27. Lucia

27

LUCIA

I don't know how long I've been sitting at my father's bedside.

Elle came by to drop off some clothes, so I'm no longer wearing my wedding dress, but I still smell the coppery twang of his blood on my skin.

I've never seen my father look so weak, so small .

"Please don't die."

My eyes go to the tattoo of my name on his neck, and my heart breaks in two. We might have our differences but despite it all, he's still my father, and he's the only parent I have left.

I can't lose him.

Mikhail eventually returns, dressed in a fresh shirt and pants and smelling of sandalwood and mint.

I don't ask him where he went because I'm not sure I want to know, and I'm not sure he'd tell me even if I did.

"I'm taking you home, kisa. Elle is going to stay with your father so you can get some sleep."

"I can't?—"

"I'll call you if anything changes." My cousin looks just as tired as I do, but I appreciate her offering to stay with my father.

He's the closest thing she has left to a parent, so I know she'll be hurting just as much as I am.

I glance at Mikhail, and I know that this is a fight I won't be able to win, so I reluctantly follow him out of the room.

I barely register the drive back to Alexei's mansion. I keep my eyes down, trying not to wince as the gravel crunches beneath the tires, reminding me of the sound of the ambulance as it raced down the drive toward my father's bleeding body?—

A sob escapes me as Mikhail parks the car and darts around to my side and opens up the door.

"I've got you." He lifts me out of the car, and I bury my face in his shirt, keeping my eyes screwed shut as he carries me upstairs.

I feel like a child as Mikhail sets me down on the bed while he runs me a bath.

I'm so exhausted that I don't even have the energy to undress myself.

Mikhail does it all without complaint, and the combination of the scalding hot water followed by the feeling of the silk sheets against my skin soon pulls me into a deep sleep.

By the time I wake, the sky outside is clear. My limbs feel stiff, and there's a dull ache in my temples, but I feel marginally better after getting some rest.

I find my phone on the bedside table, and I quickly reach for it and scan through my messages.

There's at least ten from Elle giving me updates on my father, but it seems his condition hasn't changed .

There's also several from Bianca and Zara wishing me well and letting me know I can call them at any time if I need anything.

And there's not a single message from Kara or Macy, not that I'm surprised or even annoyed. If anything, their silence only makes me more grateful for the new friends I've made in Zara and Bianca.

My phone tells me it's almost three in the afternoon, and I groan as my stomach cramps.

I'm not hungry in the slightest, but I know I should probably force something down seeing as I've not eaten in over twenty-four hours, so I quickly get dressed and head downstairs into the kitchen where I find Mikhail busy by the stove.

The moment he sees me, he crosses the kitchen and wraps his arms around me, pulling me tight against his chest.

I sink my fingers into the soft material of his black T-shirt that shows off his tattooed arms. "Where is everyone?"

"Bianca and Zara have taken the kids to Dimitri's place. My brothers are currently with them."

I relax a little. "I'm glad they're all okay."

"And I'm glad that you're okay," he murmurs against my hair. He puts his hands on my shoulders, guiding me over to the table. "Now, I want you to eat something,"

"I want to go back to the hospital."

Mikhail takes the seat beside me, reaching for my hand. " Solnyshka, I think you should stay away for a few days."

"Absolutely not." I snatch my hand out of his grip. "You can't keep me from my father."

"Believe me, I don't want to, but Igor could easily intercept us."

"I don't care. "

"But I do."

I jump.

Mikhail rubs at his jaw as he looks at me. "I could have lost you yesterday, Lucia, so forgive me if I'm a little on edge."

"And I could lose my father. I have to be there for him. We both know you can't keep me in this house. I'll only find a way to get out."

The muscle in Mikhail's jaw ticks as he shakes his head.

"Not today. I need to go into the city to speak with Anton."

"Can't you drop me off on the way to the city?"

"I'm not leaving you unattended."

"You did last night."

"Circumstances have changed."

"Like what?" I don't like the way that Mikhail is refusing to meet my eyes. "Mikhail? What aren't you telling me?"

He runs his fingers through his dark hair, messing up the strands, as he seems to battle with himself over whether or not to tell me the truth.

