Page 129 of The Pakhan’s Accidental Bride

"Kiera…"

"I saw them last night." Her words come out in a rush now, like a dam breaking. "I couldn't sleep, so I went to the window. And I saw your men carrying a body bag. Loading it into a car. I know it was him. I know what you did."

Fuck.

I close my eyes briefly, then open them to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I gave orders for it to be handled discreetly. You weren't supposed to know."

"But I do know." Her voice is shaking now.

"He hurt you," I say, my voice harder now. "What did you think was going to happen?"

"I don't know!" She's crying now, tears streaming down her face, and she looks furious about it. Furious that she's showing this emotion, that she's breaking down in front of me. "I don't know what I thought. But I didn't think… I didn't want…"

I start to reach across the table, wanting to comfort her, but she jerks away from me, pulling back like my touch burns her

"Don't," she says, her voice breaking.

"Kiera, please…"

"I'm pregnant." The words come out in a rush, desperate and angry and terrified all at once. "I'm pregnant, Emil. And I don't want the father of my child to be a murderer."

51

KIERA

The library has become my favorite room in the estate over the past two months. It's quiet here, peaceful, with floor-to-ceiling windows that let in natural light and overlook the gardens. The leather chairs are comfortable, worn in just the right way, and the smell of old books mixed with furniture polish creates an atmosphere that feels almost normal. Almost like I'm not living in a mansion owned by a Russian Mafia boss.

I sit in one of the wingback chairs near the fireplace, my hand resting unconsciously on my stomach. I've got a little baby bump now. Not obviously, not to strangers, but enough that my regular clothes are getting tight. I've started wearing looser shirts and dresses, things that hide the small bump that's steadily growing.

My brothers are scattered around the room. Kevin sits on the leather sofa, his laptop open on his knees as he works on some marketing campaign. Devin is sprawling in another chair, scrolling through his phone and occasionally making comments about protein intake and prenatal vitamins. Jack stands by the window, his cop instincts never quite letting him fully relax even here. And Kaleb is curled up in the corner chair with a book, though I notice he keeps glancing up at me with concern in his eyes.

It's been two months since I told Emil about the pregnancy and how I didn't want the father to be a murderer. He'd sat there in that restaurant, frozen, his dark eyes wide with shock. For a long moment, he didn't say anything. Didn't move. Just stared at me like I'd spoken in a language he didn't understand. Then he'd stood up, thrown money on the table, and taken me home. We didn't talk about Arnie again. We didn't talk about much of anything for days.

But slowly, carefully, we'd started to rebuild. Emil had been different after that. Gentler. More patient. He'd focused on making sure I was comfortable, that I had everything I needed, and that the baby was healthy. He'd hired the best doctors, arranged for regular checkups, and made sure the kitchen staff knew exactly what foods I could and couldn't eat.

And he'd let my brothers go home.

That had been the biggest surprise. After keeping them at the estate for their own protection, he'd finally agreed they could return to their lives. But the protection hadn't ended. Each of my brothers now has guards assigned to them, discreet, professional men who follow at a distance but are always there. Even Jack, despite his protests about being a cop who can take care of himself, has a security detail.

Jack had been furious about it at first. He'd argued that having Emil's men following him around made him look dirty, like he was on the take or working with organized crime. But Emil had been firm. The shooter was still out there, and until they found him, everyone connected to me was at risk. Jack had eventually given in, though he'd arranged for his cop friends to do drive-bys of all their homes as an extra layer of security. He couldn't tell them why, of course, couldn't explain that his sister was engaged to a Pakhan and someone was trying to kill her. But his friends had agreed anyway, because that's what cops do for each other.

"How are you feeling?" Kaleb asks, breaking the comfortable silence. My brothers had all decided to come check on me at the same time.

I look up from where I've been absently rubbing my stomach. "Good. Tired, but good. The morning sickness finally stopped last week."

"Thank God," Devin says without looking up from his phone. "I was getting worried about your nutrient intake."

"Of course you were," I say with a smile.

Kevin closes his laptop and sets it aside. "Have you thought about names yet?"

"It's too early for that," I say, though the truth is I've thought about little else. "We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet."

The door to the library opens before anyone can respond, and Emil walks in. He's wearing dark jeans and a black button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows—his usual casual attire. His light brown hair is slightly messy, like he's been running his hands through it, and there's an intensity in his dark eyes that makes my stomach clench.

Something's happened.

My brothers all turn to look at him, their bodies tensing. They've gotten better about being around Emil over the past two months, but there's still an underlying wariness. They know what he is. They know what he's capable of. And they'll never fully trust him, no matter how well he treats me.