Then I think about the gun in Cassian’s hand, and Dmitri Petrov’s body on the pavement, and the blood.
I don’t know which version of him is real.
Maybe both. Maybe neither.
It doesn’t matter now. He’s gone, and I’m here, and there’s a baby, and Victor is coming tomorrow to decide what happens next.
I fall asleep with my hand still on my stomach.
The sound of a boat engine wakes me. I sit up, disoriented, sunlight streaming through the windows. Morning. How long did I sleep? The engine gets louder, then cuts off. Voices outside. Men’s voices. Heavy footsteps on the dock.
Victor.
My stomach twists, and for a second, I think I’m going to throw up. Morning sickness or fear, I can’t tell.
Helena appears in my doorway. “He’s here.”
“I know.”
“He brought men with him.”
“Of course he did.”
I get out of bed and pull on clothes. Shorts and a tank top because it’s already hot and I don’t have the energy to care what I look like.
When I walk into the main room, Victor is standing by the window looking out at the ocean. Two of his men are stationed by the door. Big, armed, expressionless.
Victor turns when he hears me. He looks the same as always. An expensive suit despite the heat. Hair slicked back. Cold gray eyes that miss nothing.
“Aurelia,” he says. “You look terrible.”
“Thanks.”
“Helena tells me you’re pregnant.”
“She’s very efficient.”
“Who’s the father?”
“Good morning to you too, Uncle.”
His jaw tightens. “Don’t play games with me. Who is he?”
“Why does it matter?”
“Because you’re carrying a child, and I need to know what kind of problem that creates for this family.”
“The only problem here is you locking me up in the middle of nowhere.”
“You ran away. You embarrassed the family. The man you were supposed to marry died because of you. Did you think there wouldn’t be consequences?”
“He was eighty years old. His heart gave out because he was ancient, not because of me.”
Victor crosses the room in three strides. His fingers lock around my arm, heat and pressure biting into my skin. I twist instinctively, but his grip is firm.
“You cost me an alliance,” he growls. “You made me look weak. And now you’re pregnant with some stranger’s baby, which means I have to clean up another one of your mistakes.”
“Let go of me.”
