Chapter 21
21
Anya
“Y ou’re already looking a lot better than the last time I saw you,” Dr. Rollins tells me as he enters the exam room.
Nico has been by my side the whole time, patiently waiting for my test results with me.
“What does the bloodwork say?” I eagerly ask.
“Every value I had concerns about is going up,” he says, going over my chart. “How’s the morning sickness these days?”
“Oh, much better. The worst I get is five minutes of queasy as soon as I smell bacon, which is sort of heartbreaking, but if the baby says no, well…”
“She loves bacon,” Nico adds with a lighthearted chuckle.
“And how does the daddy-to-be feel?” Dr. Rollins asks him.
Nico and I exchanged amused glances. “Nervous. Excited. Woefully unprepared,” he quips with a broad smile.
“Nonsense. You’ll be just fine,” the doctor replies. “Everyone’s unprepared until the little one is born, and then you figure it out as you go.”
Nico sits quietly, watching the doctor as he applies the cold gel and brings the ultrasound device. His gaze softens when it meets mine. “You’re going to be okay,” he whispers.
“As long as you’re with me? Absolutely,” I reply.
We took so many precautions to come down here today. Unnecessary turns to make sure we weren’t followed; parking a couple of blocks away and out of sight; coming through the back door of the building. It seems so complicated and unnecessary to the untrained eye, but it’s essential to us.
Mills hasn’t spotted Leo or any of his suspected men anywhere in town, though that doesn’t soothe me in any way. The Russians know how to blend in when they have to, how to stay out of sight and still watch us.
My nerves are a mess, but as soon as the ultrasound image comes up on the screen, my heart starts beating faster, and I forget about the danger constantly looming around us. “Oh, my, look at that,” I gasp.
“Is that…” Nico’s voice trails off, equally fascinated by the moving image.
“Yep,” Dr. Rollins replies, moving the device along my lower belly to get a clearer view. Life is growing in my womb, and someday, that little guy or gal will be born. “We’re not able to determine the sex yet, but it’s looking good so far.”
“It is?” I ask.
“Healthy hormone levels, vitamins and minerals are in check, and the baby’s growth is on target. How’s your stress management?”
My cheeks burn. “Doing my best.”
The doc smiles as he cleans the gel from my belly. “Well, keep doing what you’re doing. Things look great so far.”
* * *
Coming out of the clinic, I feel a sense of warmth and comfort as I lean into Nico. He’s so big and tall, his frame projecting strength against my body. There’s nowhere else on this earth I’d rather be as we linger at the top of the back steps.
“How do you feel?” Nico asks as we take a moment to breathe in the cold air.
Beyond the parking lot and the town itself, our mountain rises with its snow-covered ridges and deep, protective woods. “I can’t wait to get back home,” I tell him.
The sound of footsteps catches our attention as six men step out of two dark SUVs, both parked close to the exit. I didn’t immediately spot them, but as they come closer, I can feel Nico’s frame stiffening beside me.
“Anya, darling,” the one leading them says.
“No,” I whisper.
Nico whips out his handgun before Leo’s goons even think about taking theirs out. “Don’t take another step, Sokolov,” he warns, then gives me a sideways glance. His lips move. Mills.
“My, my, aren’t we aggressive?” Leo scoffs and slowly raises his hands.
His men give us a proper death stare.
“Don’t be stupid,” Nico says. “You don’t want to start a gunfight here.”
“I’m not the one pointing a weapon at innocent civilians,” Leo replies, then nods at his men, letting them know to stand down. At least he’s got some common sense in him. But he’s too calm for my liking. “Mr. Hayes, I’m sure we can talk like civilized adults.”
“If there were anything remotely civilized about you, maybe,” Nico replies.
Leo gives me a long look. There’s no affection in those dead eyes, only contempt, hatred, and lust for control, certainly not for me as a woman.
“Very well, Mr. Hayes,” he says. “But you have something of mine.”
