“What… mistake?”
“Getting attached.” He taps on my belly once, twice. “First to my little bastard, then to his.”
“They’re not bastards,” I say, furious like I’ve never been before. “They’re my children.”
“They’re dead weights.” The line of his mouth turns cruel. “And unlike you,Idon’t like repeating my mistakes.”
Cold dread settles into my gut. “What are you talking about?”
“I never managed to beat the other one out of you.” He splays his palm over my baby bump. “Maybe I’ll have better luck with this one. After all, it’s not even mine.”
“Stop.” I start thrashing, kicking and screaming, but he’s too heavy on me. One hand is still holding both my wrists, the other free to roam wherever the hell it wants.Dowhatever the hell it wants. “Stop! Let me go!”
I thought he was going to rape me. Thatthatwas the nightmare I’d be forced to live through.
But this is so much worse.
He’s going to kill my baby.
He’s going to?—
“What do you say?” He grabs my face, his grip steel. “Shall we get the party started?”
“Don’t.” My tone turns pleading. “Please, Brad, don’t.” I squeeze my eyes against the tears.
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, baby girl.
I’m sorry, Eli. Mommy couldn’t save anyone after all.
I’m sorry…Yulian.
Then, suddenly, I’m falling.
My knees hit the ground hard. The pressure on my jaw disappears. My blood starts flowing through my wrists again.
I see Brad reeling on the concrete. Blood is spurting from his nose.
A black suit shoe steps into view in front of me. Black suit pants, too.
I look up?—
And my blood curdles.
“What?” Desya Bogdanov grins, wiping Brad’s blood off his fist like it’s nothing. “Were you expecting someone else,printsessa?”
My brain short-circuits. Desya—he’s supposed to be dead. I shot him. I saw him die.
But did you?
No. Actually, I didn’t. I saw the bullets enter his body, and then his body hit the water. That’s it—that’s what I saw.
But who on earth could survive that?
Before I can find an answer to that, however, someone else answers Desya’s question.
“Yes,” Yulian growls, drawing his gun. “She was expecting me.”
60
