I had Theo when the entire world was against me, and I still love him more than myself. I can’t imagine my life without him, and I know I’ll feel the same way about this baby when he or she arrives.
Vaguely, I hear the door open, and I assume it’s the nanny bringing Theo in from their daily trip to the park. I’m still staring blankly at the book in front of me when I see movement near the door. I paste a smile on my face to keep Theo from knowing anything is wrong, but when I look up and see Theo in the arms of a man I don’t recognize, my entire body goes cold.
The smile slips from my mouth and shatters on the floor. I jump to my feet, my body rigid and coiled, ready to strike.
“Who the fuck are you?” There is a knife in the drawer closest to me, but my gun is upstairs. Why didn’t I bring my gun down with me?
I assess Theo. He isn’t noticeably injured, and either he is relaxed or he is too stunned to be upset. He is stiff and staring at me, his hand resting on the strange man’s shoulder.
He isn’t hurt and that’s a good sign … I hope.
“Fedor sends his regards,” the man says. His voice is deep and low and robotic. It sounds like he has been programmed to speak, but that doesn’t stop his words from slicing through me like a blade. Fedor. I feel like I’ve been split open, exposed to my core. “You aren’t as safe as you think.”
My hands are shaking, and I ball them into fists.
This is my nightmare. This exact moment is what I’ve feared for weeks.
I don’t take my eyes off Theo. If he understands the meaning of the man’s words, he doesn’t show it. His face is an emotionless mask, which is more concerning. If he was crying, I would understand that. I don’t understand this.
The thought crosses my mind that Fedor is hurting Theo even when he isn’t hurting him. I can’t protect him from this emotional trauma. From the fear and the distrust this will sow in him.
“Please.” The word scratches out of me. It’s all I can manage to say. Please don’t hurt him. Please put him down. Please leave.
The man’s face twitches in annoyance, almost like he wants to roll his eyes, and he bends and sets Theo on the ground.
I want to run to him and scoop him up, but I’m afraid of what will happen if I make any sudden movements. It feels like we are standing in the center of an iced-over pond and the ice could crack beneath me at any second.
The man glares down at Theo, his eyes hungry and violent, and then he turns and leaves. I don’t stop him to ask where the nanny went. God only knows what happened to her. At best, she was paid off. At worst…well, it’s best not to ask.
The second the door clicks closed behind him, I drop to my knees and hold out my arms. Theo looks at me for a moment, too stunned to move, and then his lower lip starts to wobble. By the time he walks into the circle of my arms, he is crying, though I’m not even sure if he understands why.
I know why I’m crying, though.
“He paid them off.”
Viktor is pacing around the living room, running his hands through his hair and tugging on the strands.
“Fucking money,” he growls. “That’s what it took for my men to turn on me. He offered them some cash, and they folded and walked away.”
I called Viktor the moment Theo had calmed down enough. He instructed me to lock the door—I already had—and stay inside until he could get here. He showed up four minutes later. I didn’t ask how many traffic laws he broke in order to make that happen.
He fists his hands at his side and then drags them through his hair again.
“We’re okay,” I remind him. I’m scared. So scared I’m not sure I’ll be able to fall asleep tonight, but I’m fine. Theo is sleeping upstairs. He is fine. “We are fine.”
“He could have killed you both,” Viktor says, spinning on his heel and facing me. His eyes are bloodshot, and I wonder how long it has been since he slept. “Fedor offered my guys some money, and they left you open and unprotected, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”
“Why didn’t he?” Viktor looks confused, so I clarify. “Why didn’t he kill us? Or take us with him? Isn’t that the point—he wants Theo. Why would he let us go?”
“He feels invincible.” Viktor starts to pace again and lets out a sharp laugh. “He is trying to prove a point. He wants me to know that he has access to you whenever he wants, that he is in control. Fedor is too theatric to just take what he wants. He has to be a showman about it first. It’s why he held a pregnant woman at gunpoint.”
I frown, and Viktor shakes his head, not wanting to talk about it. “I took care of her. She is back home and safe … for now. But Fedor won’t hesitate to hurt her or you. Right now, he is still just toying with us.”
“Lucky us, I guess.”
Viktor crosses the room in two steps and drops down in front of me, grabbing my hands from his lap. “Yes, Molly. Lucky. You and Theo were so, so lucky that all Fedor wanted to do is scare you.”
I blink at him, surprised by the sudden warmth of his skin on mine and surprised by how badly I need the human touch. I squeeze his hands so he won’t pull away.
“But I want you to be more than lucky,” he says. His blue eyes are liquid and raw, and even though I know what he is going to say, I lean in closer. “I want you to be queen.”
His voice breaks on the word and he holds my hands so tightly they hurt, but I don’t pull away.
“The men who left you open for Fedor won’t live to see tomorrow, but I need my remaining men to see you as more than just my kept woman. These men respect titles. They need to see you as my partner.”
“Viktor…” I sigh, shaking my head.
He pulls his hand away and grips my chin with his thumb and forefinger. He curls his thumb around and brushes it across the point of my chin, drawing a line down my neck. “Even if it is in appearances only, Molly. Even if it’s fake. That is still better than nothing.”
My mind cries out that I have some dignity. I can’t be fake married to Viktor again. It’s demeaning.
But then, I see Theo’s shaking body in my arms after the man left. Unbidden, the image of what could have happened flashes in my mind.
Theo could have been taken. I could have been killed. I could have never seen him again.
There is more at stake here than my dignity and my freedom. Theo’s life is at stake. My unborn child’s life is at stake. I have to think about the bigger picture, and when I step back and take it all in, I see the sense in Viktor’s proposal. It isn’t the only solution, but it is one of the easier solutions.
“Okay.” My voice is barely above a whisper, but Viktor tenses as I agree. I hold up a hand before he can say anything. “But, once this war is over, Theo and I have to be free to leave.”
“We’ll discuss that when the time comes,” Viktor says.
I narrow my eyes. “We have to be free to leave. I can’t enter into this if it’s going to end with me locked in a bedroom.”
“How do you feel about a bathroom?” he raises a brow, his mouth quirking up in a barely-there smile.
“I can’t believe you’re making jokes at a time like this.” I’m appalled, but also grateful for the lightness. The day has felt heavy. It’s nice to see him smile.