Page 23 of Scarlet Sins (Yegorov Bratva #2)

Chapter Nineteen

ERIN

“OMG!” Kara cries, sweeping me into a hug and a cloud of soft summer flowers with a hint of spice. “A surprise visit. Yay! I just got home from work. Are you here a while? Do you want to order pizza? It’s a shitty night with the rain, but…”

She trails off as she releases me and takes in my face.

Sasha marches in. “Daddy and me park tomorrow!”

At least I’m pretty sure that’s what he says. He goes to his room and starts dragging toys out.

I love the fact Kara has a room for him.

And I look at her to tell her this and burst into tears.

She immediately sweeps me in and shoves me on the sofa, then rushes off to return with wine and two glasses.

I look at her and cry louder. “I can’t. I’m pregnant.”

“Oh, is that all? I was worried. I’ll order the pizza and I’ll have the wine…” She gets me a soda and a big glass of chocolate milk for Sasha. She slides me a look, then turns on the TV which he plops in front of, immediately captivated by whatever cartoon is on.

“I’m good, we just decided to visit.”

“First, congratulations. I thought the tears were hormones, but your face says otherwise, so spill the hot tea and tell Aunt Kara what’s wrong.”

I toy with my soda. “Is it that obvious?”

Kara raised a brow. “I’m your best friend, remember?” She pours herself the wine. “I can always tell when something’s wrong. You just threw me with the pregnancy thing.”

The tears start again, and I gulp them back, the story coming out in fits and starts.

“You told me about the Stefina thing. And so did Alina. But she said it’s not for a long time and he’ll get out of it.”

I shake my head. “You don’t understand. This Sergio has forced Demyan to move the wedding to next week. How the fuck is he going to get out of it?”

“Erin… he promised to marry another woman, and he tells you he can’t get out of it? From all accounts, he’s very powerful, very rich. Are you sure this isn’t something he wants?”

Her words hurt, but if I was in her shoes, I’d ask the same thing, and for the briefest moment, I wonder if I’m being a fool, believing him.

But he’s being honest and that must count for something, right?

“No, I don’t think he wants it.”

She takes a sip of her wine and taps her fingers on the bench. “Thing is, powerful means he should be able to get out of it, and why did he get into it in the first place? More power? He might not want her, but he wants something. I’d hate to see him hoodwinking you.”

“He wouldn’t.”

She sighs. “After my asshole brother, this all just proves you’re too good for most men. You deserve the world. You deserve a man who should just fight for you, not have you as his bit on the side.” She looks at me as she takes my hand. “Are you sure he’s the right man for you?”

I start to cry again .

“Because from where I stand, Erin, you deserve better.”

“Kara, I love him. He’s the father of my children.

He hasn’t hit me or hurt me or cheated on me.

H-he did this to save me.” The whole business of being kidnapped and what he did to get me back comes out and she just stares.

“I can’t… I know it’s not any of what you’re saying. But I just… I don’t know what to do.”

“Your brother was right, he’s dangerous. I like Alina, but look what happened to Max. It could have happened to you, too.”

“He saved me. Ilya got shot for me. But staying and having him marry her, if that’s the only way, just might kill me.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” I whisper brokenly. “Is it unfair to say loving him and him being the father of my children might not be enough?”

“Fuck no,” she says. She straightens. “You’re staying tonight, and then tomorrow we’ll get a bunch of things and you can stay for the week. See what happens.”

I nod. And I text Demyan.

And he texts back.

Demyan

Just tonight?

Me

Yes.

And feeling like a liar, a traitor, and the weakest person on the planet, I put my phone down, knowing I don’t need to check to see if there’ll be anyone outside watching. There will be.

Kara doesn’t push me. There are times she will and times she won’t, and this is the latter. We settle and talk about her love life, about the baby, my morning sickness, the waves of apparent tsunami emotions, and, of course, how Sasha wants a pet.

“You’ll have to get him one.”

I look at her. “Really?”

“The poor little thing, how can you be cruel?”

“You and Demyan both,” I mutter, catching myself.

After Sasha’s in bed, our pizza demolished and Sasha full of cheese and sauce and sausage and chocolate milk, a terrible combination that just might make his little tummy ache later, we sit and talk.

Kara finally says, wiggling her toes on the rug as the TV plays, sound mostly down, “You have to make a decision, you know that. What if this is just the first time in a line of other women. And I don’t mean sleeping with them, but his world…

surely these marriages happen, and my concern is the reason he hasn’t found a way out is he doesn’t want to. This might suit him.”

“But—”

“After all, he could have it all. The wife with money and power attached and the woman he fucks and has his babies. You don’t strike me as a harem kinda girl, Erin.”

I glare at her. “It’s not that. It’s… he proposed to me. We had a romantic weekend where he promised he’d get out of this.”

“And yet it’s moved right on up, this wedding.

” She rests kind eyes on me. “I don’t know, Erin.

I don’t know what to think. I don’t really know him.

And while I don’t blame him for knocking you up and leaving a fake name three years ago, I do blame him for this mess.

