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Terror thrummed through Allegra as she pulled out her cell phone from the pocket of her lab coat. When she connected with the maid and asked where Belicia was, the girl could not be found. Allegra signed off, telling the maid she would call her back in a moment. Her throat ached with tears as she stared at Don Tobar, who was smiling confidently at her.
“What have you done with my daughter?” she cried.
“Belicia is fine,” Yerik said smoothly. “She will be returned to you within the hour. The maid will find her outside, playing on her swing set in the back yard once again.”
Touching her throat, Allegra whispered, “WHO are you?”
“Someone you do not cross, Doctor. Now? May I expect you in five days at my villa? To see Sky’s fetus is aborted?”
“Y-yes, of course…”
“I am going to tell Sky that you discovered some minor problem in her uterus, and that she needs a small medical procedure to correct it. You will NOT tell her that she’s pregnant.” He drilled a hard look into the doctor’s widening eyes. “You will NOT tell her a thing. If you do, you’ll never see your daughters again. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes, I understand,” Allegra whispered brokenly.
Yerik strolled into his villa, still smiling inwardly. He saw Sky sitting out on the patio in the mid-morning sun, reading a newspaper in Spanish. She was good at learning languages, he’d discovered. Joining her on the patio, sitting in the shade beneath the umbrella, a servant brought him coffee.
“And how are you this fine, beautiful morning?” Yerik inquired, sipping his fragrant coffee. Sky wore a bright red tee, her body-hugging jeans, and tennis shoes. The sun glinted off her blond hair, making it look almost like a halo about her head. Yes, he would have her carry his son. And what a fine, strapping son he would be. Of course, Sky had no idea what was coming. He wondered if she knew she was pregnant. It did not appear as if she knew anything. He contemplated the joy of getting her pregnant, carrying HIS son, a replacement for Vlad. And she would not know she was pregnant until months afterward. By then, Yerik would have her under twenty-four-hour-a-day guard to ensure she didn’t try to kill herself or abort his son. Because he knew she would.
Sky folded up the paper and set it across her lap. The morning sun was warming, burning off the fingers of clouds that always twisted and moved like a maze through the trees surrounding the villa. “I’m fine.” She saw Yerik was in a particularly buoyant mood. She rarely saw him in a business suit. “I heard the helicopter take off earlier this morning.”
“Yes, I had some urgent business in San Jose to attend to. I dropped in and talked to Dr. Allegra Zapata, as well.” He tried to look properly concerned. “She said there was a minor issue. Have you been feeling any discomfort or different the last few months?” Yerik watched her face carefully.
Frowning, Sky said, “No. What problem?”
Shrugging, he said, “It’s nothing, my dear. Dr. Zapata will be coming up five days from now to perform a simple surgical procedure. Wipe the worry off you face. It’s nothing to be at all concerned about. All right?”
“Okay,” Sky said, feeling tentative.
“Dr. Zapata will tell you everything when she sees you. She’ll go over all your lab tests. Apparently, many young women have this condition and it’s easy to remove and fix.”
Sky felt trapped. She could feel Alexandrov maneuvering her. Why? She knew better than to confront him. Instead, she played along and said, “I’ve never seen you in a business suit before.” Sky was always on guard around Alexandrov, even though there seemed to be a truce of sorts between them. She had realized that, at least for now, he wasn’t going to torture her. Rather, she felt like a kept pet, something he wanted around and enjoyed playing with.
“Sometimes, when I must, I dress for the part,” he murmured, giving her a slight smile. “What are your plans for today?”
Shrugging, Sky said, “I’d like to walk down to the meadow. I love walking there, seeing the raptors in their mews.” Actually, it was to continue memorizing escape routes she’d chosen. She had been quietly collecting food and depositing it in the falconer’s office near the mews. If she was going to escape, she had to have food. Water was plentiful. In fact, the other day, one of the men who cared for the raptors had shown her a thick, woody vine that, when cut open, yielded fresh, drinkable water. And these vines were everywhere in the surrounding jungle. That was good news for her.
“By all means. Would you like to fly one?”
Sky shook her head. “No. I just need to walk. Get my exercise.”
Yerik nodded. He trusted Sky only so far. She had been a black ops U.S. Army officer and had taken SERE training. His gut told him she was casing the property, looking for ways to escape. He never allowed her to go anywhere without a guard. The two falconers were tasked with watching her when she was in the meadow. “There is an Olympic-size pool. Why not start swimming every morning? Before breakfast?” He knew Sky was getting bored. He would not allow her near any television or computer. She had the newspaper, that was all. But he could see she was looking for something to keep her busy and occupied. Once she was pregnant with his son, he would keep her more than entertained.
“I thought about that. But I don’t have a bathing suit.” Sky dreaded wearing one. The guards always gave her looks that made her feel threatened. If Alexandrov wasn’t present, she feared they might rape her. It was nothing overt, but the feeling was there, and it was enough to scare Sky. She was grateful Alexandrov had never made a move to touch her. He seemed respectful. Circumspect. More than willing to please her if he could.
“That can be remedied,” Yerik assured her. He made a gesture and a servant waiting near the entrance to the villa who quickly walked toward them with a tray. “Here, I brought you a little something from the capital.” He smiled at her.
Sky sat up as the servant placed the silver tray near her elbow. On it was a box. It said Giacomin Chocolates on it. The white box had a purple ribbon around it. “What is this?”
“For you. A sweet for a sweet.” Yerik lazily gestured toward the small box. “A dozen of the finest chocolates, all handmade, in this country. I don’t know a woman who doesn’t love chocolates. I thought you might find these something to smile about.” Because Sky rarely smiled at all, Yerik found himself wanting to see her smile. To be happy. He watched her pick delicately at the bow, graceful and feminine. The look on her face was also sweet. He felt his heart swell because finally, she was honestly reacting to the unexpected gift with genuine pleasure. But it was all part of getting her to trust him. Maybe, over time, to even like him. Yerik wanted her to bear him many sons. It would be Sky’s way of paying him back because she was the reason Vladimir was dead. It was her karma to give back what he had lost. He knew things between them would turn hellish after Sky discovered herself pregnant. The months leading up to the birth would be stressful on her and him. He hoped to continue to forge small steps of trust with Sky. He wanted her to deliver him a fine, strapping son. An heir to his empire. Once again, he would have a large Russian family surrounding him. The prospect made him giddy.
“This is so nice,” Sky whispered, opening the box. The chocolates looked delicious. “Did you get these this morning?”
“Yes, while in San Jose on business, I went to the shop that carries them.” Yerik saw her lift the box and inhale the scent of the chocolate within it. Just the way Sky closed her eyes, a haunting slip of a smile across her lips, told him much. He’d broken men swift and hard. And he’d broken men slowly by killing them with kindness. The concept of Stockholm Syndrome wasn’t lost on him at all, and he was waging a war to get Sky’s trust. To get her to realize that he was her sun, and she was a planet that orbited him. And to forget the man who had impregnated her. He felt cold rage moving through him. Even he had blind idealism regarding Sky. How had he overlooked this fact she was pregnant by another man? She was slated to marry Cal Sinclair, the former SEAL, after all.
Sky looked over, forcing herself to sound compliant. “Thank you. This is a very thoughtful gift.” She wondered why Yerik had done it.
“Well,” Yerik said grandly, “if you continue to relax, to enjoy this place and acclimate, I was thinking of buying you an iPad so you could download ebooks. I know you like to read.”
