Chapter 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Aria

“There,”the doctor says, pointing to the screen in front of her. I squint my eyes to see what she’s pointing at, but only see blurry, indistinct images. It’s a bit unnerving to me that I’m able to see patterns on a screen in ways other people never can, but I can’t make heads nor tails of the ultrasound screen in front of me.

“Where?” Mikhail snaps.

I squint harder, but it doesn’t help.

I’m lying on my back and Mikhail is scowling at the doctor and the screen.

“There’s a heartbeat,” she says. “You likely pulled a muscle when you fell, but thankfully the female body is remarkably resilient and built to protect and nourish growing life. You’re fine, Aria, and so is your baby.”

Tears prick my eyes. I’m not fine, not at all, but I’m glad I don’t have to face the reality of a lost pregnancy. I close my eyes to stop myself from crying, but I can’t. Sometimes you don’t know how much something means to you until you almost lose it. I’m not super good at stopping myself crying when I’m overcome with emotion, and the feel of Mikhail’s strong arms around me only makes matters worse.

I want to sob it all out to him.

I couldn’t bear the thought of losing our baby.

I hate that you bought me.

I hate myself for going behind your back and not addressing it head-on.

Is your mom okay?

Did your brothers all survive?

I was the one that brought this on all of you.

Instead, I swipe at my eyes and swallow the lump in my throat for the umpteenth time.

The doctor turns and pats Mikhail’s shoulder before she hands me a white towel to clean the goopy mess up with. Who knew that ultrasounds are a messy business?

“Looks like you two can resume business as usual. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date to return to,” she says with a wink before she leaves. My cheeks burn when I suddenly remember the conversation she had with Mikhail.

“Mikhail, you pulled her away from a date!” I say as the door shuts behind her.

“And?”

“There are plenty of other people who could’ve met us at the ER.”

“Or I could give her fifty thousand dollars to drop what she’s doing because she’s the only doctor I trust.”

I balk. “You gave her fifty thousand dollars?”

He’s still scowling, even as he gently helps me off the table. “I did, and I’d do it again. She works for me, Aria.”

And I know by now that Mikhail Romanov is very good to those who belong to him in any capacity at all.

Like…me.

Unless, of course…they betray him. My heart sinks.

We hear a knock at the door.

“What?” Mikhail snaps. He’s stressed as hell since half his family’s been brought here tonight. I don’t blame him. This whole ordeal has pulled the edges of my nerves so taut I feel ready to snap at any second.

Polina enters, a bandage across her forehead, looking even paler than usual. She looks wordlessly from me to Mikhail. I hand her the little printout the doctor gave me and point to the tiny bean. “The baby’s fine,” I say in a whisper since I don’t trust my voice tonight after everything that’s gone down. “I’m fine.”

To my surprise, Polina bursts into tears. In seconds, she’s gone from pale and holding her shit together to full-on sobbing. I sit up and reach for her but before I can get to her, Mikhail takes one step toward her, wraps his enormous arms around her, and holds her. Tears prick the corners of my eyes again. She lays her head on his chest and sobs.

“I was so afraid I failed to protect Aria and the baby,” she weeps. “And Mom, when she was passed out, I thought she was gone. I was so worried, Mikhail, and I was so afraid we’d fall apart.”

Her wracking sobs shake her thin shoulders, and I find my own cheeks damp with sympathy tears. Or maybe I’m crying because I’m seeing a side of Mikhail I’ve never seen before. My scary monster of a husband is a giant teddy bear when he comforts his sister. He strokes her back as he soothes her.

“Shh, milaya devushka. Shh. You did so well. I am so proud. You’ve made us all proud, Polina. Aria is safe.”

Milaya devushka.

Sweet girl.

After a few minutes, her sobs quiet and she nods. “Okay,” she says, still teary, her voice wobbling. She gives a loud sniff. “If you say so.”

“I do,” he says, a hint of a smile on his lips. “I say so, and you know that what I says goes.”

“How are the others?” I ask.

