Page 105 of Warlord’s Empire

“I’ll cover you!” Ayaan shouted at him. “Go!”

He lunged at the car, yanking open the back passenger door. Shola’s back was to him and he gripped her by the shoulder, pulling her from the car and shoving her down before ducking inside.

“Muhammed!” Saskia’s cry of pain was mixed with relief. She held her hand out to him imploringly. “The baby is coming!”

He took her fingers, kissing them. “I’m here, my angel. I’ve got you. Both of you. Hold tight, we’ll get you out of here as soon as we can.”

“It’s coming now!” she screamed, folding in on herself, hugging her belly as it rippled under her hands.

He looked behind him, desperately hoping Shaun was on his heels, but of course she wasn’t. She was safe in the house where she would stay until the men pursuing Saskia were neutralized.

“I’ve got you,” he told Saskia, trying to control the quaver in his voice. He was going to have to deliver his own child while a battle raged around them. “I’m here, my love.” He looked down at his hands, massive, scarred, rough. Could he do this?

“It hurts so much,” she moaned. Her bent legs were shaking with effort. “I can’t hold on anymore. Please help me. I didn’t pick a birth plan; I should have picked a birth plan. It’s my fault!”

“This isn’t your fault.” He caressed her thigh, squeezing her, trying to reassure her. “You don’t need to hold on anymore, I have you. Look at me, love. We’ve got this. We will bring our daughter into this world together.”

Fuck. What if the baby wasn’t positioned correctly? What if the umbilical cord was around its throat? What if… there was so much that could go wrong.

But his words seemed to calm Saskia, her body relaxing slightly, her gaze clinging to his. “You know it’s a girl?” she whispered.

The sound of bullets either faded or stopped, he didn’t know. The world around them ceased to exist.

“I know everything about you,” he reminded her, gently guiding her into a more comfortable position and pushing her knees open.

“St… stalker.” She was breathing heavily, her face twisted in pain. “I think I have to push.”

“Then push,” he told her calmly. “I’m here.”

She nodded. “Okay.” She sucked her lips in, biting them, her entire body vibrating with effort.

“I see the top of her head,” Radik told her, reaching between Saskia’s legs, hoping he was doing it right.

“It’s so hard. I can’t… I can’t…,” Saskia moaned before another contraction hit and she had to push again, head flung back, sweat soaking her hairline, tears running down her cheeks.

“I’m here, I’m here,” he repeated. “I’ll keep you both safe for as long as there’s breath in my body.”

“Th-thank you,” she whispered before groaning as another contraction gripped her.

He wrapped his fingers around his daughter’s shoulders as they were pushed into his hands. “She’s beautiful,” he said. “Keep going, she’s ready to meet her parents.”

Saskia bore down again. “Uuuuugggghhhh….!” she grunted.

The baby slid into Radik’s cupped hands. She fit entirely, his fingers a protective shield around the tiny red-faced, blood-soaked infant.

Nothing in Radik’s extremely violent and bloody career could have prepared him for the birth of his daughter. It was the best and worst moment of his life.

She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, but as she took her first breath, screaming for all the world to hear, her mother slipped into unconsciousness.

“Saskia!” He shouted desperately, cradling their daughter in his hands.

Chapter Forty-Six

“I’m here!” Shaun’s voice sounded in his ear. When he turned, her gaze dropped to his hands and she gasped. “Oh my god.” She turned and shouted, “Give me the blanket.”

He handed the baby over, the sharp scent of blood lingering in the air. “Saskia,” he said hoarsely as Shaun quickly wrapped the baby in a brightly coloured blanket. “She’s….”

Shaun handed the swaddled infant to Ayaan and leaned into the car, her gaze concerned. “I need you to get out so I can help her.”