Page 37 of Surprise Bratva Daddy

I look at her, blinking a few times as the shock wears off. "I'm fine. Just a little lightheaded."

She laughs a little. "We can pretend like I'm not pregnant for a while to prevent you from having a heart attack. I'm not trying to kill the father of my baby."

"I'm fine, really," I insist, pulling her toward me as I try to stand up straight. My knees wobble, but they hold. I cup her chin in my hands and pull her into a kiss so deep that she almost drops the pregnancy test.

Her body sinks into mine, and I feel unified. This is what real trust feels like. This is the future I want to have. I know things will only get better.

"Let's get married," I whisper against her lips.

She laughs again. "We can't do that," she says, but there's a playful tone to her voice.

"Why not?" I ask, pulling back a little.

"You haven't even told me that you love me," she says, her eyes meeting mine.

In that moment, I know that I do love her, and I should tell her straight away, but I don't want her to believe that I'm saying all of this just because of the baby.

I take her hands, look into her eyes, and then...

My phone rings. I take the opportunity to avoid saying what I need to say by answering it. "Just one moment," I mutter, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the phone. “Zane here. What’s going on? Why are you calling?”

Kiro’s voice comes through a wall of noise. It sounds like gunshots, but it’s difficult to tell over the phone. “We’ve been compromised! Maksim and his men have us pinned down outside the bar. I called for backup but it’s going to be a good ten minutes until they arrive.”

“Don’t let him get the book,” I growl, jumping away from Monroe and pressing the phone harder into my ear. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“It might not be soon enough,” Kiro replies, and I hear the whiz of a bullet flying past him.

“Stay there, and don’t die. I’ll be there soon,” I say before hanging up.

25

Monroe

Ialready hated Maksim, but now I hate him even more for constantly taking Zane away from me. Everything I ever wanted could possibly slip through my fingers today because of that asshole.

“I thought he was in the hospital,” I say, running after Zane as he flies down the hallway.

Zane doesn't miss a step as he speaks. "He probably checked out early, but I don't know how he managed to find Kiro and Andrey at the bar. Maybe his guys followed us there. They're super keen on getting to you, but that's how Maksim is. He wants everything I have, even if he doesn't know why I have it."

"But if they have the book, aren't they going to know everything that's going on?" I ask, panting a little as I try to keep up with him.

"They won't have a chance," he replies. "I'll blow Maksim's brains out in the middle of the street if I have to. This ends today."

His determination is admirable, but the idea of him getting shot and killed terrifies me. All I wanted was to hear him say that he loves me, but I might never get to hear those beautiful words if he's killed in a shootout. I don't want him to go. I can't stand the thought of losing him.

I grab his arm. "Please, Zane. You have a baby to think about. Let someone else take care of this."

He looks at me, his eyes softening. He places a hand on my cheek. "Don't worry. I have no plans on dying, but I have to do this. Kiro needs me, Andrey needs me, and we need to make sure Maksim doesn't take the book."

"He doesn't even know what's in it," I say, grabbing at his shirt as he puts his shoes on. "Don't go. Stay here with me."

He sighs, standing up straight again. "If I don't go, Kiro and Andrey will die. We can't risk anyone else seeing what's in the book, either. This isn't something I'm willing to compromise on. I'd prefer you to stay at the house. This is going to get dangerous."

"No," I say, putting my foot down. "We're in this together."

"No time to argue," he replies, opening the front door and tossing his jacket over his shoulder. "I have to go." He walks out of the house, but I'm hot on his heels, unwilling to let him leave so easily. He'll have to physically prevent me from getting into his car if he wants to keep me from joining him.

I can't be alone again. Not right now, when the entire world feels like it's crashing down around me. If Zane dies, it'll all be gone. All the good things, all the joy, all the hope, and everything that makes me smile.

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