Chapter 25 - Ivan
We’ve all been in the hospital for some time now, but even in the wake of her exhaustion, Elena doesn’t let on that any of us have overstayed our welcome.
As a first-time mom, she’s soaking all of this in, and I’m glad. She has spent so long supporting everyone else, it’s about time she had something like this. Something of her own.
The hallway smells like antiseptic and the usual medical aroma I try to avoid as much as I can. I’ve never been one for hospitals, but for family, I’m willing to endure it.
Standing with Mikhail, Nikolai, and Sergey in one of the waiting areas near the nurses’ station, I’m half-listening as they talk about the latest Grimaldi movements, along with numbers and locations that have been traveling through our channels lately, but my mind is most preoccupied with her.
I’m still partially in Elena’s room, replaying the way Mila looked holding Talia. Despite all of her worries and hesitation, something so soft and genuine overcame her without having to say anything.
We’re still a long way off from experiencing that wonder for ourselves, but seeing her like that was enough to put vivid images in my head of Mila mothering our baby. Of holding our little one in the same way, but with a deeper connection.
Soon enough, I’ll bear witness to something so pure and so completely mine.
Then, the buzz of my phone in my pocket breaks my quiet reverie, once, then twice, before I fish it out. Irritation scurries through me at the interruption, half paying attention until I catch Mila’s name pop up on screen. My brows furrow.
She was only supposed to be in the washroom. Why would she be calling me?
Without hesitation, I accept it and raise the phone, taking a few steps away from my brothers. “Mila?”
I freeze as a masculine voice comes through. “Lukov.”
It only takes a beat for me to recognize exactly who it is, and at once, every sound around me dulls, fading into obscurity. My grip tightens on the phone.
“Where is she?” I ask flatly. “What do you want?”
“I want you to come alone,” Carlo replies, not mincing words. “Third floor, East wing.”
I barely even breathe as I absorb the information, tucking it away since Mila’s life quite literally depends on it.
He continues, filling the silence with false pleasantry, “I thought it would be nice to see your face when we take our dear sister back.”
Immediately, everything shrinks to this moment, vision tunneling as I stare at one point on the floor. While everything had gone quiet just moments ago, it’s like the volume has been cranked up at once, trying to fight to be heard over my heartbeat.
“Put her on,” I tell him, fingers feeling clumsier than they had.
Carlo just laughs. “No. I want you to see her just like this before we go. Don’t make us wait.”
Then, the line drops, and for what feels like an eternity, I keep the phone pressed against my ear.
Where I’m usually sturdy and sure, my hand shakes.
They have her…they have Mila.
After all this time I’ve spent convincing her that she is without a doubt safe with my family and me, they managed to throw all of that out by taking her. And at a hospital, on a day that’s supposed to be full of joy, no less.
It takes everything in my power not to be sick right here.
Barely restraining both the panic and rage inside me, I switch apps, finding the one I need as my fingers move on pure muscle memory alone. I find the right feeds, tapping between them before landing on the right one. Third floor, east wing. Scanning, I pause when I see three figures.
There they are. Carlo, Cesare, and Mila.
She’s between them in the restricted access area, with Cesare holding her firmly in place, glancing around a bit nervously. Carlo stands close enough to guard her, arms crossed.
And Mila…her eyes are wide and full of fear, seemingly well aware of what this means for her.
The woman I spent months watching just like this through camera feeds, or from a distance when I had the chance. The one I slowly managed to break down over time, gaining her trust little by little, even when she didn’t want to give it. The woman carrying my child, and the one I’d kill for.
Immediately and brutally, that panic morphs into wrath, already set on what I have to do.
Lowering the phone, I turn back around, jaw tight.
Mikhail’s brows furrow as I approach, obviously having watched me. “What happened?”
“They have her,” I utter, not recognizing my voice as it comes out too tight. “Her brothers. They called me down.”
Silence settles between us as the group of them takes it in, and Mikhail curses under his breath, already knowing what that means.
“You’re not going alone,” Nikolai says, gaze firm.