“Lev and Ollie are stable. They sustained head trauma on impact and Ollie has a cast on his right hand. Lev’s pissed because he can’t lift for a few days, and he’s mad as a hornet he didn’t get to beat any of Volkov’s men.”

I feel sick. They don’t know yet.

“Mikhail,” I say in a whisper. At first he doesn’t hear me as Polina updates him on their mother – stable, needed some oxygen and pain meds for a headache, but she only sustained scratches. Her house was built like a damn fortress. Viktor was the only one who sustained a gunshot wound, when he used his body like a human shield to protect me.

“Mikhail,” I repeat after another minute. My voice is shaking. “We need to talk.”

The burning heat of his gaze over Polina’s shoulder makes me freeze. He lets her go. She squares her shoulders and blows out a breath. “I’m going to check on Mom then work with them on releasing her so we can keep a close eye on her.”

I nod. “Okay.” She reaches over and gives my hand a squeeze before she leaves the room.

I was taken into Mikhail’s custody to begin with because I hacked into his family’s confidential information, and now I’ve done that and so much worse.

“We absolutely need to talk, little hacker.”

I swipe again at the tears on my cheeks. “Damn pregnancy hormones,” I say in a whisper, but I know it’s so much more than that.

“We all need to reconvene in a private location after everyone’s been sent home,” he says. Under normal circumstances, the injuries some of them have sustained would likely mean a hospital stay, but he’ll want them all safe, where he can keep a close eye on everyone and everything. His mother’s home is no longer safe and needs major renovation after what’s gone down today.

“We do.” When my stomach growls with hunger, he slides a hand to the small of my back.

“Are you hungry?”

I nod. “Starving. Something between the aftereffects of adrenaline wearing off and being too stressed to eat…”

“Right. You need to eat.” For some reason, his reaction now reminds me of how things were when we first met. That very first time he admitted he actually used a private detective and nearly scolded me for subsisting on cereal bars.

“I do, but we need to talk more than anything.”

“Okay, Mom’s resting and I’ve started the process rolling to have her released.” Polina’s back, her normally pale cheeks flushed from crying but her eyes bright. “Pro tip? They have a cafeteria here. You use your pull to get privacy and food for you both, and then you can ensure everyone else under your care is taken care of.” She grins triumphantly. Mikhail mulls this over with his characteristic frown, then finally nods.

“Yes, I would love a slice of cake,” Polina says with a wink.

“What kind?” I ask her.

“The kind with sugar and frosting,” she retorts. “I mean, chocolate is a bonus, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

We leave Polina with Viktor and Aleks. Aleks has given me some not-so-friendly looks in the past, but this time he looks damn near murderous.

The fact that Mikhail allows it is even more concerning.

Right now, though, my biggest concern is getting some food in me. When I go too long without food, the nausea returns with a vengeance.

“Send me a detailed update the second you have it,” Mikhail snaps at Aleks.

Aleks is looking at me when he responds. “Oh, I promise you, I will.”

Gah-reat.

I have no idea what strings Mikhail pulled, but he made some kind of phone call before we came down on the elevator. Once we’re in the cafeteria, every one of the staff members stands at attention like they’re his personal staff at home.

“What can we get you, sir?” A young man with an earnest expression on his face and a scant beard stands in front of a grill, his hands folded behind his back.

“Anything she wants,” Mikhail responds, taking a step back.

“And you, too. I mean I have no idea what they feed anyone in an NYC jail, but I can imagine you weren’t eating borscht or blini.”

Someone stifles a gasp. Oops. Guess I shouldn’t have said that.

“Vodka. I want vodka. But I doubt they have that here and I need to stay alert, so I’ll get something hot and be fine with it. What do you want, Aria?”

I look at the menu and mull it over. I’m starving, but nothing here appeals to me. I barely know what I’m pointing at when I ask for something hot, but the tray of macaroni and cheese with a side of grilled chicken and roasted broccoli looks mildly appetizing.

“I’ll take the same.”

We’re completely alone in the center of the large cafeteria with our food and drinks. Mikhail grabbed four different types of cakes and a pile of cookies at the checkout.

