I'm sure I can find the recipe somewhere. I saw a few cookbooks in his library.
***
Back at the mansion, I can barely keep my hands from shaking as I wait for the test results to appear. Thank goodness Bardil isn't home yet.
I'm upstairs in my bathroom with the door closed, counting the seconds until the test is ready. My stomach isn't churning with sickness now. It's churning with horrible anxiety.
I stare at the little stick in my hand. Unable to look away.
Two solid lines appear across the white screen.
No. Please no.
I shake the test, trying to change the results, but it does nothing.
Pregnant. As clear as day. Right in front of me.
Tears sting my eyes and rush over my cheeks. I fight for breath and toss the test into the bin, covering it with tissue paper to hide it.
I can't believe it.
I can't believe this is happening.
What am I supposed to do?
Chapter 17 - Bardil
Leaving her feels wrong when she's still recovering from whatever illness had her so weak last night. I don't want to go, but I have a few errands to run that I can't ignore. Meeting with one of my informants is top of my list. The guy works closely with the Abashin family, and I want to check in with him.
I like to see people face-to-face these days. My trust is thin, and I like to look them in the eyes when they reassure me that they're still on my side.
The meeting goes smoothly, but the guy has no news for me, and I leave without knowing anything more than when I arrived. It was a waste of time, and I should have stayed home with Nikita.
But while I'm out, I'm going to stop at my office and grab some files. I've been away for too long, and I need to start catching up on what's been going on in this city.
I can work from home and still be near her.
My office is near the docks. Gusts of wind whip the smell of fish from the mongers into the dusty space, through the open window.
"Ugh," I complain. "I remember why I hated coming here."
I opened the window to air the place out, but the fish smells worse than the stale air.
My desk has a coating of dust over it, and I have to brush it away with my hand before I sit down to find the correct file.
At least it's easy to see no one has been here.
I needed to be close to the docks to handle incoming and outgoing shipments for my brothers. I was doing my own thing, but I was still involved in the family stuff too. But since I walked away, I imagine my brothers have been handling it from their own offices.
I plan to grab the contact list of our clients and start touching base with all of them again.
I just want people to know I'm still around so that they don't forget about me.
I'm only there for about twenty minutes before I have everything I need.
Locking up, I head down to my car.
But as I step off the last stair, two men grab me and shove me to the ground.
