24. ANDREY

Chapter 24

ANDREY

I catch Isabella as she crumples into a dead faint. My eyes narrow with worry as I gently lay her on the back seat of the car.

"Quick, get in the car," James says, his eyes darting between the gate and me. "I do not want to tango with my cousin."

"Then he should've been more careful with entrances to his property," I point out.

"We only know about this entrance because I found the plans in Genevra's house," James points out. "Fuck, she's going to be really angry that I went through her things."

"We'll need to deal with Genevra later." I close the back door and jump in the front passenger seat. "Get moving."

"Don't you want to be in the back with Isabella?" James puts the car in drive, pulling away with a wheel spin.

"Nope." I shake my head. "It's best if she's lying flat."

"Why?" James glances at me as he spins the car around to head back toward the main road.

"That's why." Three giant Russians pop out the gate and start firing at the car.

"Jesus!" James jumps. "You'd think they wouldn't fire on us because we have Isabella."

"That's why they're not shooting directly at us but at the tires."

"We could flip the fucking car with a blowout," James snarls, gunning it.

"Slow down!" Isabella comes around in the backseat. "Please, I'm going to be sick."

"What?" James glances in the mirror, and I look around the seat.

Isabella looks very pale and has started retching. "Please, I'm… going… to…" She leans over and vomits. "I can't ride in a car." She vomits again on the carpet.

Suddenly, James slams on the brakes, and the car skids. I shoot forward, just managing to stop myself on the dashboard, and Isabella braces herself against the back of my seat.

"What the fuck, James!" I growl.

Before I can even look up, he slams the car into reverse and starts going backward, swerves, and turns us in the opposite direction as the car spins around. I see why. A roadblock of black SUVs and a team of Zhukov Special Forces block the road ahead.

"Shit, they got there fast!"

"It's a trap," Isabella says weakly. "Konstantin knew you were coming. He had his men on alert after that bastard Donald Whitman got onto the property earlier."

"Donald Whitman?" My eyes widen. I know that fucking pervert. I banned him from the Dark Velvet Lounge two years ago when I took over. The man had tastes that didn't sit well with me.

"Yes." Isabella nods. "He was the man who hurt Stacy when she was seventeen."

A surge of rage pulses through me. "That bastard," I growl. "I'll kill him."

But before I can finish, James slams on the brakes again, skidding to a stop. "Have you still not learned to drive like a decent fucking human being?" Isabella snaps at James with such savagery my mouth drops open.

I've seen her angry, but shit, not like that. Her eyes have gone almost completely gold with molten anger as the words spew from her mouth like flames.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" James glares at her. "This is not my fault. Blame your psycho brother and his team of Russian hitmen."

"It's not their fault that you kidnapped me!" She fumes. "This is your fault!"

Ignoring her, James points, looking to the side. "Feel like a trip through the forest?"

"Don't be absurd, James," Isabella yells at him, anger still burning in her eyes. "You don't know the forest. Anything could happen to us. Just give up and let me go."

"Not a fucking chance!" James and I say in unison.

"Forest?" James looks at me.

"Forest!" I nod

James nods and starts to swing the car.

"You two are fucking crazy." Isabella is still yelling at us, and suddenly the back door flies open.

"Oh, fuck, here I go again," Isabella mutters. I turn just in time to see her getting ready to jump out of the car. But she's hesitating.

"Didn't you lock the doors?"

"I did!" James nods and glances at the panel. "Fuck. My elbow must've hit the lock when I swung. It's this small fucking SUV."

"Isabella!" I yell, unbuckling my seatbelt and reaching through the seat to grab her. "Don't you dare jump out of this car."

But it's too late. James is already bumping over the grass and into a ditch. The car has barely stopped, its wheels spinning like mad, when Isabella takes the opportunity to jump from the vehicle.

I fumble with the handle and spring out, taking after her.

"Isabella!" I shout, my voice hoarse with anger. I catch a glimpse of her darting through the trees, her form lithe and determined.

Before I can close the distance, a bullet whizzes past my ear, and I duck instinctively. The Zhukov Special Forces are closing in fast. I push forward, adrenaline pumping, using the trees for cover as bullets start to fly.

I glance toward the car and see James being pulled out by one of the Zhukov team.

"Fuck!" I turn to see Isabella being pulled behind a tree by one of them. I reach for my gun but freeze as a deep voice with a thick Russian accent rumbles behind me.

"Put the gun down slowly and kick it away." I don't have to turn around to know there's a weapon or two trained on me.

I have no choice. I place the gun on the ground and kick it away from me. I raise my hands as I'm pushed forward where the other man brings James to stand beside me.

My eyes narrow as I see Konstantin emerge from the shadows.

"Fuck!" James hisses beside me. "It's the devil himself."

