"Anya—"
"If you're going out there, you're taking protection." Her jaw sets in a way that reminds me she's not the scared young woman Roman tried to marry. She's stronger than that now. "And if you're not back in ten minutes, I'm coming after you. And I’m telling Maksim."
I take the gun, checking the safety before tucking it into my waistband. "Ten minutes. I promise."
"Kira." She grabs my arm. "Be careful. Please."
"Always am." I press a quick kiss to her forehead. "Ten minutes."
I slip out the door before she can argue further. The hallway is empty, the building quiet except for muffled voices from the apartment below where Maksim and Semyon are meeting.
I take the back stairs, avoiding the main entrance. The alley behind the building smells like garbage and stale beer, but it's empty. I pull the cap lower and start walking.
The pharmacy is two blocks away according to the sign I saw from the window. Two blocks there, grab what I need, two blocks back. Easy.
Except nothing has been easy since Maksim came back from the dead.
The street is busy enough—people going about their normal lives, unaware that a few blocks away, men are planning a war. I keep my head down, hands in my pockets, trying to blend in.
A man passes too close. My hand automatically goes to the gun. But he's just checking his phone, oblivious to my existence.
I force myself to breathe. To act normal. I'm just another person running errands. Nothing suspicious.
I push through the door of the pharmacy.
The store is nearly empty. An elderly woman browsing vitamins. A bored cashier scrolling on her phone. No one who looks like Roman's men.
I head straight for the family planning section, scanning the shelves. There—pregnancy tests. Multiple brands, multiple options.
I grab two different ones, not caring about price or features. Just need answers.
At the counter, the cashier barely glances at me as she rings them up. I pay in cash—Semyon gave us emergency money—and shove the tests into my hoodie pocket.
"Have a nice day," the cashier says automatically.
I'm already heading for the door.
The walk back feels longer. Every shadow could hide danger. Every person could be watching.
My hand stays on the gun in my waistband, finger near the trigger.
Two blocks. Almost there.
I turn into the alley, and my heart stops.
A man is standing near the back door. Tall, broad-shouldered, wearing the kind of expensive suit that screams bratva.
He turns as I approach, and I see his face. He frowns. I recognize him. He’s one of Semyon’s guys.
“You’re not supposed to be out,” he says.
“I went for a walk. I’m back.”
“Boss know?”
“Nope, but I guess we know you’re going to tell him.”
I walk past him and jog up the stairs. Maksim will be pissed, but I’ll deal with him later.
