“Better?” she asks sarcastically, making me smile.
“Yes, malysh, much better.” I take her hand and guide her out of the bedroom door and towards the lounge. We arrive in time to hear one of the detectives ask Sofia where she was staying and with whom.
“I’m staying in an apartment on the floor below us, and I stay by myself. May I ask why these questions?” Sofia asks with a frown.
“We received a complaint that states that you and your daughter are here under duress.”
“Oh, what drivel. As you can see, we are fine. Alexey was kind enough to take me in when I most needed it,” she states.
“And you, miss, I’m assuming you are Jade Gravin?”
“Yes, I am,” Jade says as she moves to sit on one of the couches. “And I am definitely not here under duress.”
“And where, may I ask, are you staying, Miss Gravin?” Detective Jordaan asks. I see Jade pale, and she looks uncomfortable, but she answers in her calm way.
“I stay with Alexey,” she states. “Excuse me.” She gasps suddenly as she stands and runs out.
“Jade?” Sofia calls as she starts to follow her.
“I’ll go,” I state as I hurry after her. I’m calling the doctor now. There is no way that we are waiting for her doctor’s visit later today. Jade has made it to the bathroom near the lounge. When I open the door, she’s leaning against the toilet again as she retches. Kneeling next to her, I hold back her hair. “You’ll be better in no time, lyubov moya,” I promise as I pull the towel from the hook and dab her forehead.
After a few minutes, she leans towards me and lays her head on my chest as she takes in shallow breaths. “I’m taking you to bed,” I say as I start to pull her up.
“No,” she grumbles, “the police, let me finish talking to them.”
“They can come back when you are feeling better,” I state as I pick her up and turn to find Sofia and the two detectives standing in the doorway, with Andrei looking displeased behind them.
“Andrei,” I snap. Why would he let them come back here? “Jade will not be answering any more questions today. You can come back when she’s feeling better.”
“I’m afraid, Mr. Vasiliev, that this is very suspicious. From what is Miss Gravin sick?” Detective Jordaan says as he stands in my way.
“Get out of my way, now,” I say quietly as I walk towards the detective with Jade safe in my arms. Andrei takes hold of Detective Jordaan’s arm and pulls him back.
“Wait, Alexey, please wait,” Jade says against me, and then glances at the detectives. “Detectives, I’m very happy with Alexey, happier than I have ever been in my life.” Then she looks up at me, tears in her big beautiful eyes. “Alexey, I wanted to make sure first why I was sick before telling you”—at her words, my stomach tightens. Is Jade sick? Is it worse than a stomach bug?—“but I guess I will have to tell you like this, as the detectives want to know.” Her hand rises, and she places it against my cheek. “Alexey, I think you are going to be a father.”
My heart starts to race at her answer. A father! I hear Sofia gasp, but I ignore it as I walk past all of them and carry Jade to our room. Jade is pregnant. A child. I’m going to become a father. “Alexey, you’re squashing me.” Jade gasps. I instantly loosen my grip as I let her slide down to the ground. When she’s standing before me, all I can do is stare at her still-flat stomach.
“Are you upset?” I can hear the weariness in her voice when she asks that question. My eyes snap up to hers, and then I find myself smiling.
“I’m going to be a father!” I say, “Lyubov moya, you are carrying our malysh.” Her eyes soften, and then a sweet smile softens her beautiful face.
“I still need to confirm with the doctor, but the pregnancy test that Silvia got me says I’m pregnant. I wasn’t sure if you wanted a baby. We’ve never discussed it before.”
I stretch out my hand and splay it across her stomach. My child is here. The thought scares me. It’s very rare to have anything scare me, but this woman has managed to bring fear into my life. I fear for her life. Now I have another life to worry about.
“I have never thought about it before, but I am happy,” I say, and see her relax. “I will accompany you to the doctor, but for now, I want you to lie down. You’re still looking very pale.” I hear her sigh as I guide her to the bed. Pushing her gently until she’s sitting down, I discard her slippers that she had slipped on when dressing to go talk to the cops. When she’s finally in bed and covered, I excuse myself to go make sure that the cops have left, and promise to be back soon.
