Page 52 of Impregnated By the Bratva

He smiled at me as he spoke. “I will have whatever beer you have on tap.”

“Very well,” the waiter added as he turned and left us to look at the menu.

Studying the menu, I felt Pavel staring. Looking up, our eyes met. “Yes?” I inquired, wondering what he was thinking.

Leaning over the table, he spoke softly. “Have you seen the names of some of the pizzas?” He pulled a face, looking at the menu in his hands and back at me.

Smiling at his playfulness, I nodded. Before I could say something about it, the waiter reappeared. “Are you ready to order?” he questioned, placing our drinks on the table.

“Yes, sure,” Pavel said in a light tone. “I’ll have the Avalanche.” He looked at me with his brows raised.

“Yes, just make mine a creamy Italian chicken,” I added, looking at the waiter.

He scribbled in his notebook and headed to the kitchen. “So,” Pavel asked suddenly. “What do you do in marketing exactly? It’s all a bit confusing if you ask me.”

I took a sip from my milkshake before responding. “It’s really easy to understand. Say you want to advertise your business selling sticks.”

“Sticks?” Pavel huffed. “Why would I be selling sticks?”

I laughed at him as I continued. “No dummy, it’s just an example.”

“Oh, okay, I understand.” He replied, grinning.

Sitting up straight, I explained it quickly. “I will then look at your stick and find out if people will buy it. Then I analyze the kind of people interested and design slogans and advertisements to draw those people.”

Pavel sat for a minute, just shaking his head up and down. As our food arrived, he spoke. “I now understand. You are very creative, then.”

“I think so, thanks,” I replied, picking up a slice of pizza.

We ate in silence, enjoying the meal. I only ate about half as it was much bigger than I anticipated. As I raised my hand, the waiter came over quickly. “Please put this in a carryout container,” I said, handing him my plate. He nodded and went back.

Pavel had just eaten the last piece of his when the waiter brought my carryout box. “The bill, please,” he said as he swallowed.

Sitting back, I rubbed my stomach. I must have eaten too much as I felt a light ache beginning. Once Pavel had paid, we got up and left the restaurant. “Thank you so much,” I said as we walked past a couple of shops.

Seeing a shop with some trinkets, I grabbed his arm. “Wait,” I huffed. “I want to go in here.”

He glanced at the display in the window. “Okay,” he replied. “But I need to get to the restroom. Wait here for me, I’ll be right back.”

“Sure thing,” I said as he walked off.

Entering the store, I looked around eagerly. There were so many items. I wanted to get something special for Makari to show my appreciation. Yet, I wasn’t sure what. There were a variety of knives, some watches, little odds and ends, and even some ties and hats.

As I surveyed the items, I suddenly got a feeling of being watched. Turning slowly, I carefully looked at the people in the shot and outside. I had a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something wasn’t right.

Walking around the shelf with the knives, the man to the left of the door was staring at me. He looked at the man behind him and nodded. They were acting suspiciously. I didn’t like it.

I had to know if they were following me. Moving out of the shop, I entered the one next to it. This shop was filled with exercise gear. It wasn’t something I was interested in. But I pretended to be. Two of the men entered the shop and moved towards the back.

There weren’t many people inside. But the few that were there made me feel slightly comfortable. The men appeared to be lurking and not shopping. Two other men entered. Breathing in sharply, I felt my chest closing as I recognized the one. I moved around some of the equipment to get a better look. I had to be sure.

He looked at me, and I knew. It was he, the man who ran away from the docks. My legs felt like they had been replaced by Jell-O. I grabbed hold of one of the equipment stands, turning my back to him.

My chest closed even more. I leaned forward, breathing rapidly as I tried to keep my racing heart still. I had to find Pavel. I wasn’t safe. Glancing back, I realized that I shouldn’t have my back turned to any of them. But there was no other way to get away. If I ran, they would surely follow.

I had to stay calm and get to Pavel as quickly as possible. Moving out of the store, I looked for a sign indicating the direction of the bathrooms. I was surprised to see two signs pointing in opposite directions.

Moving to the one closer to the door, I prayed that Pavel would appear out of thin air like magic. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw six men a little way behind me. Three were walking on one side and three on the other.

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