Page 73 of Cinderella and the Daddy

“Where were you?” I ask again. Ineedthe truth. I need to believe her. I have to be able to trust her.

She sighs and visibly lets go of the anger I sparked in her with my accusations.

“I went to the clinic in the same complex. I wanted to know for sure I was pregnant and that everything was okay. I didn’t go to the pharmacy.”

“And?” I ask.

“And the baby is fine.”

I sink to my knees in front of her, my legs finally giving out under the enormity of it all. She makes a small sound of surprise, her hands automatically moving to protect her stomach—a gesture so unconscious, so instinctively maternal, that it breaks something inside me.

She's crying now, silent tears tracking down her cheeks. "I know the timing is terrible. I know this complicates everything.”

I kiss her belly. My child nestled inside.

I get to my feet and cup her face in my hands.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I'm so sorry, Luka. I should have told you right away. I should have?—"

"You're mine. Both of you. You're mine, and no one—no one—touches what's mine."

Another tear slips from the corner of her eye.

"I won't let anything happen to you," I vow. "Either of you. I swear to God, I'll burn the whole world down before I let anyone hurt you."

"I was so scared," she confesses.

I drop my hands and step back. “Were you running,dikaya?”

“No. I went to the clinic. When I got done, Grigori was gone. I thought maybe I was free to move about. I came here to get a few of my things. To say goodbye to this life, Luka. I wasn’t running.”

I feel the relief.

"When you disappeared without a word, I was furious. I thought you were running.”

"Never." The word comes out fierce, certain. "I love you, Luka. I know that’s stupid. You’re a bad man who kidnapped me, but I love your dumbass.”

I almost smile.

And then I remember the tracker.

I need to be certain. Completely certain. The tracker changes everything, and I have to know she's telling me the truth about all of it.

"Cindy, I need you to answer me one more time. Are you, or were you ever, acting as a spy? Working with anyone against me or my organization? Like you said, I took you. You hated me for good reason. Just tell me the truth.”

Her eyes flash with anger. "Are you fucking kidding me right now? After everything I just told you?—"

I silence her with a kiss, pulling her against me and capturing her mouth with mine. She resists for a heartbeat, then melts into me, her hands fisting in my shirt. When I pull back, her breathing is unsteady.

"I need to know," I say quietly, resting my forehead against hers. "I need to understand how that tracker got on my car. Help me understand,dikaya."

Her shoulders sag, the fight going out of her. "I texted Anna, and she said she wanted to meet. She promised to explain everything. Said she had information about who was really pulling the strings."

My jaw tightens. "Where?"

"Some dive bar on the south side. O'Malley's." She shakes her head. "I waited there for over an hour. She never showed. When I tried to call the number back, it was disconnected."

A trap.