29. Nikolai

29

NIKOLAI

A my woke up three times throughout the night.

Twice, she jolted awake with a gasp, scared from a nightmare. I wasn't surprised. Despite how thoroughly I fucked her, I'd only accomplished in tiring her body, physically. In her mind, I knew she would be struggling with the thoughts and visuals of what happened in the dining room.

She hadn't only been a witness, but an active participant in it all. Anyone would be fucked up with the idea of being a deranged, powerful psychopath's target. But she'd fought too. She stabbed him twice. She saw his dead-eyed gaze up close.

It was a lot for her, and I knew it would take time and patience for her to let this be just another detail of her new life with me.

Each time she grew agitated to the point of waking, I calmed her down and held her, soothing her and comforting her. Sex wouldn't have been a bad idea, but I doubted Dr. Francis would approve of this much activity so soon after that scare the other day .

The third time she woke, it had been nearer to the morning. She ran out of bed, anxious to get to the toilet, and I hurried to follow. As I held her hair back as she leaned over the toilet, throwing up, I resolved to speak with the doctor for anything she could suggest to ease the discomfort.

"I read that the morning sickness passes after the first trimester," Amy said weakly once we settled back in bed. "Supposedly."

"One more month to go, huh?"

We slept in for a while, but once more, she woke up to nausea. It was enough of a signal that we should eat, and we headed downstairs to figure out something quick before the meeting with my brothers. Alek had texted me earlier to alert me about the meeting, and I was worried we were late. The clock said we were an hour early, but Margie explained upon our finding everyone else here already.

"They all wanted a snack," she said as she brought another tray of brunch items to the other parlor. While the dining room was in repairs and still being cleaned, it looked like we'd relocate eating to over here.

"Ooh. Are there any chocolate croissants left?" Amy asked as she followed me into the room.

My brothers were all in there, eating. Mila waved at Amy to sit next to her. "If you put a little salt on it and dip it in the syrup…" She demonstrated with many shakes of salt. Alek grimaced as she ate it with a moan. "Oh, so good."

Amy sat next to her, too interested in the food to look up much with the proper introductions to the brothers she hadn't met yet.

Ivan furrowed his brow at her preference to dip her bacon strips into yogurt. "How can that taste good?"

"All going to the same place, right?" Maxim joked .

Mila ate and shook her head. She wagged her finger at him until she swallowed. "Rule number… I forget what number we're at. Never critique a pregnant woman's appetite. At all."

Amy nodded, eating without pause.

I rubbed her back, glad she could be comfortable enough to eat with us all—like a family. Mila and Amy were already teaming up, and I was glad that she had someone. Especially another expecting mother. They'd be able to commiserate in a way no others could here.

"May as well get started," Alek said. The sounds of hammers could be heard from across the house, reminders of what happened there last night to necessitate renovations and repairs.

"The Ortez Cartel is suffering from the attack last night. We killed many of their men, but Juan Ortez does not yet seem interested in pursuing anything further with us."

"Guards are on alert," Dmitri added, "regardless."

Alek nodded. "From what the spies can tell, Juan Ortez was not a fan of Diego. Rumors are that he let some of his men join with Diego, lured with the prospect of traveling with him elsewhere. He let his men leave with the assumption that they'd be gunned down here. As they were. From what I can tell, Diego will not be mourned within the Cartel. They have their own problems to worry about, other more local issues than a traveling, wealthy man who wanted a pre-emptive browse of some of their women."

I glanced at Amy, worried this would be too hard for her. She wouldn't be included at every meeting. I imagined she would want to stay out of the way and not be personally involved, and I preferred that too. Once the babies came, she'd be too busy to sit in like this.

Mila was never excluded, and it was one way Alek showed how different things would be around here now .

I had to remind myself, though, that Amy was a strong woman, motivated by her love for me. If she wanted to be involved, then within reason, I saw no excuse to prohibit her from being here.

After last night, I was simply too hooked on her, too nervous to let her out of my sight.

And I don't think anyone could get her away from that bacon and yogurt combo now.

We spoke further about the Cartel, making sure that we wouldn't lose sight of anything we'd learned. Alek discussed finding medical staff. Maxim mentioned the need for different spies in certain places. Ivan chimed in here and there. Like usual, we all added to the meeting.

Before it was done, though, Alek brought up something that had been on my mind as well.

"Nik and I saw Murphy leaving that restaurant last night."

I nodded. "Yeah. He was walking out of there alone."

"He might have met someone there or something," Alek guessed. "In another end of the building."

"But he was speaking to someone about another shipment of women to be coming in or moved. He's involved with the Ortezes. We know he's dirty, but he's really in with them on this." I shook my head, rubbing Amy's back when she frowned.

"He's always had a thing for us," Maxim complained.

"When Pavel was in charge, he got too close," Ivan said.

"But now, we need to stop him," Alek ordered. "He's determined to bring the Valkov Bratva down, and I'm getting sick of it."

No one spoke up, regardless of Alek's pointed looks around the table. He was waiting for a volunteer. "Anyone want to head up a mission to bring that fucker down? "

I opened and closed my mouth. I never shied from hard work, and I'd be perfect for this kind of an operation, relying on stealth and hiding to get close.

Amy put her hand on mine, shaking her head. "Not Nik."

As the newest person to join our selective group, she showed that she had some guts to speak up like that. She didn't waver, looking Alek directly in the eye. While she wasn't being disrespectful, she was brave to use that firm tone.

"He'll need to take a break from some ‘missions' when the babies come." She cleared her throat, looking down at the table for a moment. "I know I have a lot to understand about your lifestyle and the way things work around here, but…"

"Of course, Amy," Alek agreed easily. "Of course. And when my daughter is born, I'll step back accordingly too."

She smiled at him and let out a deep breath, relieved.

"We have an entire brotherhood here. Everyone will pitch in to help with all missions. But we do need a direct plan to stop this cop from becoming more than a nuisance."

Ivan shrugged. "I'll take care of Murphy." He said it with his usual whatever brand of indifference, like it wouldn't bother him one way or another how he killed the crooked cop.

"Once things are secure around here," he added. "I'll handle it."

"Thank you," Alek replied.

Amy stood to take her dirty plates to the tray waiting in the corner of the room, and I noticed several of my brothers smiling. We weren't spoiled, but we all knew how much Margie and the other housemaid would nag for trying to take over and do their work for them.

"What?" Amy asked when she realized everyone watched her.

I snagged her hand and brought her over to sit on my lap .

She wasn't shy, nestling in and sighing with a smile. "Before our meeting is adjourned… I should let you all know that Amy and I will be house hunting soon." We'd only mentioned it last night, but I was serious. We needed space with two babies on the way.

"We'll need a family home." Amy frowned. "Well, a more baby-proofed one."

Alek nodded. "That makes sense." He smiled at Mila. "We will likely do the same."

"Wait." Maxim grinned, pointing and Amy and me close together. "Am I going to need to find a priest and bribe him to hurry here?"

Mila laughed, shaking her head.

Amy smiled at me, caressing my jaw. "I'm not one of those girls who have specific dreams about a wedding."

I leaned close to kiss her. "But you're getting one. And it will be perfect."

Because it would be ours, to mark the start of our new life together, and we'd already proven to each other how perfectly we fit, come hell or high water.