“Polina will be happy.”

“Perhaps the baby will, too. Polina won’t eat all this.”

Why is he being all sweet?

Does he know what I do?

Does he know what I’ve done?

I open my mouth to ask him when he gives me a stern shake of his head. He’s so hot even sitting in a flimsy plastic chair under the glare of fluorescent overhead lights. Even with his hand bandaged and his clothes rumpled. I love him so much my heart aches.

“Eat first, Aria. Put some food in you, then we will talk.”

It’s only been a short time since we’ve been together, but I’d made the decision to leave. When I don’t eat right away and he gives me that one-brow-lifted look, though, I realize that I would miss this so much. Even his hard-ass, grumpy temperament. I’ve never had anyone in my life to take care of me the way he does, to watch over my most basic needs. There’s a lump in my throat when I think about the little nap nook he built in his office for me. The way he carried me in his own two arms, swearing off paramedics, and insisted I get medical attention.

I nod and eat, because it’s the sensible thing to do as he checks his phone for updates on his family. While it’s nowhere near the best food I’ve ever had, I remember what my mother used to say when she served hot ramen. “Hunger makes everything taste delicious.”

It does indeed.

“Are you feeling better?” he asks, pushing his completely empty tray to the side. He eats with brutal efficiency, likely a throwback to his military days.

“From hunger? Yeah.”

I twist the plastic lid on my iced tea to still my trembling hands.

“Your mother managed to obtain so many of Volkov’s devices, I was able to hack into them and discover what’s really been at play here.”

The lift of his brows shows mild surprise. “Did she? And she came to you?”

“Yes. She trusts me. Probably was afraid that you’d nuclear bomb Volkov or something.”

He doesn’t deny it but seems to be thinking this over. “I see. Go on.”

I lick my lips and swallow. I have to address everything with Tatiana, but I need to tell him all of this first. “When I came to you, I’d unearthed a scandal unlike any in American history. The Epstein scandal, you remember that? What I stumbled upon was so much worse. Multiply that a hundredfold. You told me at the time I didn’t know your enemies, but the truth is, I did. I do. I might not know all of them and I hope I never will. The World Independent Leadership Consortium – WILCo -- funded this crime ring, Mikhail.”

He nods. “I know. Aleks took the lead after you came to me and found every detail he could.”

I blink. Aleks?

“I looked through Volkov’s data, and his attack on us? It wasn’t him at all. WILCo was tipped off by Volkov, but the dates on communications I’ve witnessed show me he basically gave us over to them after our wedding. Yes, he’s senile, there’s no denying that, and he has a vendetta against you. But my going to jail and the attack on the house?”

“WILCo.”

“You weren’t to blame, Aria. Aleks released intel intentionally as a power move during the strengthening of our Bratva. We made it very clear you were part of this family now.”

I feel my shoulders sag in relief. “I didn’t bring them to all of you? Oh, God, Mikhail. I thought it was me. I thought they were trying to get to me.”

He reaches for my hand across the table and gives it a squeeze. “No. It wasn’t your fault. Where everything went to hell was when I was sent away. I knew that no matter the protection my brothers would give you, our enemies wouldn’t hesitate to initiate an attack like they would if I were there.”

Ahhh. I nod in relief. “I understand. Good God, what a complicated mess, isn’t it?”

Mikhail reaches for one of the cookies he bought and breaks it in two, handing half to me.

I take a bite. “Mm.” I sigh, relieved that I’ve gotten that off my chest, when he leans across the table.

“We have more to talk about, though, don’t we?”

I swallow and nod. “We absolutely do.”

His phone buzzes with a text. “Everyone is ready for discharge. We will not be going home, though, after all.”

I give him a curious look. I’m exhausted and ready to discuss everything else I’ve been holding onto.

We need to.

“Where are we going?” I can’t imagine a single place that’s safer than his own home nestled right in the heart of The Cove.

His eyes shine as he stands and reaches for my hand. “I’m taking you to Russia.”