Page 16 of Scarlet Sins (Yegorov Bratva #2)

Chapter Thirteen

DEMYAN

I’m playing with Sasha, with his little trucks—he’s given me the pink one and ordering me about, something I very much allow.

Fucking Stefina’s been pushed off to Monday. I’ve cited unexpected and very important business, but whether she decides to turn up today is anyone’s guess. She won’t be allowed in, though, so it doesn’t particularly bother me.

“No, Dino!” Sasha commands, pointing to the right where he’s got quite the buildup of soft toys and then the cars and trucks. On top of them all sits that flea-bitten toy goat.

“Over here?” I point in the opposite direction.

He attacks me, pushing at my arm, frowning hard, trying to move me. “Daddy! No!”

My arm goes soft and he gets his way as the shock of the word hits me.

I don’t say anything because I’m not sure I can.

“Mine,” he says, taking the pink trunk in triumph and adding it to his pile. Then he glances at me, worry spreading, and he picks out a toy and a car and gives them to me.

My heart’s so big, it could burst. This fucking little kid .

Daddy.

I’m sure it’ll be back and forth, between Dino, Dane, and Daddy, but he said it. And that’s mine.

My eyes blur and I blink hard as Erin comes in and kisses Sasha.

“You’re gonna be good today for Daddy?”

“Yes, Mama.”

And then she kisses me and whispers, “How good did that feel?”

Fuck, she heard. Did she coach him?

She gives me another kiss.

“Did you…?”

“What? Tell him to say that?” She smiles. “Nope, that was all him.”

“Go, Mama,” Sasha says, shoving at her. “Dino is playing.” Then he flicks his gaze at me. “Good Daddy.”

“Are we ready?” Alina’s at the door. She doesn’t quite look at me.

“Yep.” Erin gets up and they leave.

I’m guessing they’re going for coffee or something, first as the appointment isn’t for a few hours.

We play a little longer, and then I take Sasha up to change him from his pajamas. “What do you want to do today?”

“Climb a hill! Play!” Then he frowns and suddenly his entire face lights up. “Park! Park!”

I chuckle. This kid loves that park. I’m guessing hill and the generic play were his lead up to park.

“Okay, we’ll go to the park. Do you want to go to a new park?”

“New?”

“One you haven’t been to.”

Sasha thinks about this. “Slide?”

“It’s got a slide,” I say gravely. “And swings.”

“Okay. ”

The park I’m thinking of is on the other side of the city, in a rich area, and one where I can get close to the doctor’s office. Not to mention it’s an easy trip to the hospital to drop in on Ilya.

Because I’ve got Sasha for the morning, I stop and get fries and milkshakes. Fries because I’m a fucking pushover when it comes to this kid and he loves fries and milkshakes because I’ve decided it’s got milk in it, which is good for him.

It’ll never hold up in court, but then again, I’m the fucking head of a powerful bratva so I can do what I like.

I hand Sasha his milkshake after we arrive at the park, my men already there.

Personally, I really don’t need to travel with an entourage, but when it’s my son, and with everything going on, my senses still fucking tingling like there’s trouble on the horizon, I do.

When I get the clear text, I open the back door. “We’re here.”

His eyes widen, and he bounces in his seat as I go to release him. “Daddy? My new park?”

“Yeah.” I’m not debating ownership with a two-year-old.

The moment he’s down he spies the kid slide and takes off at a run for it, fast as his chubby little legs will take him. I follow along, my strides eating up the space so he’s not outside of reaching distance.

This park is big, about three times bigger than the one Erin takes him to. And it has a lot more things to climb and explore and Sasha throws himself into it all, slide first.

“Look at me!” His cry lifts my heart and I grin and clap, cheering him on. “Catch me, Daddy!”

I oblige, scooting in and nabbing him as he heads down, feet first, screaming the entire way.

“More!”

He goes down the slide a few more times, and then we hit the swings. There’s a big kid slide that both entices him and scares his pants off, so I go down with him, managing to squeeze myself onto it.

And together we play. There’s a lot to do. He chases me, and I chase him, windmill him when I catch him, and then I hold him so he can pretend to be one of the bigger kids and attack the jungle gym.