"Mikhail, please."

"There was something that I needed to take care of last night, and it resulted in Igor's son getting killed. It's only a matter of time before Igor learns of Maxim's death, and he's going to want revenge, so I need to take every precaution to make sure you're safe."

I know this information should frighten me, but if anything, it only makes me more anxious to see my father.

"Mikhail, if something happens to my father and I'm not there…" My voice cracks, and my eyes start to well with tears. " Please . "

He sighs, pulling out his phone. "Maybe I can ask Dimitri to take you."

I reach for his hand and squeeze it once.

"Thank you."

Mikhail stays with me until Dimitri arrives an hour later, making sure to give his older brother firm instructions not to let me out of his sight.

For a moment, I fear that Mikhail might change his mind from the anxious glances he keeps sending my way as he speaks to Dimitri, but in the end, he lets us go.

"I'll see you in a few hours." I push up on my tiptoes to kiss him. "I'll miss you."

His fingers dig into my waist, pulling me tight against him as he kisses me harder, his tongue gently teasing my lower lip.

"I'll be waiting for you," he says before letting me go.

"You bring out a different side to my brother," Dimitri comments as we walk down the steps toward his car. "One I haven't seen since our parents died."

"Is that a good thing?" I open the passenger side door.

"It's a very good thing, Lucia."

I stay quiet as Dimitri drives us over to the hospital, my head too full of what if 's to bother with polite conversation. I don't know Dimitri that well, but I figure we're going to be family at some point, so I can let the mask drop for right now.

"I'll wait out here," Dimitri says, breaking the silence as we reach my father's room. "Just shout if you need anything."

"Thank you."

Elle is exactly where I left her yesterday, curled up in the chair with her eyes glued to the beeping monitors. When she sees me, her entire body sags as she rubs her eyes. "There's no change. But the doctor said he'd stop by in an hour to do another check."

I drop my bag down onto the cot and move to stand at my father's other side, reaching for his hand, ignoring how strange it feels without all the rings.

"Thank you for staying with him."

"I was happy to." She stifles a yawn. "He might be a hard bastard, but he's all I have left too."

I swallow the lump in my throat as I look at my cousin. I sometimes forget all that she's gone through and despite it all, she still manages to shoulder on with such strength.

It gives me hope that I'll be able to get through this too.

She fights another yawn. "Do you want me to sit with you?"

"You can go."

"Call me if you need anything." She gets to her feet, giving me a quick hug before disappearing out the door, leaving me alone with Papa once more.

My father and I might not have the easiest relationship, but he's still my papa. I love him, and I'm not ready to say goodbye to him yet.

I have no idea if he can hear me or not, but I want him to know that he's not alone.

I bend down. "Papa, if you wake up, I promise not to be a pain in your ass for the rest of my life. I'll be an angel child, like Federico. I'll marry Mikhail and give you dozens of little grandbabies, so you can't die, otherwise they're never going to meet their Nonno?—"

A stabbing pain tears through my stomach doubling me over.

"Ow," I hiss through my teeth as another cramp hits .

I clutch my abdomen as I try to breathe through the pain. "Now is not the time, mother nature. I think I have enough to deal with, don't you?"

Despite the worsening cramps, I stay with my father for until the doctor comes, wanting to speak with him myself before heading home. It seems his condition is stable, but they want to leave him in the coma for a few more days while he recovers from the bleeding in his brain.

I hate to leave him, but hospital food sucks, and I smell like hospital.

I want to go home and shower before getting Mikhail to bring me back later once he's finished up with Anton.

"How is he?" Dimitri asks as I close the door to my father's room.

Dimitri stands with his hands in his pockets, his appearance almost identical to Mikhail's except for the slight curl to his hair and the stubble that coats his jaw.

"No change. Can you please take me back home?"

Dimitri offers me a sympathetic smile before leading us toward the exit.

"Do you mind if I pop in here?" I point to the hospital drugstore.

Dimitri hesitates, a deep frown appearing between his eyebrows.

"Don't worry, I'm not getting sleeping pills to sneak into your coffee. I just need some tampons."