“She’s not a thing and she’s not yours,” Nico growls.
Leo merely smirks. “She was promised to me by her father long ago, therefore, she is mine.”
Nico grunts, his grip on his handgun tightening. If I could scream, I would, but I’m paralyzed with fear, even in Nico’s shadow.
“She’s not chattel. She’s a human being who can make her own decisions.”
His men give us nonchalant smirks, but they seem as dead-eyed as their boss, ready to follow orders with no regard for the rule of law.
“Mr. Hayes, Anya is my fiancée, and she belongs with me,” Leo insists.
“She is not your property,” Nico replies. “And last I heard, the engagement was broken off a couple of years ago.”
Leo takes a step forward. I see the crack in his mask. This man isn’t used to not getting his way, but what ticks him off the most is when others do not fear him. He thrives on the fear of others.
Nico clicks the safety off his gun. “Not another step, Sokolov.”
“Or what?” one of his goons replies, lips twisted in contempt.
“I was there,” I cut in with a trembling voice, looking directly at Leo. “I saw you.”
“Excuse me? Saw me where? Forget all of this nonsense, Anya, I just need you home, safe,” he says, once again smiling without his eyes.
I cannot let him back me into a corner ever again. I’m tired of running from him.
“I saw you at the Dalton Festival. You were there. You gave the order. You fired those shots. I saw you, but you didn’t see me. So, no, Leo. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He stills, wavering for the longest second.
“You’re better off turning around and walking out of here a free man,” Nico says. “You are not welcome in Seeley Lake.”
“Do I look intimidated by a small town?”
“No, but you will be once you realize how grossly you’ve underestimated us.”
Sirens blare nearby, and they grow louder with each passing second until I catch glimpses of red and blue lights flashing somewhere to the right. As if instantly activated, Leo’s men huddle closer together, nervously looking around.
“The local sheriff doesn’t take kindly to goons trying to intimidate his constituents, Mr. Sokolov. Your days on the outside of a prison are already numbered,” Nico says, raising his voice over the incoming sirens. “Do you really want to spend what’s left of your freedom in a county jail?”
Leo gives me a hard look. “You’re coming home with me, Anya, one way or another.”
“Go to hell,” I hiss and take a step back.
Before Mills even gets out of his car, Leo and his men jump into their two SUVs and speed out of the parking lot, almost clipping a deputy in a tight swerve. As soon as they’re out of sight, I feel as though I’m able to breathe again.
“Oh, God,” I gasp.
Nico puts his gun away and turns to face me. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.”
“What the hell was that?” Mills barks as he runs up the stairs, one hand glued to his holstered weapon.
“That was Leo Sokolov with five of his men,” Nico says. “I really hope your dash and body cams captured some faces.”
“I memorized their plates,” I add with a trembling voice.
The sheriff shakes his head slowly. “Where have they been hiding this whole time?”
“In town,” Nico says. “I told you; they can blend in if the situation demands it. Leo didn’t bring his top guys out here. He brought the scrawny ones. Specifically, the ones he knows won’t raise the eyebrows of law enforcement if they’re seen walking down the street.”
“What do we do?” I worriedly ask Nico and the sheriff. “They were clearly following us. They knew where to find us.”
“But they never set foot up on the mountain,” Mills says. “That’s telling.”
“It means we need to accelerate everything we’ve been doing up to this point,” Nico replies, frowning as he looks at the sheriff. “We may need some help.”
Mills nods slowly and glances back at his men. “I need my boys for patrol now more than ever. But I can make a few calls and see if I can scrounge up a few Staties. Having seen Leo Sokolov with my own eyes just now, I can at least express official concern regarding mob activity in my town. That should get some attention.”
“In the meantime, we’re going home,” Nico tells me.
Home.
It sounds nice.
But much like everything that has sounded and felt nice up to this point, it might just crumble and fall apart under the heavy, merciless boot of reality. As long as Leo Sokolov is alive, he will not stop coming after me.