“I am.”
“No way,” Mikhail interjects, giving me that usual older brother scrutiny. “If they want you to come to them, then they’re not planning on leaving until you do. We’ll call in backup. That’s non-negotiable.”
“I’m not waiting around,” I say without hesitation as every instinct in me screams to run to her right now. To not waste another precious second.
“You don’t have a choice.”
“I don’t have a choice other than going right now,” I fire back, feeling as my patience crumbles under the pressure. I glance between them. “She’s pregnant.”
Immediately, the pieces fall into place, and none of them can question it now. Nikolai’s gaze sharpens while Sergey scrubs a hand over his mouth. Mikhail’s expression drops.
“We were going to mention it when the time was right, but it was too soon to say anything yet,” I tell them, shaking my head as the weight of it all settles so heavily on my shoulders.
“Fuck,” Mikhail utters, taking a moment to think before he huffs out a deep breath. “Okay, fine. We’ll lock the place down as quietly as we can to make sure they can’t leave. Nikolai will watch the feed, and we’ll call the others while you head down.”
“Just don’t send them in until I’m ready,” I mutter, glancing between them. “They want me, and I won’t risk her safety by disobeying that.”
My brothers look at me hesitantly, mulling it over with the limited time we have. Then Mikhail nods. “Go, before Roman knows.”
Catching on to that slight mercy, I don’t stand there a moment longer than I need to.
I’m already heading down the hall, finding the nearest stairwell and hurrying down as fast as I can, using the cameras to navigate the wings.
All the while, I see Mila’s face in my mind, along with her fear, her worry, and the trust she was so precariously putting in me. I see her in the bathroom after patching me up, trying so hard to believe my promises to her. I feel the surrender in the way she leaned against me.
I told her I’d protect her and the baby, and I meant it. That, above all else, is what this is about.
My legs want to run so badly with every corner I turn, heart in my throat each time I think I’m about to stumble upon them. But as tempting as it is, I don’t want to cause alarm or bring unnecessary attention to myself.
Soon enough, my brothers will have the place on lockdown, but for now, I don’t need to get held up anywhere.
Going as fast as I can, the adrenaline flooding my system feels almost bitter despite how it sharpens everything with near-painful clarity. My fingers twitch at my sides, itching for the violence I want to unleash more than anything.
The Grimaldi twins have been nothing but a point of pain and fear in Mila’s life, and now, they’ve gone too far. Soon enough, they’ll regret crossing that line.
Finally, I push through a set of heavy doors, emerging into an empty hallway where the three of them stand, holding Mila like they’re afraid she might fade into smoke and slip away again.
Once I’m closed in with them, I stop, jaw tight.
Carlo’s gun rests carelessly at his side, but the moment his eyes land on me, he raises it in my direction. He grins. “There he is…told you he’d show up.”
Mila blinks back at me, eyes wide as they meet mine. While panic dominates her features, relief settles in too, seeming somewhat desperate and devastating at the same time.
“Ivan,” she manages to say, voice hoarse with fear.
Before she can squirm too far, Cesare tightens his grip on her arm, making her wince. I grit my teeth so hard I’m surprised they don’t crack.
“Let her go.”
“Tempting,” Carlo muses, chuckling to himself. “But you don’t get to make demands here.”
Even if I should be focusing on Carlo and the gun between us, I quickly scan Mila, checking for any injuries. Though, despite her fear, she looks mostly unharmed. That, I can work with.
“If you need to take anyone, then take me,” I say, voice clear and unwavering.
Carlo glances between us, then he gives a false look of sympathy. “How touching.”
His flippant attitude, along with his arrogance, makes me see red. I wish my fist could be in his mouth already.
But I have to think this through. For Mila’s sake, I have to use my head and tread as lightly as I can.
“I mean it.”
“Too bad this was never about you,” he taunts, giving his gun an idle shake. “This is about taking back what belongs to us, and forcing you to watch.”
She never belonged to them, and she never will.
After everything they’ve put her through already, I’ll tear this whole place down before I let them take her.