Page 27 of Pregnant with Bratva Twins
I nod, but I don’t trust myself to speak. I want to scream, to beg, to promise I’ll fix it, but there’s nothing left. Only the cold certainty of what I’ve done, and the terror of what comes next.
I want to pray, but I don’t even know what for. Forgiveness? Survival? For Markian to come home, or to stay far away, safe, never knowing the depth of my mistake?
I let the tears come, rocking myself as the rain starts again outside, drowning the city in sorrow. Every hope I had for this future, for this child, for anything beyond survival, crumbles into dust with every second that ticks by and every heartbeat that could be his last.
I can’t stand his eyes on me, the blame and fury simmering there. Before Lui can hurl another word, I stand, turn, and flee, desperate for distance, for air. The door thuds behind me as I bolt into the hallway, footsteps echoing over the marble.
My chest is tight with terror. I hear Lui’s heavy tread close behind, the sound of his shoes relentless, too close.
“Jessa! Stop!” His shout ricochets off the gilded walls. My heart pounds in my ears, louder than his voice, drowning out everything but the primal urge to escape. I don’t slow, don’t look back. My fingers scrabble for the railing as I round the corner at the end of the corridor, nearly slipping on the edge of the ornate rug.
He’s faster than I expect, fueled by fury and something more. A rough hand snags my arm near the staircase, spinning me so hard I slam into the wall, the breath knocked from mylungs. His face looms close, dark with anger, jaw clenched, breath hot.
“You think you can run from this?” he hisses, fingers digging into my wrist. “You don’t understand what you’ve started!”
Fear chokes me. I struggle, panic giving me strength. “Let me go!” I wrench my arm free, desperation lending me a wildness I didn’t know I had. He grabs for me again, but I twist away, elbowing past his broad shoulder. My feet hit the floor, and I sprint, heart racing, lungs burning.
I barely register the blur of doors, paintings, gilded mirrors as I run down the hallway, the world narrowed to one thought:Get away. Get safe. Just get away.I hear Lui curse behind me, his heavy steps pounding after mine.
Somehow, I make it to my bedroom door. I fumble with the handle, nearly dropping it, my fingers slick with sweat. I slam the door, shoulder aching, and turn the lock with shaking hands. For a moment, I can’t move. I just stand there, pressed against the wood, willing it to hold, to keep the world out.
Lui’s fist slams against the door, once—twice—so hard I feel the vibrations through my back. “Open this door!” he growls. “Don’t make this worse for yourself, Jessa!” His voice is a threat and a promise all at once.
I squeeze my eyes shut, silent, refusing to answer, hardly daring to breathe. My legs tremble beneath me. I wait, holding my breath until, finally, his footsteps retreat, fading down the corridor until there’s nothing left but the muffled sounds of a house too big for one terrified girl.
I stumble to the bed, knees giving out beneath me, and collapse onto the comforter. My hands curl over my belly, nailsbiting into my palms. Tears burn down my cheeks, silent at first, then harder, my body shaking with sobs I can’t swallow down. I rock myself, shivering, trying to find a scrap of calm in the storm of panic and guilt.
The walls press in around me, every gilded surface turning cold and sharp. I have never felt so powerless, so impossibly alone. My body aches with the weight of what I’ve done, the secret I carry growing heavier with every breath.
Chapter Fourteen - Markian
The city is never truly dark. Even under rain-heavy clouds, every street blinks with restless neon, every alley shimmers with secrets.
I watch the glow of Manhattan blur past the armored glass, the world reduced to a tight cocoon of steel, Kevlar, and men who trust me with their lives.
Alexei rides beside me, jaw clenched, his hand steady on the grip of his pistol. We say little as we run through the plan for the tenth—no, the hundredth—time.
Three vehicles, black and sleek, weaving through traffic like predators on the hunt. Oleg and Anton lead in the first car, eyes cold, nerves humming beneath their stillness. My men in the last car are quiet, focused, radio static crackling in the background. Every detail has been mapped, every route double-checked.
Chris Jenkins won’t see us coming.
“Once we’re on the block, we split,” Alexei murmurs, voice barely above the engine’s purr. He taps the blueprint on his lap, tracing the entry points. “Oleg and Anton take the kitchen. We hit the back stairs fast and quiet. Lui’s team sweeps the alley. No bystanders. No witnesses.”
“No witnesses,” I repeat, turning the phrase over in my mind. There’s always someone left to see. Someone who remembers the wrong face, the wrong car. Tonight, there’s no room for mistakes.
Alexei glances over, studying my face. “You ready for this?”
I nod, but my mind is elsewhere—flashing through every way this could go wrong. Chris has been a headache for months, all charm and ambition and slippery loyalty. He thinks he’s clever, hiding secrets behind his smile. He’s been dealing with our rivals, feeding Sokolov’s men just enough to buy time.
We’re done waiting. He’s a liability, and in my world, liabilities are cut loose.
I check my weapon again, fingers running over the familiar metal. The magazine is full, safety off, one in the chamber. The calm before the storm settles over me. I can feel the anticipation in my bones—a tautness that means blood is coming.
The convoy slows as we approach Chris’s block. The street is nearly empty, the wet pavement gleaming in the glow of the club’s neon sign. A couple of Chris’s bouncers smoke under the awning, looking bored. Perfect. Our plan depends on speed—hit hard, hit fast, then vanish before the city knows we were here.
Alexei leans forward, murmuring into his earpiece. “Two minutes. All clear.”
I watch the club’s front doors, waiting for a sign. Some careless move, some hint of suspicion. Everything looks right. Too right. I should be reassured, but the knot in my stomach just gets tighter.