Reaching the lounge, I find only Andrei and Sofia still there. “Oh, Alexey, how is she?” Sofia asks worriedly.
“She is lying down. Later, I will take her to see the doctor to make sure that she is fine. Was everything resolved with the police?” I ask with a raised brow.
“It seemed like the news of the pregnancy put their minds to rest. Alexey, I’ve been thinking, the only possible person to do something like this would be Jade’s father,” Sofia suggests. “I’m so sorry to bring you this problem.” I can see the worry on her face as she looks over at me.
“It’s fine, Sofia. Don’t worry about it. If it was, I will find him and make sure he doesn’t do it again. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to go make sure Jade is fine. After the doctor, I’m sure Jade will come speak to you.” With those words, I turn and return to my woman and my child. My child! My stomach tightens at the thought. Another weakness my enemies can hold against me.
JADE 18
I’ve never seen Alexey so jumpy in the few months that we’ve been together. We have just arrived at the doctor’s office, and the receptionist asked that we sit, as the doctor will be with us soon. I saw Alexey scowl and knew that he was about to insist on being taken in immediately, so I pull at his hand to distract him and pull him behind me to sit.
“I’m not going to wait; the doctor needs to see us immediately.” He lifts his arm and looks at his wrist watch and scowls. “We’re on time.”
“He has another patient inside. It’s normal. Sometimes they get delayed with patients, and then it runs over the time,” I say as I stroke my thumb over his hand. “I can see you have never been to a doctor’s room, have you?”
“Never needed to. I will buy whatever we need, and the doctor can come see you at home,” he states.
“Don’t you dare,” I threaten. “We do not need pregnancy equipment. I’m happy to wait a few minutes, get out of the house, and come see the doctor.” He looks down at me and nods reluctantly. I look over and see Nik standing by the entrance door to the doctor’s rooms, a scowl on his face. Don’t these men know how to blend and act normally? I must really have a little chat with them. A woman sitting opposite us with a little girl who must be about two years old is looking at me curiously.
By the look in her eyes, she knows who Alexey is. Her little girl starts to struggle to be let down, and she reluctantly places her on the floor. I see the girl look over at Nik and then at her mother. When she notices that her mother isn’t paying attention, she races on her short little legs to Nik until she’s standing before him. When he notices the girl, a look of shock and then surprise crosses his face. I start to grin when I see the girl lift her arms towards him.
“Tia, come here. Don’t bug the man,” the mother says suddenly, standing when she notices what her daughter is doing. “I’m so sorry. She does that.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Nik loves kids,” I say, catching her attention. I see her hesitate, but then she nods and sits again. I see Nik’s panicked look as he looks at me, but then Tia walks closer and touches his leg.
“Up,” she says in the cutest voice.
“You are evil,” Alexey whispers in an amused voice near my ear. I see Nik bend down, and then he places his hands under Tia’s arms and lifts her up until she’s eye level with him. He keeps his arms stretched out as if scared to pull her close. The little girl giggles as she kicks her legs, and then she stretches her arms t
owards him. I can still see the panicked look in his eyes as he draws her closer until she wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him close.
I can see how stiff he is. My eyes fill with tears as I see how much this little girl hugging him touches him. His muscles are tense, but there is a softness in his eyes that I have never seen before. There is a soft side to Nik—who knew? The girl pulls back and then gives him a big kiss on his cheek.
“Miss Gravin, the doctor will see you now.” Standing, I walk towards the receptionist waiting to guide us to the doctor’s rooms. I feel Alexey’s hand on my back as he accompanies me. When I draw closer to Nik, I smile at the little girl.
“He’s a good guy, isn’t he, sweetheart?” I say as I stroke her hair. “He needs lots and lots of kisses to make him happy.”
“Jade,” Nik grumbles as the little girl gives me a huge smile and then starts to give Nik slobbering kisses.
“We’ll be right out. Enjoy,” I tease as I follow the receptionist. Before we walk into the room, I look over my shoulder at Alexey. “I bet he will ask you to take him off my detail.”