The man moves with the assured grace of someone who never loses. His eyes are focused on us for a few seconds before they scan the area, and his features soften.

"There you are!" Konstantin turns toward the man emerging from behind the tree with Isabella.

My heart lurches, and anger boils inside me when Isabella runs to him, flying into his arms. "Konstantin!" she cries, her voice breaking.

The anger continues to rise inside me at how Isabella runs from me, looking at who I am and the world I live in with disgust, claiming she'd never live the life I do. Yet she's chosen to trust in her brother, who's aligned with one of the biggest and most lethal Bratvas in the world.

My hands itch to rip the man's throat out when Konstantin's arms wrap around her, and I can see the strong bond that has formed between the siblings. Konstantin unfolds himself from Isabella's arms and looks at her. The goons holding James and I move us closer to where Konstantin and Isabella are.

"Go with Pavel," I hear him tell her in Russian.

"Don't hurt them, please, Konstantin," Isabella replies in perfect Russian before switching to what I think is Italian. "Sono famiglia, e Andrey è il padre dei miei figli."

"Isabella speaks Russian?" I glance at James.

"We all do," James answers, frowning. "You're worrying about that?" His voice has an edge to it. "Didn't you hear what Isabella just said?"

"Not to hurt us, and I didn't understand the rest. She switched languages."

"Isabella was speaking Italian." He frowns at me. "Didn't you have to learn it? Aren't you a doctor?"

"You're thinking about Latin," I say softly. "And no, we didn't, but I do know bits and pieces of the language. Isabella was speaking too fast for me to keep up." I glance at him and see him staring at his cousins, looking worried. "What did she say?"

"They are family, and Andrey is the father of my child," James repeats, and I go cold. "I think Isabella's pregnant."

"Are you sure that's what she said?" Suddenly, her fainting and vomiting start to make sense— Isabella's pregnant? Tiny waves of shock zap through me at the news. She's having my baby? The word echoes through my brain.

For a moment, I am frozen, caught between awe and disbelief— my child . Isabella is carrying my child . The realization brings an unexpected warmth to my chest, a sense of wonder that I didn't think I was capable of feeling.

But then the warmth is replaced by a chilling realization: she wasn't going to tell me. She planned to run away with my child. Keep this secret from me. Anger and betrayal surge through me, mixing with the shock. She was going to take away my chance to be a father, to know my own child. How could she do that? Isabella knows what an heir means to me.

Every emotion I've ever felt for Isabella—love, anger, desire, and now betrayal—collides within me, making it hard to think straight. The idea that she would hide something so monumental infuriates me. The woman I foolishly believed I was falling in love with was willing to deceive me in the worst possible way.

We've only known each other for eight weeks, but I had convinced myself that I was falling for her. I was certain that, with time, I could win her heart. But now, I see how my blind determination and insatiable desire for her had me refusing to acknowledge the truth. Isabella used me as a stepping stone to escape her father.

My father was right—love is just a fool's emotion, one that blinds you from the truth. Out of everything Isabella's done in her defiance, this is the ultimate betrayal, and it's shattered whatever illusions I had about her. If we hadn't found her, I might never have known about my own child.

I clench my fists, trying to contain the storm of emotions raging inside me. I can't let Isabella go now, not with my child. Despite everything, that baby is mine, and I'll do whatever it takes to ensure they stay with me. When our child is born, I'll give Isabella the choice to stay or go. She can have her freedom then—I'll take her wherever she wants to go. But my child will remain with me, where they belong.

"We could ask her but I don't think the Zhukov will let us speak to her!" James's eyes and voice blaze with anger, snapping me from my thoughts. " Fuck . This is not good." His voice lowers some more. "We need to get away from here."

"How do you suggest we do that?" I glance around. "We're surrounded by the Zhukov."

I glance at where a large Russian is leading Isabella away. She turns and looks at me, stopping for a few seconds, our eyes locking. I frown in confusion when I see regret and a flash of longing in her eyes before she quickly turns away.

It stirs something inside me, but I ignore it, reminding myself how many times she's betrayed me in the few months I've known her. Isabella has proven that she'd go to any lengths to get away from me, even putting our unborn child at risk to do so. The thought of losing my child fuels my determination. I will not let her slip through my fingers again.

Konstantin approaches, his gaze shifting from James to me. "Andrey, James," he greets us, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You've grown up, James. Quite the man now."

"Is that your attempt at small talk, cousin?" James sneers. "Or are you belittling me in some way?"

"I was merely complimenting my cousin on what a great man he's become." Konstantin's eyes remain calm, as does his entire demeanor. "Considering the last time I saw you, you were eight."

"You saw me the other day when you drugged us!" James reminds him.

