Page 100 of Mafia Prince's Secret Baby

KATYA

“I’ll go with you,” Aleks hisses, refusing to leave me alone. “Dominik will wait for us in the car.”

Before I can think of a plausible excuse, Aleks is already halfway to the hospital’s entrance. His watchful eyes scan the perimeter—he doesn’t trust anyone, but especially not outside his circle. Not after everything that’s happened.

“You don’t need to babysit me,” I tell him, quickening my steps. “I just need to pick up Sofiya, and that’s it.”

“Great. We can pick her up together.” He adjusts his jacket to conceal the gun.

I start shaking my head when a phone starts ringing. Aleks stops and raises his brow.

“It’s Igor,” I tell him, reading the caller ID.

“Pick it up.”

Shifting away from him, I tap the phone. “Yeah?”

“Are you at the hospital yet?” Igor questions. “Is Aleks with you?”

“Just heading inside,” I mumble, then glance at my Russian shadow. “Yeah, he’s here.”

“Okay,” he replies, relief evident in his voice. “Listen,volchitsa, what I’m about to tell you is important.”

My footsteps freeze. “What is it?”

“We know who’s behind everything,” Igor starts explaining. “It’s Maksim Olenko.”

I take a few calming breaths, trying to keep the dizziness that’s threatening to wash over me in check. In the background, I can hear murmured voices, and I realize he’s most probably not alone, or doing this from his office.

“Yes,” he responds quietly. “I’m with Nikolai and Vasiliy?—”

“Vasiliy as inmybrotherVasiliy?” I cut him off, throwing a wide-eyed stare at Aleks, who’s watching me expectantly. “He’s in New York?”

“He arrived this morning,” Igor confirms. “It pains me to admit it, but it was thanks to him that we made progress with all this shit. But that’s not the important thing I wanted to tell you.”

With the new information fresh on my mind, I try to focus on his voice instead. “Go on.”

“Listen, I need you to stay calm and not freak out, okay?” he pleads.

“Sure,” I mumble.

Nothing good can follow this. An avalanche of panic slowly grows in my belly.

“I don’t want to scare you, but I think the attackers could be after you. Not me,” he adds carefully. “Well, I guess both of us, but mostly you.”

The panic explodes at a dizzying pace. “What do you mean?”

“Think about it,” he says. “They’re targeting me directly or indirectly by going after people who’re close to me.”

“Right. People who mean something to you.”

There’s no doubt in my mind that being with Igor definitely signifies I’m a part of this madness. I’m now a target as much as he is.

“We could be wrong. This could all be connected to Nikolai and his past,” Igor continues. “The thing is, we won’t know it until we find the asshole and interrogate him. But until then, I need you to be safe. You and Sofiya. Don’t leave Aleks’s side. Ever. Promise me, Katya.”

A shiver slides through my body, every inch of my skin covered by goosebumps.

“Okay,” I breathe out.