Page 6 of Royal Bargain (Royals of the Underworld #3)

ANNIKA

T he second I saw Aleksey’s name on the screen, any lingering tension between us vanished as the real world came crashing back down. The echo of his kiss still lingers on my skin, but it's already forgotten, the moment ruined with the news I’d just received.

Sitting at the edge of the couch wrapped in a borrowed sheet, I watch Liam stretch and scrub a hand through his hair as he waits for me to speak. I’d hung up and told him I have news, but I don’t know how to explain to him what I just found out.

“That was Aleksey,” I begin, my voice soft.

He freezes, then turns toward me slowly, his jaw tightening. His eyes narrow before he finally speaks. “You’re still talking to him?”

I roll my eyes. “Of course I am. Aleksey is my brother. He’s the one who helped me get out of there. He’s been protecting me.” I sigh, shaking my head. “I don’t expect you to like him, but he’s not my enemy.”

Liam’s quiet for a long moment, eyes focused on mine. “What did he say?” he demands, his voice rough.

I grip the edge of the sheet more tightly. “He told me that they know. That Uncle Dariy knows. He’s found out I’m living with you. As soon as he found out I was staying with you, things kind of exploded. Aleksey says everyone is in chaos over there.”

Liam exhales a curse and rises to his feet. Whatever good mood I had earlier evaporates like a puddle in the sun. My hands shake as I wrap my arms around myself, trying to keep it together.

A lump rises in my throat, and I feel a burning indignation float to the surface. This isn’t fair . It’s not fucking fair that I’ve worked so hard to protect myself and my daughter, only for everything to come crashing down in a matter of days.

“Ana?” Liam calls my name, but I barely hear him as I curl my fingers into my palms. “Ana. Listen to me.”

I look over to find him sitting next to me, his hands moving to cover mine. Our eyes meet for a moment, but I glance away, needing to check on Lily.

She’s still dead to the world, making tiny, soft, baby grunts as she sleeps, and I get up and stand over her bassinet, reaching out to stroke her cheek.

“You are safe here,” Liam says, coming up behind me to rest his hands on my hips.

“You and Lily are safe with me. There’s nowhere safer in the world.

No one’s getting past me, Ana. Not while Lily’s in that crib, a mhuirnín .

No one is going to get to either you or our daughter without going through me first.”

The words should be soothing, should reassure me, but instead, they bring another uncomfortable truth to the foreground in my mind—Liam has put himself in immense danger by taking us in, by offering us his protection.

If I hadn’t come here, if I hadn’t asked for his help, I wouldn’t be responsible for causing all this conflict.

I smile—though it’s weak—and nod, pretending I understand.

But this is all wrong. I can’t stay here, I can’t continue living with Liam and making his life harder.

Maybe it’s time I stop relying on anyone else. Maybe it’s time I learn to stand on my own. I have to stop thinking like someone’s daughter. I have to start thinking like someone’s mother.

The thought tumbles around inside my mind as the two of us settle down for the night in Liam’s bed. He holds me close, but my heart pounds in my chest so hard that I worry he might hear it.

I dream of Dariy, of enforcers storming in with guns drawn. Liam steps forward to protect me—then a bullet rips through his chest…

I wake gasping, drenched in sweat, my hands clawing at the sheets. Glancing next to me, I realize Liam isn’t there. Pressing my face into his pillow, I let the last remnants of the dream fade away as I inhale his spicy, musky scent.

I need to find a way to take my mind off everything going on, and I need to find a way to get out from under my father’s control and keep Liam from getting caught in the crosshairs.

I need to stop thinking like a scared Russian Mob princess, and start thinking like a single mother.

As I head downstairs, I see that Liam has Lily and he’s feeding her from her bottle while they sit together on the couch.

“Hey. I could tell you didn’t sleep well last night, so I got up with Lily when she started crying.”

I smile, genuinely grateful to have him willing to share the hard parts of parenting right now. Those few extra minutes of sleep felt like a miracle. I’m still exhausted, but I feel like I can handle having Lily today while Liam heads off for work.

