Chapter Twenty
Kirill
I’m seething, my fists clenched so tight my knuckles are white.
My jaw is locked, teeth grinding together as I try to contain the rage coursing through me. I can’t trust myself to speak right now, so I stay silent, focusing on the hum of the engine and the passing scenery outside the tinted windows of the luxury SUV.
Tiana is silent too, her dark eyes watching me warily. I can feel her gaze on me, but I don’t meet it. I’m too angry, too consumed by the fury that’s threatening to overwhelm me.
Ya ub’yu kazhdogo iz nikh!
I’m going to kill every fucking one of them!
I can almost taste the blood of my enemies as I imagine what I’ll do to them. Petrov’s men got off lightly. What I have planned for him will probably earn me a place in hell. But it will be worth it.
The things they did to my woman… and my child.
Bozhe moy!
Tiana is pregnant with my child. The shock of it has left me reeling. It’s the only thing stopping me from spinning this car around and driving it straight into fucking Petrov’s estate so I can rip his guts out with my own hands.
Tiana remains quiet beside me, poised on the edge of the seat as we keep driving. I’m glad I got a chance to tell her how much she means to me; I think it will go some way to getting her to understand why I have done the things I did for her. And what I plan to do again.
Vlad Petrov just hammered another nail in his coffin.
It’s a relief that she’s giving me space, waiting for me to calm down before we speak again. There’s a lot to discuss. Our family. Our future. How we’ll get those fucking Feds off our backs. I’m so fucking pissed off that they tried to drag her into their little shitshow.
And Zoya, on top of it all.
There are a lot of scores to settle.
I exhale a calming breath, taking in the cool, air-conditioned air as I try to ground myself. The car comes to a stop outside an unassuming building. I open the door and climb out.
“Come,” I say to Tiana, who is staring at me wide-eyed. I can only imagine the shock she must be trying to recover from. I fight down an uncharacteristic swirl of guilt as I think about how we were fucking just minutes ago, when I should have been taking better care of her.
I quickly usher her to the front doors and then inside.
It’s a private Bratva clinic, but from the outside, it looks like any other nondescript office building.
Anonymity is a necessity in my world, especially for those of us needing medical attention.
Although it’s unusual for me to be here for the reasons we’re visiting today.
Normally I’m visiting our trusty bullet-puller – the seasoned medic who’s plucked enough lead from Bratva flesh to fill a cargo ship. But a pregnancy checkup? This is new.
We move quickly through the carpeted corridors, past muted framed paintings beneath soft lighting. Finally, we reach our destination. I’ve never been into these rooms before, but I’ll admit, they’re pleasant. Just what my woman needs right now.
And then some rest. She’s been strangely silent since the trip in the car. Probably still recovering from it all.
As we walk into the room, we’re met by a short, dark-haired man in a white coat. I’ve never met him before, but I know that he’s the best in the business. He wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t.
“What’s going on, Kirill?” Tiana says under her breath. I don’t get a chance to respond because the doctor is talking.
“Mr. Vyronov,” the man says, dipping his head so low it’s as if he’s thinking of bowing. “I am Dr. Kuznetsov,” he introduces himself. “And this must be our mother-to-be?” He looks at Tiana, who seems completely confused.
“Yes,” I reply for her. “She will need a complete examination. She has been through an ordeal.”
“Of course, Pakhan .” He nods and turns toward a small door leading off the waiting area. He pushes it open and leads us into an examination room.
The clinic is designed to be soothing, with soft colors and gentle lighting. This room is no different. It’s a comfortable space, with a plush examination table and a soft robe for Tiana to wear.
“Please,” Dr. Kuznetsov gestures to a small changeroom nearby, “remove your clothing and put on the robe. I will be back in a minute.”
He aims a deferential smile at me and leaves us. There’s yet another silence after he’s gone. Tiana still seems tense.
“Kirill,” she half-whispers, her eyes flitting around the room. “What’s going on?”
I frown, glancing at her. “What do you mean?”
She looks away, biting her lip. “I thought… that you were angry with me. That maybe you were going to…” She clears her throat. “To punish me or something.”
“Punish you? Why the fuck would I punish you?”
“After you found out about the FBI…”
“About the FBI?” I interrupt, confused. “What about them?”
She takes a deep breath. “When you found out that they wanted me to spy on you, I thought you wouldn’t trust me anymore.”
I stare at her. “Why would you ever think that?”
She hesitates. “Because I lied to you.”
“You did not lie to me,” I say, my voice soft. “You kept something from me, but you did not lie.”
She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine. “You’re not angry at me?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m worried about you.”
“About me?” she asks, searching my gaze.
“Da, Ptichka.” I frown. “About you and the baby.” What else does she think I’m talking about?
“The baby.”
“Yes,” I say. “ Our baby.” I say the words patiently. She took a knock to the head. We should have that checked too.
She looks down at her stomach, her hand resting on it protectively. “Our baby,” she whispers.
I nod. “Our baby. Now put the robe on so the doctor can examine you. After what you have been through, we need to be sure that he is okay.”
“ He. Of course you would think that.” She presses her lips together in a shy smile and keeps stroking her belly. I fix my eyes on the movement, imagining how it will soon be swelling as our child grows.
“Undress, Tiana,” I remind her, then stand back and watch as she removes her clothing. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing her naked. It’s a pity when she slips the robe on. But the doctor is tapping discreetly at the door, and I want to get on with it.