"Oh, uh, sure. I'll wait out here."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes.

These men don't bat an eye at torturing guys to death, but the mention of feminine hygiene products has them acting all squeamish.

I head inside and make my way to the aisle which stocks the supplies I need .

Grabbing a box of tampons, my eyes flick to the shelf below, and I freeze.

I start doing the math in my head, allowing myself a few extra days as my cycle is anything but regular. But according to the dates, my period is very late which is unusual even for me…

"I really don't need this right now." I grab a test, hoping that the stress of the last few weeks will explain my lack of period, and it's not because Mikhail's gone and knocked me up with his super Russian sperm.

I quickly pay and stuff the supplies into my bag so Dimitri won't notice. Though from the way I bounce my knees up and down on the drive back to Forest Hills, I'm surprised that he doesn't ask if I've taken something.

My body is a bundle of nerves as I think about the possibility of a baby.

After everything that Mikhail and I have gone through, I'm worried that we're not ready for such a big step. I know we were meant to be married right now, but marriage is very different to having a child.

I think of Bianca and Zara with their kids and wonder if I even have what it takes to be a mother.

Though I have no doubt in my mind that Mikhail will make a wonderful father.

"I'm happy to stay until Mikhail gets back," Dimitri offers as we cross over the threshold into the house.

"Oh no, that's okay. I was just going to go and take a nap, and there's plenty of guards around to keep an eye on things. I'm sure Zara wants you home."

He hesitates again.

"I'll be fine Dimitri." I smile at him.

"Okay. Well, give me a call if you need anything."

I keep my face locked in a smile as I shut the door. Once the sound of the tires crunching over the gravel reaches me, I bolt up the stairs and into my bedroom, locking the door behind me before heading into the bathroom.

I look inside my panties to see if there are any signs of my period. When there aren't, I groan.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." I grab the pregnancy test out of my bag and get to work shimmying my leggings down my thighs before perching myself on the toilet.

Once I'm finished, I set the test down on the side of the sink and set a timer on my phone.

Two minutes suddenly seems like a lifetime.

I pace around the bathroom, fiddling with the gold locket around my neck as I wait. My heart is racing in my chest, and I feel as if I'm going to throw up from the anxiety.

In just a few short weeks, how have I gone from partying until the sun comes up, to being betrothed to a man I couldn't stand, to falling in love with him and having my father get shot on our wedding day to potentially be carrying his child?

It's enough to make my head spin.

"I better not be pregnant because I need a fucking drink."

The timer bleeps, and the air leaves my lungs as I pick up the stick and stare down at the two pink lines.

"Oh fuck."

I'm pregnant.

But I don't have a chance for the news to sink in as a huge crash reverberates through the house, and I jump, the test slipping through my fingers as I clutch the locket around my neck.

Glass shatters somewhere.

"What the fuck?"

Something's wrong .

"Mikhail," I breathe.

I throw open the bathroom door and rush across the room.

Peeling open my bedroom door, I catch the sound of shouting coming from the foyer followed by loud grunts and more crashes as furniture is thrown about.

"Mikhail?" I call out.

A gunshot echoes from somewhere downstairs followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor.

"No!" I sob as I race down the hallway toward the stairs.

The huge window that looks out over the driveway shatters as more bullets are fired, and I fall to the ground, throwing my arms over my head to shield myself.

This can't be happening.

Not again.

I can't lose Mikhail too.

Panting, I crawl forward and peer through the railings to see if I can see him.

Every one of the guards has been slaughtered, their blood staining the marble floor, but there's no sign of Mikhail.

I swallow a sob as I reach for my phone.

I can only hope he's still in the city. At least that way he won't have to bear witness to my death if he can't reach me in time.

My thoughts stray to the positive test and for a moment, an image of what could have been flashes in my mind. Of Mikhail and me cuddling up together in his movie room with our kids as we watch old black and white films.

"Come back for me," I sob.

My fingers are shaking so badly I can barely unlock my phone, but I manage to load up my call list.

Just as I'm about to click on Mikhail's name, the device is knocked out of my hand, and I cry out as something sharp collides with the side of my head.

There's nothing but pain before everything goes black.