He’s been doing something with Senator Burns’s campaign, running it or something like that. I don’t pay much attention to politics, only to whatever my father gets himself involved in.

“You’re going to be late,” I say, reaching out to take Lily from him when she’s finished her bottle. We’ve switched to a hypoallergenic formula, and it’s helped Lily’s colic immensely.

“I don’t mind if it means I get to sit with you two for a few extra minutes,” he says, his words a soft coo for Lily’s benefit. I smile as he reaches out to stroke her hair, and she gives him a gummy grin in response, her hand grasping his finger.

“I’ll be back,” Liam promises, giving me a small peck on the top of my head. It sends butterflies racing through my belly, but inside, I’m tensed up, worried over everything going on.

“Have a good day,” I call out, bringing Lily up to pat her back as I coax the gas from her belly.

Once he’s gone, I focus my attention on getting Lily set up for some tummy time while I sit nearby, folding some of the endless piles of laundry that always seem to need attention.

As I sit there racking my brain to figure out a solution to all my current problems, I realize the answer is at my fingertips.

Literally.

Reaching for my phone, I scroll through my contacts, coming upon the number for Miranda Voss. I don’t even remember how I got her number from Clary all those months ago, but if ever I could use a fairy godmother type, it’s now.

When she was helping Clary, I remember thinking about how much I wished I had someone like her to help me. I guess now, I just need to have the courage to ask.

Swallowing hard, I push down my anxiety and dial her number, waiting as the phone rings.

She answers on the third ring. “This is Miranda Voss. How did you get my private number?” she demands.

“Uh, hello Miranda. This is Clary’s friend, Ana. Uh. Annika Volkov. I got your number from Clary a while ago. I wanted to ask if you had a moment to talk?”

“Annika Volkov?” Miranda asks, putting the pieces together. “I don’t know why you’re calling but I know that you’re the daughter of the Brannagan’s enemy. I don’t know if I can help you.”

“Please,” I beg, closing my eyes as I swallow the bitter emotions inside. “I have no one else to turn to. You helped Clary so much… I was hoping you could do the same for me. I just need a few minutes of your time.”

Miranda sighs. “You have five minutes. What do you want?”

I take a deep breath, the words tumbling out faster than I can think them.

“All my life, I’ve been under my father’s control.

I had to get away from him recently, and now I’m stuck without a job or resources.

I’m staying with Liam Brannagan, the father of my baby, but I can’t rely on him forever,” I explain.

“I just need help finding my own way. I know you have a lot of connections in the business world, and I was hoping you could give me the number of someone in the music industry?”

Miranda is silent as she listens to my story but when I finish, her tone is sharp. “Why should I help a member of the Russian faction?” I can practically see her eyebrows furrowed at my request.

I blow out a breath. “Everyone I care about thinks I’ve betrayed them. I have nowhere to go, no one to turn to.”

“Then tell me,” she asks. “How can I be sure where your loyalties lie?”

A bitter laugh escapes me, and I swallow the bile in my throat. “I can assure you I won’t be running back to them anytime soon.”

I’ve never felt like I belonged in that world. I just want to be part of a world that’s bigger than petty politics and money as a form of coercive control.

“What can I do to prove to you that I’m serious?” I ask, anxiety tinged in my tone.

Miranda is silent for so long that I think she’s hung up, but then she starts speaking.

“Anatoly Volkov has been a thorn in the city’s side for a long time now.

He’s been undermining the efforts of the Brannagan family at every turn.

The Brannagans are close friends of mine, and I want a way to even the playing field for them once more. ”

I nod, understanding what she’s asking of me. “What do you want to know?” I ask, my voice soft, tentative.

Inside, my gut is churning. With one little piece of information, I could break free of the tight control my father has always held over me. But telling her anything will make me just as much of a traitor as I’ve been accused of being.

“Has your father been showing any… particular special interest in the Harborview District lately?” Miranda asks, her words casual, but the implied meaning clear.