“I doubt it; he has grown attached to you,” Alexey reveals.
“Miss Gravin,” the doctor greets as I walk in, “may I call you Jade?” The doctor is a petite middle-aged woman with a smile that instantly calms me.
“Jade will be fine, thank you,” I answer as I take a seat before her. Alexey sits next to me.
“Are you the boyfriend?” the doctor asks with a raised brow.
“Yes, Jade is my woman.”
“Well, then, it’s good to have both of you here to find out if you’re going to be parents,” she states happily. “First of all, I would like you to please fill this little container, and then after that, I will do a sonogram and we can see if there is anything there.” She hands me a plastic container with a lid. “You can go in there, dear.” She points to a door to her left.
I stand and see that Alexey also stands to follow me. “It’s okay, I’ll be right back.” I say, but he ignores me and moves towards the bathroom. He steps inside and looks around before he steps out again and nods to me. I look at the doctor and see her raised eyebrows at his actions. “He’s a tad overprotective,” I mumble as I walk in and close the door.
As soon as I give the doctor the filled container, she directs us to another room where I see a bed with different machines. “Lay down on the bed, dear, and pull up your sweater,” she directs as she moves a machine closer to the bed. She unbuttons my jeans and pulls down my zip, and then proceeds to spread a gel over my lower stomach. She starts to rotate the wand of the machine across my stomach. Suddenly, there is a galloping sound in the room.
“Well, now,” she says as she stops moving the wand and points to the screen. “You see over here? This is your baby.” I feel my heart race as I see a dark smudge on the screen. Looking over at Alexey, who is holding my hand, I see a look of tenderness on his face as he stares at the screen. “That sound you are hearing is your baby’s heartbeat.” She starts to move the wand again. “You are approximately ten weeks along.”
“Is everything fine?” Alexey asks when I’m sitting up, cleaning my stomach.
“Everything seems normal. There shouldn’t be any problems,” the doctor says with a smile.
“She’s been dizzy and nauseous. Is that normal?” he asks with a frown.
“For the first three months, women usually experience bouts of nausea in the morning. The dizziness could be because of her low blood pressure. I’m going to prescribe the prenatal vitamins that Jade will need to take. I’m sure the dizziness will fade. In regard to the nausea, there are tablets that I can prescribe, but I must be honest, I don’t like to give women unnecessary tablets. What I suggest is that Jade try drinking some ginger ale as soon as she awakens, and maybe a cracker or two. That should help settle her stomach.”
Alexey frowns. “You’re saying she’s going to carry on being sick?”
“It’s okay, baby. It’s not that bad, and soon, it will go away. It only lasts for three months. It’s normal,” I say as I place my hand on his back, feeling his tense muscles. The doctor quickly moves behind her desk and starts to write down the prescription for my vitamins.
“I would like to see you every month, Jade,” she says. “Please book outside with the receptionist for a month from today.” I thank her, and then Alexey stretches out his hand and shakes her hand before he guides me out.
When we reach reception, I notice that Tia and her mom are no longer there. Nik is standing formidably again, but now that I’ve seen him with Tia, I know there is hope for him. After booking my appointment for the following month, I am ushered outside and into Alexey’s car.
“I’m taking you to dinner,” Alexey says as he starts the car. “Andrei will have the prescription at the apartment by the time we get back.” He looks over at me and stretches his hand to cover my stomach, a soft look to him as he smiles. “Can’t have my woman hungry.”
“We saw our baby today,” I murmur, still in wonder.
“Well, I believe his looks will improve with time,” Alexey teases as he pulls out into traffic.
“Oh, that’s so mean.” I gasp playfully. “And who said it’s a boy? It could be a girl.” I see Alexey tense, and then he glances at me with a scowl.
“It’s a boy,” he rasps. “Otherwise, I have to have three men to protect her from all the men.” I laugh at his grumbled words. I believe Alexey will be a good father. He is a hard man, but with those he loves, he is caring and kind.
