Chapter 25

Laura

I BARELYmake it in time.

Oh God.

I slam the door shut behind me and collapse in front of the toilet, retching violently.

It feels like my entire body is rebelling against me, purging itself of everything I’ve consumed in the last hour. The wine, the rich food, the secrets and lies…

It all comes pouring out of me, leaving me shaking and spent on the cool tile floor.

And as I sit there, trying to catch my breath and calm the riot in my stomach…

A terrifying thought hits me.

This isn’t the first time this has happened.

The nausea.

The vomiting.

The sudden aversion to foods I normally love.

At first, I chalked it up to stress. To the insanity that my life has become since Victor crashed into it.

But now, with a sickening sense of dread, I realize it might be something else entirely.

Something that will change my life forever.

Fuck.

Why do I feel like this scene is familiar?

Right in every freaking dark romance surprise pregnancy trope… this scene is practically a requirement. The heroine, hunched over the toilet, realizing with dawning horror that her missed period and sudden queasiness might not be a coincidence after all.

No, no, no, no, no. This can’t be happening. Not to me. Not now.

I’m just starting to wrap my head around being a mafia wife. I can’t throw a baby into the mix, too!

I’m spiraling, my thoughts racing faster than a hamster on a wheel when suddenly, the bathroom door bursts open.

I yelp, scrambling to my feet and whirling around to face…

Victor and Ser. Standing shoulder to shoulder, wearing matching expressions of concern.

Well, Ser looks concerned.

Victor just looks mildly annoyed. Like he can’t believe he’s been reduced to chasing his fake wife to the bathroom.

“Lu? Are you okay?” Ser rushes to my side, her hand on my forehead like she’s checking for a fever.

I bat her away, pasting on a smile that feels more like a grimace. “I’m fine, Ser. Just… ate something that didn’t agree with me, I guess.”

She narrows her eyes, not buying it for a second. “Uh-huh. Sure. Because you’re totally the type to hurl after a few bites of fancy food.”

I glare at her, silently begging her to drop it. But Ser’s on a mission now. She looks me up and down, her gaze lingering on my midsection.

And then, like a switch being flipped, her eyes go wide. Her mouth drops open. She looks from my stomach to my face and back again.

Oh, shit.

“Lu,” she whispers, her voice strangled. “Are you…?”

“No!” I yelp sharply enough to surprise myself. “No, I’m not… that. Definitely not. No way. Not possible.”

Victor, who’s been watching this exchange with a raised eyebrow, takes a step closer. “Not what? What’s not possible?”

I can feel the blood drain from my face. I open my mouth, but no words come out. How do I even begin to explain this?

Hey, honey, remember all those times we had wild, unprotected sex? Surprise! There might be a little Morozov on the way!

Yeah, no. Not happening.

Ser, bless her, jumps in to save me. “Not food poisoning!” she blurts out, a little too brightly. “Lu Lu never gets food poisoning. She’s got a stomach of steel. This must be… uh… stress! Yeah, stress. From all the, um, excitement lately.”

She gives Victor a pointed look, like hello, you’re the cause of said stress, buddy.

Victor frowns, clearly not convinced. “Stress doesn’t usually involve violent vomiting, in my experience.”

“What, the mob never makes you want to puke your guts out?” I mutter under my breath.

Ser snorts, then quickly turns it into a cough when Victor glances at her.

I sigh, rubbing my temples. This conversation is giving me a headache to match my roiling stomach.

“Look, I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. Really. It’s probably just a bug or something. I’ll be good as new after some rest.”

And a pregnancy test. Or three.

I settle into the plush sofa, hugging a velvet pillow to my chest. My mind’s going a million miles a minute, jumping from one worst-case scenario to the next.

I can’t be pregnant. I just can’t. I’ve been popping those birth control pills like candy, for fuck’s sake.

But there’s this nagging little voice in the back of my head, whispering, “What if.”

What if Plan B didn’t work? What if, despite everything, I’ve got a bun in the oven courtesy of one Victor Morozov?

Jesus. I can’t even wrap my head around it.

It’s a mistake. Just nerves. Stress like Ser said.

I’m so lost in my own spiral of panic that I don’t even notice Ser until she’s right in front of me, shoving a mug of something hot into my hands.

