I watch, seething with impotent rage, as he climbs behind the wheel and guns the engine.
The red taillights fade into the stormy night, leaving me alone in the alley with the bitter taste of unfinished business in my mouth.
I touch my fingers to my cheek, feeling the slick heat of my own blood.
A reminder, a promise.
Ludis wants a war?
So be it. I’ll give him a fucking war. Ludis may have drawn first blood, but I’ll be the one to end this.
fifteen
Clara
Nine weeks later
"Calm down, Clara.” Stephan’s deep voice cuts through the haze of panic clouding my mind.
I grip the medical report tighter, the fucking pregnancy test results crinkling under my white-knuckled fingers. “Don’t fucking tell me to calm down, Stephan,” I snap, pacing the hardwood floor of my apartment like a caged tiger.
Stephan sighs, running a hand through his long hair. He’s dressed impeccably as always, his dark suit tailored to perfection over his intimidating 6’2” frame. But even his sharp, calculated features can’t hide the concern in his eyes as they track my agitated movements.
“It’s not the end of the world, Clara,” he says, stepping closer, his bulk shrinking the room. But I’m too wound up to be soothed.
“Isn’t it?” I wave the papers in his face. “I’m fucking pregnant, Stephan.Me.Pregnant. Even though I’m on the goddamn pill.”
“It happens sometimes,” he says with a shrug of his massive shoulders. “No birth control is 100% effective.”
I’m such a fucking idiot. Why the hell did I do that?
No safety, no sense—just reckless.
I chuck the pregnancy test into the bin, and it hits with a thud. Turning around to face Stephan, I glare at him, my eyes narrowed to slits.
“I don’t need a fucking lesson in reproductive health, Stephan. What I need is to find out who the fuck is trying to kill me, and now I have this to deal with, too?”
Stephan’s jaw tightens, his eyes going flinty. “We’re working on it, Clara. We’ll find the bastard, I promise you.”
I stop pacing, turning to face him head-on. “It’s been two months, Stephan. Two fucking months since that asshole took a hit on me at Viper. And we’re no closer to knowing who he is or why he wants me dead.”
“These things take time—”
“Time?” I let out a harsh laugh. “I don’t have time, Stephan. In case you haven’t noticed, I have a fucking target on my back. And now…” I press a hand to my still-flat stomach, a wave of nausea that has nothing to do with morning sickness washing over me.
Stephan’s gaze follows the movement, something unreadable flickering across his stoic features. “We’ll handle it, Clara. All of it. You’re not alone in this.”
I close my eyes, suddenly exhausted. He’s right; I know he is. Stephan has always been there for me, even more than my own father. Especially since Jake—
I swallow hard, pushing away the thought of my brother. Even after nine years, the pain of his loss is still a raw, gaping wound. Another loved one ripped away from the Ravens, the Russian mob that haunts my nightmares. The ones who murdered Jake in cold blood and who now seem to want me dead, too.
I turn away from Stephan, walking to the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the glittering lights of New Orleans.Jake’s city. He built Eden Apartment, and this whole fucking block, from the ground up. Made something of himself, despite our father’s dismissal and disdain.
And then he was gone. Snuffed out like a candle, leaving me alone in a world full of shadows and secrets.
I feel Stephan come up behind me, his presence solid and reassuring at my back. In the reflection of the glass, he looks even bigger, his broad shoulders and imposing height dwarfing my own frame.
“We’ll get through this, Clara,” he says quietly, his deep voice rumbling through me. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Let me set up a doctor’s appointment,” he adds, his voice matter-of-fact. “We can get rid ofittoday.”
