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"I worked this morning."
"That's where you went? Were you looking at properties?" Hopefully not near that seedy bar.
If those are bratva soldiers, no one working, or living in the vicinity of that bar, is safe. Especially not the Baltic immigrants building a life for themselves here.
Like all organized crime, the bratva prey on their own first, exploiting and drawing from the population for new recruits.
Worse is the potential for human trafficking. The bratva in Detroit traffic humans for both the sex and employment slave trade.
The very thought of it nauseates me.
Not all bratva generate income from human trafficking, but chances are any bratva looking to establish territory in Portland does. It's a matter of the path of least resistance. The city ranks in the top twenty for human trafficking in the US.
"What's wrong?" Atlas leans forward, his hand outstretched. He lays it against my forehead. "No fever, but you look sick."
"I'm fine." Just nauseated at the idea of my city being infiltrated by a syndicate willing to buy and sell human beings.
A sparkle comes into his glacial blue eyes, warming them. "We'll stop at the pharmacy on the way to my house."
His meaning sinks in and everything inside me seizes. With longing that won't be fulfilled.
It makes me grumpy. "Forget it. Even if I were pregnant and we both know I'm not, no way would I be morning sick yet."
The nausea didn't kick in until I was six weeks along, which my mom thought was early. It didn't go away when I hit the three-month mark either. I was miserable right up until the sixth month. I only had one month to enjoy being pregnant. I'd be nauseated every day of my pregnancy not to have lost my baby at seven months.
"Wedon'tboth know you aren't pregnant."
"Well, I do."
"You're not on birth control."
"I told you I probably can't get pregnant." And when he accepts that, will he dump me?
Chance of rain 90%.
"Probably is notcan't."
Leaving his ridiculously optimistic viewpoint aside for the moment, my brain screeches as the rest of what he said penetrates. "What do you meanyourhouse? We're going back to my place."
"Zeus wants to meet you."
"You want me to meet your family? Already?" Wow.
"Yes."
"I'm not sure I'm ready for that."
"What's there to be ready for? I'm not asking to fuck you in the ass. I'm taking you to meet my brother."
That he considers backdoor sex a sign of deeper intimacy than meeting his family is something for me to unpack later. Also, that he considers it a natural progression of our sexual relationship.
Chapter 18
ATLAS
The look on Lucia's face says the last thing she wants is to meet my brother. Should I mention it won't only be Zeus?
Helios and Zephyr are dealing with the fallout from last night, but Orion should be at the mansion.
