Chapter 21 – Blair
“Alright, dear. We’re gonna take a quick look and listen. Is that okay?” the doctor asked, pulling on a pair of gloves, her voice gentle and soothing.
I gave a curt nod, lying on the examination table, the faint scent of antiseptic and disinfectant invading my senses. The low hum of medical machines filled the room, harsh fluorescent lights spilling from above.
Doctor Chan, a blonde woman in her mid-thirties with amazing hazel eyes and a charming smile, rolled a stool to my side. She sat on it and squeezed a small amount of clear gel on my lower abdomen.
I flinched and let out a soft wince when the coolness met my skin.
“Sorry,” she whispered, maintaining her bright smile. “I should’ve warned you about the cold.”
I mirrored her grin. “I’ve endured worse.”
Doctor Chan pressed the ultrasound probe against my abdomen and skillfully moved her hand. Her eyes were fixed on the beeping monitor next to us as her hand moved in a slow, circular motion.
My gaze shifted to my new bodyguard observing from a corner beside the door. Nik’s arms were folded across his broad chest, his cold eyes never leaving me for a split second. He watched the whole process like a hawk, trusting no one else around me but himself.
I didn’t plan to come to the clinic with him today; however, this stubborn man insisted on tagging along. He claimed he was never letting me out of his sight, and he would either come with me, or I wouldn’t leave the house at all.
In fact, he asked me to stay back, saying he would call the doctor to come to the mansion and perform the procedure.
“What?!” I snapped. “Hell no! I’ve been trapped in here for weeks; going out will do me a lot of good. It’s what the baby wants.” The last sentence fell from my lips, and my voice trailed off.
His brows rose in disbelief, and something that resembled a small smile lined the corners of his lips. “The baby wants to go out?” he asked, trying to point out how ridiculous it sounded.
My eyes darted across the living room, fingers scratching the back of my head. “Yes. That’s right.”
He turned to the housekeeper and Katerina, who were present, as if asking them to back him up.
Katerina avoided his gaze altogether, and the housekeeper just shrugged her shoulders.
“If she says the baby wants to go out, then the baby wants to go out,” the housekeeper said, her voice thick with the Russian accent.
Shocked, Nik replied, “It’s just a few weeks old. How’s that even—”
“You are not a woman; I do not expect you to understand,” she added. “The mother and her child…they are connected.”
“Thank you, Rosa,” I said to her, beaming.
Nik stood there, completely stunned, unable to believe his ears. He looked at us as though we’d conspired against him.
“So, you’re taking her side now, is that it?” he asked the housekeeper.
“It is not about sides. It is about what the baby wants.”
“See? She gets it,” I said teasingly.
He drew a deep breath, fingers rubbing his eyes, his expression softening by the second. “Fine,” he said to me. “But I’m coming with you.”
“There, that’s the heartbeat,” Doctor Chan’s soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
My eyes shifted to the screen where a soft rhythmic sound cut through the static. My heart warmed, and a bright smile lifted my mood. “It’s so cute,” I murmured, listening to the small, steady beat.
Nik drew closer and towered over me, his gaze pinned on the screen. He didn’t say anything, but the look on his face told me all that I needed to know.
This man would cherish his child and wouldn’t mind going to any length to keep them safe. He had the look of a father in those cold eyes of his, and it sparked something inside me.
At the moment, a fierce instinct kicked in, and I knew that just like Nik, I would burn the world to protect this baby. I placed my hand on my lower abdomen, my heart melting with delight as I stared at the blurry image on the screen.
This child was the one thing linking Nik and me in ways I never wanted.
But this was my reality now, and the sooner I accepted it, the better.
I glanced up at Nik, but his eyes were fixed on the screen.
I didn’t realize that he’d been holding my hand this whole time until he squeezed gently against my fingers.
I felt a strange warmth spread through my body, as if his touch had stirred something inside me. My mission was getting tougher and tougher by the day because now I was stuck between survival and duty.
How could I bring myself to destroy the father of my unborn child? Was it really worth it?
I had yet to find anything tying him to the human trafficking crimes in the city. He told me himself that his gang didn’t partake in such activities. Wasn’t that enough to make the Bureau look away?
I knew my emotions were starting to cloud my judgment since I began entertaining this thought. Nik might not be guilty of this particular crime, but he sure was guilty of others. Drug dealing, racketeering, money laundering, et cetera. But I still didn’t have any proof of these crimes.
How could I work effectively while under twenty-four-hour surveillance? The only reason I made it this far was because I hadn’t been caught. If I ever got sloppy and Nik found out my mission was to bring him down, there was no telling what he’d do to me.
The thought of it alone scared the shit out of me.
The soldier in me wanted to complete the mission because Nikolai Tarasov had destroyed countless lives. He deserved to be locked up behind bars for all his atrocities. However, the emotional side of me— the part that knew I was about to become a mother—thought differently.
There was more at stake here than just my life. One wrong move might land me in so much trouble, and if anything happened to me, the baby would be affected. It was too big a risk. I couldn’t take it.
This mission now felt like a chain rather than a purpose.
Maybe I never should’ve reached out to the director, promising her the evidence she needed to put Nik away. Perhaps if I hadn’t made that call, I would’ve just simply abandoned the mission without feeling guilty or pressured.
Besides, the Bureau hadn’t even known I was still alive until I made that call. Now I regretted it. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut and accepted my fate at the mansion.
Nik was already changing into a version I never thought possible. And deep down, I knew he had the potential to be more—for his child and for me.
Calling the director was a big mistake; I saw that clearly now.
I’d never been more trapped and more confused in my life. This game was getting out of hand, and my chances of survival were growing slimmer by the day.
If this went south, and I somehow survived, it would only be because Nik would want me to give birth to his baby. Then, I’d be his prisoner for real, and the second the child was born, he would end my life.
Fear crept into my heart, and I swallowed hard, realizing just how much trouble I was in.
I’m fucked.