I rack my brain, trying to recall if Papa might have been making moves on that area, deciding to tell her before I can change my mind. “He’s been trying to acquire some land in that district. A few apartment-type properties, I think. Why?”

Miranda hums. “It might be nothing at all. But it could also be good to know. I appreciate your willingness to prove yourself, Annika. Consider this your first audition, and you’ve passed.

I’m going to give you some contact information for Ingrid Gunnerson.

She’s a friend of mine and should be able to help you. ”

I inhale sharply, shocked that Miranda is willing to help me out. And did I hear that correctly? Ingrid Gunnerson? The head of Arctic Records?

“Thank you, Miranda!” I say, excitement spilling into my voice as it cracks. “Thank you! I appreciate this more than you know!”

“Any time you need help, just reach out,” Miranda promises. “You’ve shown me that you can be trusted, and I promise to be there for you. Good luck, dear.”

As we hang up, my heart is racing. I’m on cloud nine. I pick Lily up from her playmat and twirl her carefully around, heart bursting with joy.

I can’t believe I have the chance to make a name for myself with my voice—and on my own terms!

I’d always longed to be a singer but Papa wanted to control when and where I sang, wanting to “protect me” from the “seedy underbelly” of the music industry (which I thought was rich coming from him). But Miranda offered me my dreams on a silver platter just because I asked!

Maybe there’s some good in this world after all.

A few minutes later, I get an email with Ingrid’s contact information and Miranda tells she’s already let Ingrid know to expect me, so I text the number I have for her immediately, explaining who I am and what I want.

Ingrid: I’ll need to see what you can do. Do you have any demos you can send?

Me: Let me send you a link to my Soundcloud.

Twenty minutes later, Ingrid texts me back.

Ingrid: I want to meet with you. Tomorrow.

Me: How about The Gilded Cage? It’s in the Financial District.

Ingrid: Perfect. Be there at 2:15.

I’m vibrating with nerves the rest of the day, trying to figure out how I’m going to break the news to Liam. To be honest, I’m so excited that I can hardly contain myself, and as soon as he walks through the door, I’m spilling the entire thing.

Liam’s expression grows darker as I recount my story, and by the time I’m done, I feel my excitement quickly waning.

Crossing his arms, he curls his lip, crowding into my space. “How could you even think about going? You’d be putting yourself in so much danger! You’re supposed to be lying low right now! Have you forgotten that your father already knows that you’re here with me?”

My lip trembles, but I force myself to remain calm, refusing to let him take this away from me. “I have thought about it,” I tell him. “And this is what I need to do.”

“Unbelievable.” He shakes his head. “You’re so reckless, Ana. Have you even thought about what going out would mean? It would mean leaving Lily here, behind. Do you even care?”

I had thought about that, but reasoned to myself that it would be safer to leave her with Liam than to bring her with me. I figured it was for the best this way. I need to secure our future, and this was the way to do it.

“I know that,” I tell him, getting snippy. “But I’m still going. It would be an amazing opportunity for me. I’d get to meet with the head of Arctic Records, Liam.”

His voice is a low snarl when he says, “You’re not going. And that’s final.” My hands tremble. I wish I didn’t have to do this—but I won’t be caged again.

I’m shaking as I advance toward him, jabbing at his chest with my finger to emphasize my words.

“If you think I’m trading one control-freak for another, you have a whole other thought coming, Liam Brannagan. I’m doing this, and that’s final.”

Liam glances at Lily, who is playing with the mobile above her carrier. She stops long enough to flash him a wide, beaming smile before going back to babbling at the soft, crinkly sun over her head.

“Fine,” he says through clenched teeth. “I see that I can’t stop you, but if you’re going out, you’re going in disguise. I don’t need your father’s men bearing down on you the minute you walk out this door.”

I breathe out slowly, nodding at his request. “Thank you.”

“And another thing. You’re taking one of the Brannagan guards with you as backup.”

God he’s insufferable.