“Here,” she says, plopping down next to me. “You look like you’re about to hurl again, and I’m not cleaning that shit up.”

I take a sip, the sweet taste of cocoa hitting my tongue. It’s a small comfort, but I’ll fucking take it.

The fireplace crackles, casting a warm glow over the room. It’s cozy, intimate… the perfect setting for a heart-to-heart with my best friend.

Or an interrogation, judging by the look on Ser’s face.

“Spill,” she demands, plopping down next to me. “Is he the ‘Plan B’ guy?”

I nearly choke on my own spit. “What? No! I mean, yes, but… it’s complicated.”

“Lu Lu, seriously. How the heck did you end up getting forced into marriage with a Russian mafia boss? And fuck, how is he so fucking hot? I mean, did you see those cheekbones? Those eyes? That ass?”

“You should see his whole family,” I joke weakly, but Ser isn’t going to let me off the hook that easily.

“Wait, there’re more? But, don’t you change the subject, young lady,” she scolds, wagging a finger at me like a bossy schoolteacher. “I want answers, and I want them now.”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “It’s a long story, Ser. And not a pretty one.”

“I’ve got time. And a high tolerance for ugly. Spill.”

So I do. I tell her about Dave and how he turned out to be a lying sack of shit. About how he left me drowning in debt, up to my eyeballs in bills, and about to lose my bookstore—my fucking dream. And, lastly, how he sold me to the Morozov Bratva but skipping the rest of the other dangerous little secrets that may bring more harm to Ser.

I watch as Ser’s eyes go big, then squint, then widen again.

Her mouth drops open, closes, then opens again like a fish gasping for air. She looks like she’s trying to solve a complicated math problem in her head, and it’s not adding up.

“That rat bastard,” Ser seethes, her eyes flashing with anger. “I always knew there was something off about him. I should’ve kicked his ass when I had the chance.”

I snort. “Get in line. But yeah, he fucked me over big time. And not in the fun way.”

Ser wrinkles her nose. “Ew. TMI, Lu.”

I flip her off, then sober. “Anyway, that’s where Victor came in. He offered me a deal. Marry him, and he’d pay off my debts. Save my store. And in return, his dad gets the surgery he needs.”

Ser blinks at me. “Let me get this straight. You married a scary Russian mobster… to save his dad’s life?”

Oh, she’d absolutely flip her lid and go full ninja on Victor if she found out he’s been using her family tree as a bargaining chip to get me to say, “I do.”

I shrug. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds kind of insane.”

“Kind of? Lu, this is batshit crazy! What if he’s playing you? What if this is all some elaborate scheme to, I don’t know, harvest your organs or something?”

I stare at her. “Okay, now you sound insane. Victor’s not going to harvest my organs, Ser.”

She throws up her hands. “How do you know? Mafia, Lu! They do shady shit!”

I can’t help but laugh. “I think if Victor wanted my kidney, he’d just take it. He doesn’t seem like the ‘elaborate scheme’ type.”

Ser doesn’t look convinced. “I don’t like this, Lu. I don’t like it one bit. What if you’re in danger?”

My heart warms at the concern in her voice. “I’m okay, Ser. Really. Victor… he’s not what I expected. He’s intense, yeah. And scary as hell sometimes. But he’s also… I don’t know. Different.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Different how? Like, ‘doesn’t leave the toilet seat up’ different, or ‘has a secret torture dungeon in the basement’ different?”

I choke on a laugh. “Jesus, Ser. I meant different, like… he’s not just some heartless criminal. There’s more to him than that. I can feel it.”

Ser studies me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she sighs. “You like him, don’t you?”

I sputter. “What? No! I mean, I don’t dislike him, but… it’s not like that. It’s just business.”

“Uh-huh. Business. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

I glare at her. “Shut up. It’s not… we’re not… there’s nothing going on between us, okay?”

Even as I say it, I know it’s a lie. There’s something going on, all right. Something electric and undeniable, no matter how much I try to pretend otherwise.

But I’m not ready to examine that too closely.

Not yet.

She nods, then narrows her eyes at me. “Okay, enough of the heavy shit. I want to know about the good stuff now.”

