Page 61 of Toxic Salvation (Krayev Bratva #2)

VESPER

It’s a good day.

I’m back in my pre-baby jeans without having to lie down on the bed to zip them. My boobs look fantastic with some extra padding, courtesy of my always-hungry baby boy. And Kovan has agreed to let me visit St. Raphael’s to check on my patients and have a face-to-face discussion with Richard.

The word “let” grates on me, but I push the irritation down. Pick your battles, Vesper.

It takes me about an hour to check in with all my patients and have a pow-wow with Dr. Walters about their statuses.

There’s a tiny part of me that’s annoyed by how well she’s doing in my absence.

My replacement is competent, thorough, and the kids love her.

I should be thrilled. Instead, I feel oddly territorial about my job, which makes me feel petty and small.

But I’m happy for my patients. I picked a worthy candidate. I only hope I still have a job waiting for me when I return.

I walk into Richard’s office with a huge smile, truly grateful that I don’t have to deal with that snake Jeremy any longer. Because my man handled him completely. Just like he handles every single problem that comes his way.

“Hello, Richard.” I settle into the leather chair across from his desk.

He stands and offers me coffee—I can drink coffee again, finally—and then we settle into polite small talk. How’s the wife? How are the kids? Is the hospital doing okay?

I find that I enjoy the conversation more than I expected. Turns out, spending most of your time with an infant sets a low bar for adult interaction.

“I must say, you look great for a mom who’s only four months postpartum.”

“Thank you. I’ve taken up yoga now that I’m home all the time. I finally get what all the hype is about.”

He smiles distractedly, checking his phone for the third time since I walked in here. His leg bounces under the desk. Whatever he wants to discuss is making him nervous.

“And the baby, how’s he doing?”

“Wonderfully. My oldest, Luka, loves being a big brother. He does a lot of the babysitting for me.” I study his face, trying to read his expression. “Richard, is everything okay? You seem tense.”

“It’s a special time,” he says, ignoring my question entirely.

“It really is.” I nod, wondering where this conversation is heading.

“Which brings me to something I wanted to discuss with you.” Richard clears his throat and fiddles with his coffee mug like it holds the secrets of the universe.

I wait. He waits.

“Well?” I prod.

He clears his throat. “I was wondering if you would like to extend your maternity leave?”

I blink twice, certain I misheard. “I’m sorry… You’ll have to say that again. I don’t think I quite caught it.”

His cheeks are ruddy and flushed. “As I understand it, this is your first baby, am I right? He must be feeling neglected since the new addition?”

Now, I’m irritated. “Luka loves being a big brother. And he’s not jealous because there’s nothing to be jealous about. I love him just as much as I love Tali.”

“Of course, I didn’t mean to imply— I just— I wanted to give you the option…”

He’s not meeting my eye. Red flags are popping up everywhere.

“Like you said, this is a special time,” he says, then makes an abrupt pivot.

“My wife is a lawyer; did you know that?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer.

“She practiced right up until we had our first child. She tried to go back to work when he was six months, too, but it was too hard, juggling a career as demanding as law with raising a child. So we decided it would be better for our family if she took more time off. She ended up taking eleven years before going back.”

My blood pressure spikes. “I’m sorry, are you asking me to take the next eleven years off?”

Richard’s flush deepens. “Of course not…! I’m just offering you the chance to spend more quality time at home with your kids.”

I arch an eyebrow and fix him with my most withering stare. “And if I refuse, then what? I’m a bad mother?”

“No, no, Vesper. Of course not. I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood me.”

“Clearly. Because I’m not sure what you’re getting at, Richard. Unless you’re trying to find an easy way of telling me that I’m fired.”

Richard sighs heavily. “That’s not what’s happening here, Vesper. Your job is your job. No one’s taking it away from you.”

“So you’re saying that if I take the next ten years off and decide to come back in a decade, my job’s going to be right here, waiting for me?”

“As long as I’m still head of the board, yes; I can say that with some confidence. And honestly, with your credentials, it wouldn’t matter who’s running the board. They’re going to hire you immediately. No questions asked.”

“I still have questions.” I rise to my feet, anger building in my chest. “There’s something fishy going on here and I want to know what.”

“You’re reading too much into this, Vesper. I’m just giving you an option. It’s entirely up to you and your husband whether to take it or not.”

I freeze. “What does my husband have to do with this decision? This is my career we’re talking about. My job, my decision.”

