather do it with Luka…
She watches me keenly. “You alright?”
“I will be.” I smile at her. “Pick out a movie and order that pizza. I’m eating for two now.”
She chuckles and leaves me after letting me use her chair to get up off the floor. I go to the sink and splash water on my face. I do feel better after telling someone, but not complete. Not whole without Luka.
I realize I know what I have to do as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the burner phone and dial.
“Have you made your decision?” Pyotr answers without a hello.
“Yes, but I have two conditions.”
Chapter 32
Luka
Loss carves me out and leaves me hollow, but they force me back to work, anyway. While thoughts of Dani linger at the forefront of my mind, they push me to my limit harder than ever before.
Violetta Salkov scoffs. “You’re lucky to still have your legs. I voted to cut them off after your little escape attempt, but your uncle advised against it. Didn’t want you bleeding out or some such.”
“How thoughtful,” I grumble dryly.
“Would you quit distracting the man?” Edvard Levitsky huffs over the rim of his coffee mug. It’s not actually coffee he’s drinking. He’s seated next to me, so the scent of his vodka is heavy enough to burn the insides of my nostrils. “This is intricate work. Stop bothering him.”
I pop my jaw over and over, hoping the sound will eventually drown out their jabbering. “Remind me again why you’re all breathing down my necks. I figured you could hire someone to stand watch.”
Konstantin clicks his tongue. He’s seated in the opposite corner of the room, legs crossed and back straight as though on a throne. This is his kingdom, and the only reason he hasn’t done away with me is because I’m the only one capable of pulling this job off.
