Page 74 of Wicked Vows (Suvorov Bratva 2)

Liya takes a breath, her chest heaving with effort. I frown as her hand slides over her stomach.

Fearful.

Protective.

My wife felt unsafe in front of the very place she’s supposed toalwaysfeel safe.

That won’t go unpunished.

“He said I should be careful,” she states plainly. “That lots of bad people—” She cringes while making quotations with her fingers. “Just lurk around the corners.”

“Imbecile.”

She drops her hands, shoving her fingers into her pockets and rustling them around like she’s trying to find something. One curious expression later has her shaking her head.

She looks away.

I bow toward her. “Liya, you can’t hide from me.”

She chaffs her arm. After a moment of silence, she admits, “I had some crackers in my pocket, but now I can’t find them.”

“What kind?”

“Ginger.”

I snap my fingers. Viktoria materializes next to me. I instruct her to find ginger crackers and send her off.

Once she’s gone, I turn back to Liya. “No more games. We wrap this up as soon as possible.”

She frowns. “How are we going to do that?”

“By striking now.”

Liya’s face pales. “Pavel, we can’t do that.”

I turn away from her while dragging my fingers through my hair. “It’s our only option.”

“No, it’s not!”

“You need double—No, you needtriplethe protection around you. I’ll call in favors. Whatever I have to do.”

She takes my arm, pulling my fingers from my scalp. “You’re going to worry yourself sick.”

“I’m not worried. I’m taking precautions.”

Hurt flickers across her face. “Right.Precautions.”

And I concede as a result. “All right, fine. I’m worried about the baby.”

Hope returns to her eyes, a sparkling shimmer that enhances the amber to a delightful honey-gold. “And me?”

I stroke her cheek, goose bumps rising wherever my fingers roam. I don’t even hesitate to say, “I’m always worried about you.”

She sighs, relief trickling into her touch. She folds both of her hands over my right hand, encasing it with an affectionate squeeze that soothes me. It’s strange how a simple gesture from her eases my tension. But then again, many strange things have happened around here.

“I won’t argue with protection,” she whispers. “But it’s starting to sound like you’re taking over again.”

My upper lip twitches, but I remain silent.

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