“Ready, my dear?” He smiles at Tiana. She gives a tight nod, then sits on the bed when he tilts his head toward it. I watch and force myself to wait patiently as he runs through a series of tests, examining her from head to toe.
The doctor tuts and frowns as I give him a brief overview of what Tiana has lived through today. It’s the sort of thing our doctors have to deal with often, but I suspect that as an OB-GYN, Kuznetsov doesn’t have too many patients who’ve just survived torture.
“Good news, Miss Avants,” he says when, at last, he’s finished. “Aside from some superficial injuries, you’re in good health.”
Tiana beams. “Thank you, doctor,” she says. I feel a flood of relief.
“But now for the most important part.” He indicates a machine standing beside the bed. “While I’m confident that your pregnancy hasn’t been compromised, we’ll confirm it with an ultrasound scan.”
Tiana’s throat works nervously, and she reaches for my hand. I take her fingers in mine and hold them firmly, feeling the slight clamminess of her skin.
“Okay,” she husks out.
“If you’ll lie back?” The doctor glances at me briefly as he opens her robe. I realize that I’ve made a low threatening sound in the back of my throat. I take in a breath and straighten.
Calm yourself, dolboyob.
I watch as Dr. Kuznetsov applies the cold gel to Tiana’s belly, my heart pounding in my chest. I can feel her tension, her nerves, as she lies back on the examination table.
I squeeze her hand gently, watching as the doctor moves the ultrasound device over her skin.
The image on the screen is blurry. It’s hard to make out anything, but the doctor seems to know what he’s looking for.
After watching the screen for a minute, he points to a blob. “There’s your baby.”
I stare at the shape.
“It’s hard to see much now, but that there is the head, and here you can see the legs.” He continues pointing. “Everything looks in order,” he says, a smile on his face. “You’re about six weeks along.”
Tiana and I exchange a glance, and I can see the relief in her eyes. I feel it too, a weight lifting off my shoulders.
The doctor continues to move the device over her belly, and then he adjusts the sound. Suddenly, we can hear a rapid beeping noise.
It’s the sound of our baby’s heartbeat.
My fucking heart leaps. I feel a surge of emotion, a mix of pride and awe and tenderness. I’ve never heard anything so incredible in my life.
But then the doctor pauses, his brow creasing. I feel a twinge of concern. “Is something wrong?” I ask, my voice gruff. If he tells me something is wrong…
The doctor adjusts the sound again, and then I hear it.
A second heartbeat.
“There are two babies,” he says. “You’re having twins.”
What the fuck?
Did he say twins?
Tiana gasps, her eyes wide. I can see the shock and disbelief on her face, but there’s something else too. Something that makes my heart swell with pride. It’s elation. She just lived through torture, and still, she can feel this joy.
“Twins?” she says, her mouth dropping open. “We’re having twins, Kirill!”
I feel a grin spreading across my face. “Of course there are two. My seed is strong.”
I can see the amusement in Tiana’s eyes, even as she rolls them at my arrogance. But I can also see the love, the softening in her when she looks at me.
The doctor continues to scan my woman’s belly, and I watch as the two tiny shapes flicker on the screen. I can’t fucking believe it. She is carrying my babies. Twice over.
“There’s your other little one.” He twists his head to look at us. “Baby Number Two is a little shy today. Hiding from me behind Baby One. But things will be clearer at your next scan.”
“And everything is okay?” I need to confirm it. After all that’s happened, it’s hard to believe Tiana came through unscathed.
“One hundred percent.” The doctor looks as relieved as I am. Possibly because he wouldn’t want to be the one to give me bad news. “But I’d like our patient to take it easy for a while. Get some rest. You’ve been through a lot, Miss Avants.”
“I will make sure of it,” I say firmly. I watch as the doctor wipes the gel off Tiana’s belly with tissue paper and then helps her sit up. She’s still staring at the screen with a look of wonder on her face.
“Spasibo, doktor,” I say to the Kuznetsov, my voice filled with gratitude. It’s an unfamiliar emotion.
He nods, a smile on his face. “ Pozhaluysta, Pakhan. It’s my pleasure.
Congratulations to both of you.” He adjusts Tiana’s robe and then puts his hand on her shoulder.
“I’m going to give you a prescription for some prenatal vitamins,” he says.
“And I want you to come back in for a checkup in two weeks.”
“She will be here.” I’ll make sure of it.
“Thank you, doctor,” Tiana adds. She’s staring back at the screen. So am I. I want to commit this image to memory.
The doctor inclines his head at me and then leaves the room.
Tiana turns to me, her eyes sparkling. I sense that there are a thousand unspoken words behind them. “Did I tell you I love you?” she asks, beaming.
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m telling you again.” Her smile is as playful as radiant. It’s a smile a man could love. I should know, because I love it.
“I’m taking you home.” I reach for her hand.
“Now? But what about the others? Aren’t there things you need to do?”
“Dima will take care of things. Everything else can wait. But now, you need to be in bed. You need to rest. You heard the doctor.”
“But I feel fine.”
“Don’t argue with me, woman.” I pull her closer against me, then graze my lips over hers. “You have already been through too much. All because of me. You will rest, and while you do that, I will make this world safer for you and our children.”
I say the words with a quiet conviction because that’s exactly what I plan to do.
“I know,” she says. “I know everything’s going to be okay.”