Til Death Do Us Part (Kornilov Bratva Duet #2) - Nicole Fox Page 0,8

person who spoke ill of me in that room had their tongue removed.”

My stomach turns. “You fucking psycho.”

His nostrils flare, and he readjusts the gun in his hand. I’m afraid I’ve pushed him too far and he’s going to shoot the woman just to make a point, but he doesn’t. His entire body stills.

“You’ve always thought you were better than me. You’ve always seen yourself as better than me and our father and our family. But deep down, we are the same,” he hisses. “And if you are going to win this, you are going to have to let go of this high and mighty bullshit, brother.”

There will be no talking him down from this. I see that now. It is hopeless. I have to fight if I want this to be over. But not today.

“What happens now?” I ask. “How do we walk away from this?”

“We don’t walk away. You walk away.”

“So you can shoot me in the back?” I shake my head. “Not a fucking chance.”

“You’re the one who came here with an army,” he says. Then, his mouth curls into a smirk. “You know what? Take the pregnant woman.”

He shoves the woman towards me, and she stumbles, catching herself before she falls. Then, she freezes. Like me, she is wary of Fedor’s motives.

“Consider it an act of goodwill,” he says. “I’ll let her go with you, you can feel like a happy little hero, and I won’t shoot you in the back.”

“Why should I believe you?”

Fedor shrugs. “You said it yourself, brother. I’m not a monster. I guess you’re just going to have to hope you’re right.”

I don’t believe that anymore, but Fedor is right. If I stay here, he may grow bored and decide to shoot me for fun.

I hold out a hand for the pregnant woman to take, and she looks at it with wide eyes. I know she wants to reach out, but she is too afraid to move. So, I take a careful step forward and wrap my hand around hers. Her fingers are ice-cold, but she grips my hand like her life depends on it. And right now, it does.

“Don’t forget. There are nine more innocents inside,” he says, hitching a thumb over his shoulder. “Don’t be stupid.”

Slowly, we all back away. The tension in the air is thick. It feels like walking backwards through a minefield, holding my breath, waiting for the earth to explode around me.

When we finally reach the car, Fedor lifts his hand in a wave and then ducks back into the warehouse. I don’t even begin to relax until the warehouse is out of sight and we are back amongst the tall buildings of the city. But really, I won’t be fully relaxed until Fedor has been dealt with. I won’t be able to stop looking over my shoulder until my baby brother is dead.

3

Molly

My interior design textbooks sit in front of me, open but unused. I can’t force my mind to focus on the task at hand. I’m distracted. Beyond distracted.

I haven’t seen Viktor since he stormed out of the apartment after I told him about the baby. He sent a doctor over yesterday morning, though.

I want to be angry with him for scheduling a doctor visit without my permission, but I’m just relieved. Hearing the baby’s heartbeat and being assured that things are progressing normally has been a huge weight off my shoulders.

Plus, on some level, Viktor’s care and concern feels nice.

Though, it’s also alarming.

Yet again, I am going to have the child of a Mafia member. No matter how much concern Viktor has for my safety and the safety of his child, he inherently puts us at a higher risk. His activities bring danger to our doorstep every second.

Not to mention, the Mafia members in question are brothers dead-locked into a violent war.

The only way I can see to get out is to not have the baby, but the second the thought crosses my mind, I push it away.

I had Theo when the entire world was against me, and I still love him more than myself. I can’t imagine my life without him, and I know I’ll feel the same way about this baby when he or she arrives.

Vaguely, I hear the door open, and I assume it’s the nanny bringing Theo in from their daily trip to the park. I’m still staring blankly at the book in front of me when I see movement near the door. I paste a smile on my