Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
We drive the two blocks to the pharmacy. It’s a waste of gas and time, but Lev refuses to let me walk anywhere, calling it a liability.
“Ten minutes,” Pavel grumbles when we get inside the pharmacy.
“Set a timer,” I mutter, and grab a basket.
I make sure he stays posted by the door before I head to the women’s aisle. Once there, I swear I break out in hives. There are so many different options for pregnancy tests, and they all look like nuclear bombs.
I grab two different tests because I don’t know which one is better, and I don’t want to take any chances. I toss in a bottle of shampoo, hoping to hide my purchases from Pavel, and pay without looking anyone in the eye.
“How’d I do?” I ask Pavel in an overly cheery tone.
“Thirty seconds to spare,” he grunts. “Not bad. Let’s go.”
Back in the office bathroom, I lock myself in a stall, rip open both boxes, and follow the instructions carefully. The three minutes it takes for the result to come back are simultaneously the longest and fastest of my life.
I pace the entire bathroom, jump around to burn off some of my nervous energy, and stretch my legs out on the sink. None of it helps with the nausea churning in my stomach. When my timer goes off, I pick up both tests, and I really do have to throw up.
Two very clear lines on one test, and a condescending plus sign on the other.
I’m pregnant.
I clean up and go back to my office so I don’t draw any more suspicion. I know Pavel is watching my every move throughout the day.
An unexpected pregnancy is bad enough. I’m only twenty-three. I wasn’t planning to think about kids for several more years. I wanted to be settled, and maybe even married, before I had to decide. This wasn’t part of my plan, and that alone is enough to send me into a panic spiral.
But there’s an even bigger elephant in the room. Lev runs a criminal organization. He’s literally a mob boss, no matter what terms he uses for that title. He’s the most dangerous man I’ve ever met, and now he’s contributed half the DNA of the little life growing inside me.
He kills people. He launders money. He kidnaps employees and forces them to live with him. He won’t want a child. It doesn’t fit into his world in any way. I can’t even imagine how he would react to this kind of news.
My head sinks between my knees as I focus on my breathing and consider my options. I could end this pregnancy quietly and tell no one. I could have the baby and pretend it’s someone else’s. All of that is less terrifying than telling him I’m pregnant with his child.
When my breathing is back under control, I get up, go back to work, and try to pretend nothing is wrong.
At two, I’m in a glass conference room for a scope meeting with Lev and Legal. He walks in last, and it’s hard not to notice just how good he looks. His sleeves are rolled up and he’s wearing a dark-blue shirt that makes his icy blue eyes pop. He looks at me once, quickly, and I almost fold right there. If nothing else, our baby will probably be gorgeous.
Legal drones on about some new procedure that I couldn’t care less about. The whole time, I sit there with my hand pressed against my flat stomach and try not to vomit.
This is real. I’m really pregnant and there isn’t much time to figure out what I’m going to do next, because there is a clock on this kind of thing.
Lev corners me after the meeting.
“You good?” he murmurs as heads bow over printouts. “Yuri told me you left during lunch.”
“I just needed to buy some shampoo,” I answer smoothly, because it isn’t entirely a lie.
He nods once, studying me for half a beat longer than necessary. He starts to say something, but I turn on my heel and walk fast back to my office. I can’t keep this news to myself. I need to talk to my best friend.
After work, I tell the driver to take me to Susie’s. Lev won’t be happy about it, but he really shouldn’t have given me so much freedom if he didn’t expect me to use it. The guard posted downstairs clocks my face and straightens. He says something into his wrist, and I know he’s informing her that I’m on my way up. She opens the door before I even knock, but her smile drops when she sees my face.
“What happened?” she asks.
“Not here,” I say hurriedly, grabbing her wrists and pulling her inside.
“What the hell is going on, Mari?” she asks, eyes widening. “Did that asshole hurt you?”