I frown, confused. “The good stuff?”

Ser rolls her eyes. “Uh, hello? The sex, dummy. I want all the dirty details.”

I feel my face flame. “Ser!”

She grins, unrepentant. “What? Don’t even try to tell me you haven’t hit that. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Like he wants to eat you alive.”

I sputter, torn between embarrassment and a sudden, visceral flash of heat. Because she’s not wrong. Victor does look at me like that. Like he wants to devour me whole.

And God help me, but I like it.

Ser must see something in my expression because her grin widens. “I knew it! You totally did the deed. So, how was it? Mind-blowing? Life-altering? Did you see God?”

“Oh, my God, stop!” I chuck the pillow at her head, laughing despite myself. “You’re worse than a horny teenager.”

She waggles her eyebrows at me. “You love me, and you know it. But seriously, how was it? I mean, the man is walking sex on a stick. I bet he knows his way around a bedroom.”

I feel my cheeks heat, memories flashing through my mind. Victor’s hands on my body, his mouth hot against my skin, the way he’d moved inside me…

“It was… intense,” I admit, my voice slightly breathless. “Like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”

Ser leans forward, her eyes glinting with mischief. “I knew it. The quiet ones are always the freakiest. So, is he packing heat in more ways than one? I mean, he’s a big guy. I bet he’s got a big…”

“Ser!” I yelp, scandalized. “I am not discussing Victor’s… anatomy with you.

She pouts. “Spoilsport. Fine, keep your secrets. But I expect a full report later.”

I shake my head, marveling at her audacity. Only Ser would demand dick details in the middle of a mafia stronghold.

“Speaking of later,” I say, eager to change the subject, “where are James and Lucas?”

Ser’s expression softens at the mention of her family. “Out like lights in the guest room. That private helicopter ride really did a number on Luke’s sleep schedule. Poor little guy was tuckered out.”

I smile, picturing my godson’s cherubic face relaxed in slumber. “He’s gotten so big. I can’t believe how much I’ve missed.”

Ser reaches over, squeezing my hand. “He’s missed you too, Lu. We all have. When you disappeared…”

Her voice cracks, tears welling in her eyes. I feel a stab of guilt, knowing how much worry I must have caused her.

“I’m so sorry, Ser. I never meant to scare you. Everything just happened so fast, and I didn’t know what to do, and…”

The words pour out of me in a jumbled rush, all the fear and confusion and uncertainty of the last few weeks finally spilling over.

Ser listens, her face a mix of sympathy and concern. When I finally run out of steam, she pulls me into a tight hug.

“Oh, Lu. What a mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”

I cling to her, taking comfort in the familiar scent of her perfume, the steady beat of her heart against mine.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Ser,” I whisper, my voice muffled against her shoulder. “I’m in so far over my head, I can’t even see daylight anymore.”

She pulls back, cupping my face in her hands. “Hey. Look at me. You’re Laura fucking Anne Thompson. You’re the strongest, smartest, most resilient person I know. If anyone can handle this, it’s you.”

I let out a watery laugh. “I think you’re confusing me with Wonder Woman.”

Ser grins. “Nah. Wonder Woman’s got nothing on you, babe. I mean, have you seen your ass in that dress?”

I slap her arm and pull a face.

“But seriously,” she continues, her eyes glinting with mischief, “you can’t just leave me hanging like this. I need details, woman! How’s the sex? Is he as good in bed as he looks? Does he do that thing with his tongue that makes your toes curl?”

I feel my face flush, memories of Victor’s skilled mouth and hands flooding my mind. “Ser! I’m not going to give you a play-by-play of our sex life!”

She pouts. “Why not? I tell you everything about me and James!”

“Yeah, and I keep telling you I don’t want to know!”

Ser laughs, unrepentant. “Fine, fine. Keep your sexy secrets. But just know that I’m living vicariously through you, so you better make it good.”

I roll my eyes, laughter swelling in my chest. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

Ser always knows how to do that. How to make even the darkest situation seem a little bit brighter.

I’m still giggling when the door to the sitting room suddenly swings open.

And in walks Victor.

Oh, shit. How much did he hear?

From the smirk on his face… I’m guessing enough.

Double shit.