There’s even a small maze and Sasha giggles as I chase him through it, letting him stay just out of reach. And honestly, this is the most fun I’ve had in ages, maybe since I can remember. That innocent fun of childhood that somehow slipped me by.

But it’s something I’m determined to give my boy.

I scoop him up and he screams and giggles. “Put me down, Dino!”

“Never. I’m gonna eat you.”

“No!!!”

And I blow raspberries on his tummy as he wiggles and giggles to get free.

We’ve been there about an hour when I realize we have to go and I tell Sasha.

He stamps his foot, crosses his arms, frowns and demands, “More! More!”

Sasha’s so fucking cute and his little pout that adorable that I cave. “One more slide, okay?”

“More.”

“We’ll come back next week,” I say. “Make it our ritual.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Next week. And maybe we can go see Uncle Ilya today.”

His face brightens. “Chocklit?”

“Okay.” I bend down. “But don’t tell your mama.”

He throws his arms around me and I scoop him up and take him back to the car, securing him into his child seat.

Luckily, he falls asleep as I drive to where the doctor’s office is. I park a few doors down over on the other side of the street.

I’m early, but so are they. Trouble is, I can’t tell a fucking thing about the visit other than they head toward the clinic with determination. I glance in the rearview mirror. Sasha’s sound asleep, his goat with him, and he looks so adorable that if I was a different man, I’d cry.

Clenching my jaw, I watch as the girls walk into the clinic.

One of them has to be pregnant. I vaguely remember when I set up the appointment for Alina years ago, thinking one day she’ll get married and have kids and that I wanted the best for her in women’s care, especially for pregnancy, and this doctor had some of the best credentials around.

But if one of them is pregnant, which one? Alina might be pregnant with Max’s child. However, I’d like to think, if she was, she’d have told me about Erin, or me as well as Erin. We’re close, close enough for that, definitely. And I’d be one hundred percent behind her if she was.

And Erin?

Shit, this fucking idiotic wedding bullshit with Stefina’s complicated things enough that she might not confide in me if she found out she was pregnant.

I swallow hard.

Another baby?

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about that possibility or the fact she just might keep it from me. If it’s her, is it going to turn out to be like Sasha all over again?

Worse, is she going to try to rip Sasha from my life?

And if I can’t get out of the Stefina thing? I refuse to let that happen, but worst case, if it does, then she’s got every right to move out. Even if I set her up, it wouldn’t be the same.

Fuck. I’ll bring the world down, burning in war before I let? —

My phone buzzes, breaking my doomed thought stream.

I pick it up from the seat next to me. Ilya.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

“You need to come to the hospital right now.”

“I was going to bring Sasha?—”

“Alone.”

I frown, plugging the phone in and starting the engine. “Is everything okay with you?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Ilya’s voice fills the car as I pull out into the traffic. “But I need you now.”

I drive home, and hand Sasha over to Olga, then text Erin to let her know Ilya needs me but I’ll be back when I can. Then I head to the hospital, putting the whole maybe baby situation out of my head.

It’s all conjecture anyway, and thinking about it is only going to drive me crazy and take up precious real estate that could be given to the Stefina/Sergio issue.

Oh, I’ll deal with the who might be pregnant drama later, but as I head inside the hospital, I pick up a couple of coffees from the fancy cafeteria and go up to the private and now very secure wing where Ilya is.

The hospital security’s already now top notch but this wing’s next level.

My only regret is I didn’t set it up when Erin came in.

For a checkup and a stay overnight, I remind myself. I didn’t know and I can’t walk about putting up the equivalent of royalty level security at every fucking turn.

I took Sasha to the park, for fuck’s sake and it was fine. Erin’s out with only a couple of guys watching her. High-level guys, but only a couple.

Finally, I walk into Ilya’s room and put his coffee down on the table that he has set up as a workstation.

He looks better than he did the other day, and I know part of that’s because he’s working .

There are fewer tubes and drips and machines hooked up to him, but he’s still wired for sound as the beeps and blips announce.

When I sit, Ilya lets out a noisy breath.

“Oh, good, you’re paying attention.”

