Page 23 of Kade

“She’s going to murder all of us by the time the baby comes.” Nikoli let a grin steal across his face. “A baby.”

The first time he’d learned he was going to be a father had been in a hospital, the news delivered by the nurse. A sense ofdéjà vuwashed over him. He glanced at his wife’s still-flat stomach where his child lay nestled, safe and unaware of the danger around him or her. His son had once been in that same place until he was ripped away from his parents. This child would never know that suffering.

“Mama andBabushkaare going to be over the moon.”

“No.” Kade looked up at that. “They can’t know, at least not right now.”

“Why the hell not? This is something to celebrate, Kade.”

“The first thing they’d both do is get on a plane and come here. Where one of the deadliest cartels in the world is hunting the Kincaids. What do you think they’d do to the matriarchs of the family, Nik? They’d brutalize them, butcher them, and deliver their bodies to our doorsteps. They can’t know this, not yet.”

“Damn.” Nikoli whistled. “I didn’t think…”

Kade’s phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. Viktor.

“Where the fuck have you been, you bloody bastard?”

“Well, hello to you too,brat.” Viktor’s heavy Russian accent came across the line. “I’ve been fucking working and dealing with a woman who I think I am going to fucking murder before this case is finished.”

Kade put his brother on speaker. “We’ve been calling and texting you since yesterday. When do you not pick up a damn phone, Vik?”

“Sorry,brat.” Viktor’s voice took on a softer edge. “What’s wrong?”

“The cartel is coming after Kade and Angel.” Nik pulled his chair closer. “They sent our girl some photos today that caused her to faint. She hit her head, and now she’s in the hospital.”

“Shit,” Viktor spat. “Is she okay?”

“No, she’s fucking not okay or we wouldn’t be in the fucking hospital, would we?”

Viktor was quiet for a long moment. “I’m sorry, Kade. I should have picked up the damn phone. What can I do?”

“Nothing we’re not already doing.” Kade rubbed his thumb across the back of Angel’s hand. “Dylan’s in Miami, and Max will be joining him either tonight or tomorrow.”

“Miami?” Viktor asked. “What are they doing in Miami?”

“Trying to find my son.” Kade explained everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours and sat back, his exhaustion starting to set in. He hadn’t slept for almost two days.

“Are you sure?” Viktor asked.

“I’ve seen the photograph. If he’s not my son, then Fate has a cruel sense of humor. We’ll know for sure…shit. Nik, can you text Max and ask him to stay at the office? Dylan’s contact is going to have the DNA results delivered there tonight.”

Nik nodded. “Sure, man.”

“I wish I could be there for you, but my client’s ex is a real piece of work. He’s already barged into her mother’s place and threatened the woman, trying to find his soon to be ex-wife and daughter. I’m afraid if I leave, he might hurt them.”

“No, you can’t abandon them. I understand that. Max explained what was going on. No man has the right to lay hands on a woman or child. Teach the bastard a lesson.”

“Trust me, I plan on it. The kid’s terrified.”

“Speaking of kids,” Nikoli interrupted, “we have good news, but you have to swear to keep it to yourself. Mama andBabushkacan’t know.”

“Know what?”

“Our girl is pregnant.”

The excitement in Nik’s voice tugged a laugh out of Kade. He was excited, he was just too terrified at the moment to show it.

“Who’s pregnant?”

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