Page 10 of Dark Desires (Chicago Bratva #1)

ISABELLA

The next morning…

I ’m parked in this uncomfortable hospital chair, blinking away the sleep, and honestly, feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck.

Stephania’s still out cold, her face way too peaceful for all the bruises she’s sporting. Just when I think it’s safe to relax, the door swings open. I look up, expecting a nurse.

But no. It’s Alexei.

And he’s holding a vase of roses.

"Roses, huh? Didn’t peg you for the romantic type."

He doesn’t even glance at me as he steps over to Stephania. "She deserves them.” He sets the flowers down on the table, messing with them a bit until they look a little livelier.

Alexei doesn’t say another word, instead sitting down in the other chair next to Steph’s bed. As soon as he’s seated, he locks his eyes on her.

“And good morning to you, too,” I say.

He flicks his eyes up and me. “Sarcasm’s not a charming trait, Devotchka .”

“And neither is false sincerity.”

That gets his attention. “What are you implying?”

"Oh, you’re suddenly Mr. Doting Fiancé now?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Maybe I am. It’s my job now, isn’t it?"

“Job. Sure. I mean, you are just playing a role, right?"

“Listen—Stephania is my fiancé. Just because this arrangement is more about convenience than anything else, doesn’t mean I don’t give a damn about her well-being.” He leans in a little, eyes flashing. “But then again, maybe this role of mine isn’t the issue here.”

“Yeah? What’s the issue then?”

“I think you know.”

"Oh, please." I roll my eyes.

I glance at Stephania, who’s still fast asleep, thankfully missing the awkward, heated scene playing out right next to her. "Look, why are you really here?"

"Already told you. Here to see my fiancé."

I scoff. "Nice try, Alexei. But we both know it’s not that simple."

He levels his gaze at me, voice dropping. "You think I owe you an explanation?"

"Honestly? Yeah, I kind of do.”

He sighs, looking both exasperated and… something else. It’s not exactly soft, but it’s not angry either. “This isn’t about you and me, Isa. This is about making sure Stephania’s safe.”

Before I can respond, there’s a little rustling from the bed. Both of us turn our heads toward Stephania, who’s finally waking up. I practically jump out of my seat, moving in close.

“Steph?” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

She blinks, her eyes adjusting, and gives me a sleepy smile. “Hey, Isa.”

“Hey, yourself.” I smile, smoothing her hair back. “Took you long enough to join us.”

She chuckles softly, wincing a little, but then looks past me to Alexei. He steps forward, giving her a soft, concerned look that seems way too genuine for my liking. Then he leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.

“Morning, Stephania,” he says. “You doing okay?”

She purses her lips. “I… I don’t know. My head still kind of hurts. I barely remember what happened.”

Alexei takes her hand. “We don’t need to go over that now. The important thing is that you’re going to be fine.”

She rubs her forehead. “Doesn’t feel like it. Feels like I got hit by a truck. I’m glad you’re here, Isa.”

At this, Alexei straightens up. “I’ll let you both have a little privacy. But I need to tell the doctors that you’re up. So, don’t get too comfortable before they flock in here.”

Stephania nods, giving him a perfunctory smile. “Thank you, Alexei.”

He looks at me briefly, his expression impossible to read, then turns and heads for the door. As he leaves, I’m left with a weird, heavy feeling—like there’s so much I didn’t say, and probably too much I did.

When the door closes, I feel Stephania squeeze my hand again. I look down, and she’s watching me, her expression one of weariness.

“Tell me what happened,” she said. “I need to know.”

“What do you remember?”

She closes her eyes and focuses. “We were at the party, and then there were men in masks, with guns. And… that’s it.”

I let out a dry laugh. “That’s about all of it. People were running, trying to get away, and someone bumped into you. You fell backward and hit your head on the brass railing on the bar.”

She purses her lips and looks away. “Is everyone else OK?”

“No,” I say with a shake of my head. “We lost a couple of guards. The Ivanovs lost people, too. But they eliminated the threat.”

Steph takes a moment, letting it all settle in her head. Then her gaze goes to my arm.

“And you! What happened?”

“Oh, this is nothing. Just a little bullet wound.”

The color drains out of her face. “A what?”

“It sounds worse than it is—just a flesh wound. More like a scratch than anything else. I got lucky. And your fiancé saved my life.”

“He did?”

“Yep.”

“And your dad?”

“Dad’s fine. Worried like hell about you, more than I’ve ever seen him worry, to be honest. But he’s fine.”

She lets out a long sigh. “I don’t even know what to think about this.”

“Be happy—you’re marrying a hero. He might not be the man of your dreams, but I wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for him.”

Her eyes flash, and I can tell she’s picking up on my anxiety about the marriage.

“Isa,” she says quietly, “I know you’re worried. But everything’s going to be OK.”

I force a smile. “Yeah, Steph. You just focus on getting better. Let me worry about everything else.”

She looks over at the roses on the table and sighs. “I know it’s strange… all of this.”

I don’t trust myself to say much, so I just nod. “If anyone can make it work, it’s you, Steph.”

She smiles, then closes her eyes again, clearly worn out. I stay by her side, my head spinning. Alexei and his roses. Stephania and her optimism. And me, somehow in the middle of all of it, carrying a baby no one else knows about yet.

I squeeze her hand, grounding myself.

“You’re sure about this?” I ask. “Marrying Alexei?”

Her expression turns just like that. Tears form in her eyes, and she starts sniffling.

“Honestly, I’m not sure about anything anymore, Isa. I don’t want to marry him. I can’t.”

Suddenly, she’s sobbing.

“Oh, hold on.” I scan the room, spotting a box of tissues and bounding out of my chair to get them and bring them over.

She takes one, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. I give her a moment to gather herself.

“I know this is for the family, and it’s what needs to be done.” She wipes her nose again. “But I can’t! I love Omar.”

My heart breaks for her.

“I know you want to help the family, but this is your life. If you really don’t want to do it, tell my dad. He might be disappointed, but he will understand. I know he will.” I’m not so sure about that, but I will say anything to stop Stepania from crying right now.

She smiles, her eyes still red. “Thanks, Isa.”

“I hear someone’s up.” One of the nurses pokes her head into the room.

“I think that’s my cue to leave,” I say. “I’ll be around, alright?”

She nods confidently. “Alright. Don’t go far. Please.”

“I promise.”

With that, I slip out of the room as the nurse enters.

Once I’m back in the hallway, relief hits me hard, followed immediately by dread.

Alexei. What a freaking mess. Part of me wants to go right to Dad, to tell him that this sham marriage needs to be stopped. Is he really going to force his blood to marry someone she doesn’t love?

And what about me?

I owe it to this little one growing in my womb to sort this shit out, to figure out how to get his or her dad back into our lives. And I need to get ahead of the fallout that’s sure to come down when the secret gets out.