We pull over outside his restaurant. “This time, I need to make sure I don’t taste anyone else’s food,” I tease.
“You don’t need to worry. There are no more nuts in the restaurant,” he says as he leans towards me and unbuckles my seatbelt. My heart races at his admission. He made sure to get rid of any threat to me before he brought me back here. How can such a dangerous man be so caring? Lifting my hand to his rough jaw, I stroke the stubble that has already started to grow.
“Thank you,” I say as I lean forward and kiss his lips. “You’re going to be a great father.” A smile plays around his lips as he pulls back.
“Spaseeba.” His voice is gruff as he thanks me, and I know that even though he always shows a wall of strength and assuredness, the thought of becoming a father overwhelms him. Alexey guides me inside, and I see that the restaurant is full. People look over at us but quickly glance away when they see who it is. Alexey commands respect with his presence alone. The way he commands the room as soon as he enters is remarkable.
He pulls out my chair and then sits on the chair before me. Instantly, a waiter is standing next to our table. “Your meal is ready. When you are ready, I will serve.” Alexey nods. The waiter uncorks a bottle of red wine and moves to pour into my glass.
“Net,” Alexey says. “She will not be drinking wine. Bring her ginger ale.” At his order, the waiter instantly disappears.
“So, what did you order for us?”
“Patience. You will see,” he says with a smile. “I think it will be a treat for you.” The waiter appears by my side again and pours the ginger ale before he fills Alexey’s glass with the wine. Our food is set before us, and a few minutes later, I smile when I realize that Alexey asked for roasted lamb.
“You remembered,” I murmur as I smile at him.
“Now you can taste the way it’s done in Russia,” he says as we start to eat. We’ve never been out just the two of us for a meal, and even though I know that Nik, Andrei, and Ivan are somewhere, it still feels like we’re by ourselves. Alexey concentrates solely on me, talking about places he wants to show me and things he wants me to see.
We are nearly finished when there is a commotion by the door. Looking there, I see Andrei standing before someone who is talking loudly. I’m about to turn back to Alexey, when Andrei moves slightly and I see who it is. “Dad,” I whisper in shock.
I can feel my hands start to shake and my stomach tighten. I hear Alexey swear soft
ly. His hand descends on mine, and only then do I realise that I’m halfway out of my chair. “Sit,” he says in a deadly voice. Looking at him, I can see the rage in his eyes as he looks at my father.
“How did he find me?” I whisper.
“Don’t worry, you won’t have to see him again,” Alexey says as he looks at where Andrei and my father are and inclines his head. I see Andrei grab his arm and start to push him outside.
“Take your hands off me. I want a word with my daughter,” I hear my father yell.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back,” Alexey says as he squeezes my hand before he stands and follows Andrei and my father outside. I can feel the other people’s eyes on me when Alexey walks out. I look down at my half-empty plate and pull it away gently, as my stomach is now knotted with nerves. If I must eat anything right now, I will be sick.
“Jade?” My head snaps around, and I see Nik standing close to me, a frown on his face as he looks down at me with concern.
“Nik, what’s happening?” I ask.
“Nothing. Alexey is just telling your father to leave you alone. He will be back soon,” he promises.
“Shouldn’t you be there with them?” I ask quietly as I look around. Nik looks around to see what I’m looking at, and I see people lower their heads when his eyes connect with them. Just then, the door to the restaurant opens, and Alexey walks in. I see the air of indifference that he portrays, but I can see the anger in his eyes.
He returns to his seat and picks up his fork and knife as if nothing happened. Looking down at his meal, he cuts a piece of meat and brings it to his mouth. His eyes lift to my face, and then he raises his brow in question. “Really?” I mutter. “You’re going to sit there and act as if nothing happened?”
“He’s not worth the discussion. All you need to know is that he won’t bother you again.”
“You’re saying that my father just accepted your argument and left? Doesn’t sound like him,” I mutter as I take a sip of my ginger ale.
“Well, he did.” He points his fork towards my plate. “Aren’t you going to eat any more?” he asks with a frown.
TORMENTED: Bratva Fury (book 1) Page 15