“What is it?”

He’s speaking Russian, which tells me it’s important. “I’ve discovered some things you might be interested in. I think you said people were waiting in the wings to pick apart Niko’s holdings, and you had an eye on some land and some of his operations.”

“Someone else swoop in?”

I’m sure there’s a made man or a second in the wings, but that shit takes time to set up. Many will sell off or make deals. But the air Ilya’s wearing says that’s off the table.

“Niko’s cousin from out of town has just stepped in. Has his own setup already and taking over is a matter of simple expansion and absorption.”

“Does the cousin have a name?” I should know the name. The fact I don’t make it interesting. Niko was never one to hide powerful connections, so maybe there’s something there…

“Rocco.”

“What do we know about him?”

“Just the bare basics. He isn’t Chicago-based, doesn’t seem to have dealings here, but it makes sense for him to step in and take over.”

“Is he looking to sell?”

“He’s not as far as I know.”

“You win some, you lose some.” I shrug. “If he comes after me, I’ll lay it on the line what Niko did.”

“The cousin’s taking over, as I said, but that’s not the interesting part. ”

“You better get to it,” I say, “or they’ll be hooking me up to some of this equipment soon.”

He just raises a brow and shoots me an unimpressed look. “Sir.”

I roll my eyes.

“Thing is, he’s got history with Sergio. It’s old, seemingly buried, but their subsidiaries still do business. I’m still digging. But… surely not a coincidence, right?”

I shrug again. I have to step carefully, as I’ve taken out two family members already. Right now, it’s on the borderline of balanced with what was done and recriminations, but… “Could be something, could be nothing.”

“Demyan.”

“We tread carefully. Send me his name and what you have, and Ilya?”

“Yes?”

“Find me proof that something underhanded is going on. If not with them, somewhere else.”

“Of course, I’ll clear my schedule.”

I switch to English. “How are you doing?”

“Bored shitless,” he says. “This is my link to sanity. Not to mention, I worry about you all with me not there to protect you.”

“I’m building a safe room.”

He just laughs and shakes his head. “That’s me.”

“You’re hooked up in here, going nowhere.”

“This is only until my checkup tomorrow and they’ll probably just downgrade me to the canula, no drip.”

“So they’re letting you out?” I frown and stand, leaning in to study him closely. “You’re too thin and you got shot. Are they idiots?”

“No, they’re the best as you well know.” Ilya fluffs a pillow one-handed. “They’re not releasing me tomorrow, but… ho pefully in the next few days, so long as I promise to take it easy.”

“Well, you’ll be staying at the mansion, or we’ll move to the penthouse until you’re back on your feet.”

“The mansion’s safer for you.”

“I’ll prep a room on the ground floor.”

He waves a hand at me. “Eh, I’ll be fine, you don’t need to do that.”

“Too bad.” I sit and cross my arms. “You’re staying at the mansion, close. Friends take care of friends, Ilya. Besides, Sasha asks about his uncle.” Then I take a breath. “He called me daddy today.”

“He did? Told you.”

I grumble an insult in Russian at him that makes him laugh.

Then he looks at me and takes a sip of his coffee. “And how is your love triangle?”

“My what?”

He completely and deliberately ignores the warning in my voice that would make others shake. “Your love triangle, how’s it going?”

“I heard you and it’s…” I roll my eyes again. “About as you’d expect. Stefina’s every bit of the nightmare we expected. And she’s getting worse, not better. It’s taking its toll on Erin.”

“I warned you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m taking her away for a couple of nights. A romantic weekend. I hope it’s enough to show her that my feelings, my real ones, lie with her.”

Ilya grins. “I know you think you’re a god in bed, but perhaps instead of sex and gifts and getaways, you show her by using actual words, too. Make sure she gets the message.”

“I plan to show her that and make sure she knows it with words, yes, and with every single way I can think of. ”

Even if it’s just holding her.

Ilya grimaces. “I know I mentioned sex, but you don’t need to back it up, and no, I don’t need to approve your moves first. Too much information, asshole.”

I laugh. And I hope, I really hope that she sticks with me through this, because things just might get bumpy in more ways than one.