Love isn’t a get out of jail free card.”

“He isn’t asking that,” I say.

“Isn’t he? Demyan wants you to trust him but he’s still engaged.” She turns to face me fully. “I care about you, not him. You.”

“I know, and I love you, too. This is so messy and complicated.”

“It shouldn’t be.”

And I know she’s right. I feel it, know it, deep inside. I want him to throw caution to the wind. I don’t want him to risk himself and all he has, either.

“Did you tell him about staying for the week?”

“No, I’m not sure if I should.”

“Don’t. Wait until tomorrow. Then see what he says.”

And I just agree.

Sasha and I have a full day. He grizzles because Demyan said he’d take him to the park today.

There’s a small one near Kara and though it’s still cloudy, it isn’t raining so we spend the morning there.

After we buy groceries, the guard is very helpful in carrying everything, and I suspect he’s under orders to not only stick close to me but to make sure I don’t strain myself.

We then check on Ilya, who’s off the machines and is getting ready to be discharged.

“We went to the park!” Sasha says. “Me an’ Daddy. We went down the slide and in the maze and on the jungle gym and he chased me and bit my tummy.”

He nods, proudly lifting his shirt to show his pristine and very unbitten belly.

Then he confides, “It tickled.”

Over the top of Sasha’s head, Ilya gives me a long look. “We’re working on it. Hard. Problem is, Sergio’s the kind of ba—guy who will make life hard. He’ll do what he can to bring Demyan down. But I think he might do that anyway. ”

“Control?”

Ilya shrugs. “Meeting with Demyan soon. Call him later.”

When we leave, we head back to Kara’s, the driver helping us unpack and put things away. He’s got his gun and an earpiece, too.

Kara returns early, catching the guard leave and admiring his tight ass as he goes. “Nice.” Then she points at me. “Text him.”

I do. I feel like a traitor telling Demyan I’m staying for at least a week.

“Well?”

“I just texted.”

But the thing is, he doesn’t text back and a darkness starts to weigh me down.

Someone starts banging on the front door and Kara marches off, opening it.

“Where the fuck is Erin?”

My heart leaps. Demyan. He storms in, face a thundercloud. Clearly, he didn’t take my text well but Kara’s got a small satisfied grin on her face. “I didn’t ask you in.”

“I wasn’t looking for an invite. Erin, get your things.” Sasha runs at him.

“Dino!”

He picks him up, holding him close, kissing him as Sasha clings to him and looks so proud to be taller than everyone in the room. And with his Dino.

I swallow hard, my eyes swimming with stupid tears. “Demyan, I?—”

“No, I gave you last night. One night, Erin. One fucking night. Enough. You and Sasha are coming home with me. I refuse to let you run from me again.”

“Make it worth her while, Yegorov.”

“Kara!”

But Demyan shakes his head. “She’s right. I’m not letting you go, Erin. I’m going to call this fucking wedding off with Stefina. And fuck the consequences.”

I can’t move. For a whole beat I can’t move. Then I lick my lips. “You can’t do that?”

“Yeah, I can.”

“But… but won’t Sergio be angry?”

“Bad Sergie,” says Sasha, not knowing who we’re talking about.

“I can handle him.” He holds out his hand. “Come with me. I’ll take you out for dinner.” Then he casts a glance at Kara. “You too.”

“No, I’ve got work to do tonight.” Then she steps up to him. “Hurt her and I’ll hurt you.”

He smiles and swings his attention back to me. “Well?”

I hesitate, then put my hand in his. How can I not?

We say goodbye to Kara and head out, and Demyan asks Sasha, “What do you want for dinner?”

A terrible question to ask a two-year-old, but I know what he’s going to say.

“Pizza!”

“We had that last night, Sasha.”

He frowns over Demyan’s shoulder. “Pizza!”

“Pizza,” Demyan says, chuckling, “it is. I know the best place in town.”

We drive to a small family pizza joint. It’s not upmarket, but it’s sweet and real and it’s cozy and Sasha loves it. And it’s absolutely nothing like what I imagine Demyan knowing about, let alone liking.

We’re in a little bustling Chicago neighborhood, and as I look around, feeling like a real family out together, I lean in. “This place isn’t exactly your style. Or it doesn’t seem like your style.”

He raises a brow and smiles. “There’s obviously a lot you still don’t know about me. ”

“Obviously. But if you start wearing boat shoes and pastel sweaters tied around your shoulders, I’m out.”

“Noted. I’ll get Olga to overhaul my wardrobe.”

I laugh, but he turns serious on me.

He picks up my hand, kissing it. “Erin, I meant what I said, and I hope you stick around long enough to find out all there is to know about me.”

“I thought you were fancy dinners and swanky parties where you do business deals. I thought it was all… you know… excitement.”

“There’s danger, yes, but it’s not all that, and this, you and Sasha? You’re excitement. And this, dinner in a cute little place like this with you is everything to me. And the fact that our little family is growing makes this even more special.”

I smile, his words touching me, so I lean over and kiss him and it turns passionate.

Sasha bangs on the table. “Yucky,” he says.