"Be thankful for that," Konstantin tells him, making my anger escalate more. "Most men don't get to wake up after a visit from the Zhukov."

"We're supposed to be grateful to you for that?" I seethe. "You just came upon us without warning."

"You should always be prepared for the worst, Andrey." Konstantin stares at me emotionlessly. "The fact that we were able to get as close as we were tells me how rattled my father and yours are over what's coming. Or that they've both gotten so comfortable being the kings of the underworld, they arrogantly think no one would dare rise against them."

"Is that what this is?" James looks at Konstantin in disbelief. "Roman Zhukov declaring war on the Morettis and Belovs?" His brow creases even more. "Is this about my parents and your mother's death?"

Konstantin looks at James. "That's part of it."

Yes, I'd also like to know what it's about! But I don't say that out loud, or Konstantin will think the Belovs and Morettis are not as united as I thought they were.

"All I know is that Isabella is the key to finding out the truth about what happened to her." James's words send alarms ringing through me. "There are a lot of people, including Marco and Ivan, that don't want the truth to surface. Which makes me think whatever it is that's about to break free is about much more than my parents and your mother's death."

"I would take that theory and bury it," Konstantin advises. "Don't go sprouting it to anyone else's ears, as you'll only increase the danger my sister is already in." His cold eyes catch mine. "And trust me, you don't want my sister in danger right now."

"So it's true then?" My voice drops with my heart. "Isabella's pregnant?"

"That's not what I said." Konstantin does his trick of talking around the subject. He glances over our heads and nods at his men holding us. "I have to go."

Before he can turn and walk away, I stop him. I have a feeling I won't get a lot more out of the man, but he's pretty much answered the question. But I have a few more for him.

"What were you doing taking my mother from the hospital?" I demand, my voice sharp. "One of the nurses described the man who took her, and the description fit you."

Konstantin shrugs nonchalantly. "She wanted to leave. I obliged her."

"What were you doing there in the first place?"

"Visiting," Konstantin replies.

"How did you know she was in the hospital?" I push him for answers.

"She called me." Konstantin glances from me to James. "Is that all? Because I don't have much time."

James steps forward, his voice tight and angry, but he's grabbed and yanked back by one of the men behind us. "Where are Marco and Ivan? We know you took them."

Konstantin's expression remains impassive. "I didn't. But my men will find them."

"Back off, Konstantin," James snaps. "It's not your business, and I don't believe you don't have them."

Konstantin's eyes flash with cold amusement. "I don't care what you believe. It's the truth. And I want them found as much as you do."

"Why? So you can kill them?" I growl, stepping closer, and a beefy hand reminds me I'm a hostage, not a guest.

Konstantin shrugs again, the movement casual. "There are scores to settle."

"Listen to me, Konstantin," I warn, my anger barely contained. "If you kill Marco and Ivan, it will only put more bad blood between us. And I swear I'll be the one to kill you."

"You can try." Konstantin doesn't seem perturbed, and his calm demeanor is starting to piss me off. "Stay out of what's between the Zhukov, Marco, and Ivan," he warns, his voice cold and unyielding. "Focus on keeping your organizations stable. You'll need a united front when the storm that's coming hits."

"Is that a threat?" I ask, my eyes narrowing.

"No," Konstantin says, his voice a whisper of menace. "It's a warning. The clouds have already started to gather, and they're turning dark around you." His gaze flickers from me to James. "And from what I've seen, you are far from ready for it."

Before I can say anything more, Konstantin signals his men. "You know what to do."

In the blink of an eye, something stings my neck. I look at James, his eyes mirroring my disbelief before the world goes black.

"Wait!" Konstantin walks closer to me. "I wouldn't move right now. You're a doctor, so you know what could happen to that needle in your neck."

I start to feel light-headed, while my body feels like a stone. If the man behind weren't holding me up, my legs would've given in.

"Things aren't always what they seem, Andrey," Konstantin's face wobbles and distorts in front of mine. "Open your eyes and take stock of everyone around you. You and James both. You can trust my cousin, and I can see he is loyal to you. Don't break that trust or loyalty by being tricked or coerced, and you're going to need him. To make our world as safe as you can if you ever want my sister to come home to you willingly."

"What are you talking about?" I slur. "She chose you." Fuck did I just say that. I can't seem to control what I'm saying.

"No, Andrey. You, Marco, and your father drove her to me," Konstantin tells me. "Don't worry, I'll keep her safe. You need to strengthen your alliances and do some spring cleaning of your team." He nods. "A word of advice, cousin , if you ever want to stand a chance with my sister, you need to learn to care for her, not possess her. Teach her, don't control her. Let her make her own decisions. My sister is one of a kind—just like our mother was."

Those are the last words I hear before the world goes black.