“Of course,” Richard mutters, looking down at his desk again.

The pieces click into place. “This isn’t coming from you, is it? This is coming from Kovan!”

Richard’s flinch gives him away immediately.

“I’m right, aren’t I? Kovan called you and convinced you to suggest an extended maternity leave to me.”

Richard sighs heavily. “I didn’t want to do it. But your husband is a hard man to say no to.”

“Unbelievable!” I storm toward the door, fury building in my chest.

“Vesper, where are you going?”

“I’m going to give my husband a piece of my mind,” I snap, bolting out of Richard’s office without a backward glance.

Guess it’s not such a good day after all.

“Out!”

There are at least a dozen men standing around Kovan’s office at Krayev Headquarters. Some faces are familiar, most are not. I have no idea if they’re important business colleagues or low-level vors or something in between.

And right now, I don’t give a damn.

“Vesper?” Kovan rises to his feet, the picture of calm control, despite the fact that his eyebrows have shot up toward his hairline.

“Did you not hear me?” I snarl. “I need a moment alone with my husband. Which means I need all of you to get out. Now.”

There’s a brief pause. The men all turn to Kovan, waiting for his permission. He gives them a curt nod, and only then does everyone start shuffling toward the door.

Even that pisses me off.

“That was quite the entrance,” Kovan remarks once we’re alone. “Those jeans look incredible on you, by the way.”

“Flattery isn’t going to help you here.”

“I wasn’t trying to flatter you.” He rounds his desk. “I was just being honest.”

“Honest, huh? That’s interesting. I wasn’t aware that you were capable of honesty.”

He pauses. “How was your meeting with Richard this morning?”

“Screw you!”

He sighs like he expected no less. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Richard doesn’t strike me as the subtle type.”

“This is not his fault. Just like forcing me into early retirement was not his idea.”

“That was never my intention.”

“So what’s the deal, Kovan?” I cross my arms. “We’re married now, so I have to stay at home and be the demure little housewife? No working for me, because feminism doesn’t exist in your version of our lives?”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“And you’re being a misogynistic asshole!”

He stands there unfazed, dripping sexy confidence and masculine appeal. Which infuriates me further because, despite how mad I am at him right now, it doesn’t stop me from wanting to jump his bones.

“This wasn’t some big scheme to get you to quit your job,” he explains. “I happened to speak to Richard prior to your meeting and it came up.”

“What exactly ‘came up’?”

“Parenthood. The situation with Ihor. I figured that, with everything going on, you’d appreciate a little extra time at home with the boys.”

“There it is again,” I spit in disgust. “I resent the insinuation that if I don’t want to stay at home with the kids all the time, that makes me a bad mother. A bad woman.”

He holds up his hands. “No one said that.”

“ You are saying that! Not directly. But I can read subtext. I’ve been doing it all my life. Has anyone told you to stop working so you can spend more time with the boys?”

“No—”

“No!” I explode. “Because it’s not something that men have to deal with. This is the kind of patriarchal bullshit that women have to face all the time.”

Kovan steps forward and grabs me by the shoulders, his eyes boring into mine. “Vesper, I love that you’re a doctor. I want you to continue to be a doctor for as long as you want to be. But the boys are only going to be young once. Do you really want to miss this period of their lives?”

I shake him off. “You’re being passive-aggressive and I don’t appreciate it.”

“How am I being passive-aggressive?”

“By not leveling with me. By not being honest with me. By trying to make me think that this is selflessly motivated when it’s anything but.”

“I only want?—”

“You want me to stay cooped up in my gilded cage until you catch Ihor,” I interrupt. “Isn’t that right?”

He runs his hand through his hair. I don’t let his obvious exhaustion get to me.

“There might be some truth to that.”

I bite my lip, trying to stay calm. “I know you’re frustrated. Every day that goes by that you don’t catch Ihor stresses you out—I get that. But you can’t expect me to stop living my life because of it. You promised me that you wouldn’t make me your prisoner.”

“You’re not a prisoner, Vesper. This is just temporary… until I catch Ihor.”

“And if you never catch Ihor?”

His expression darkens dangerously. “That’s not an option.”

“Neither is staying at home full time for me,” I insist. “I love being a mother and I love my boys. But I’m a doctor and I’ve worked hard to build my career.

I’m not going to throw it all away now just to placate you.

I’m sorry, but that’s not who you married.

I won’t let you make me feel guilty for wanting more for myself than to just be a wife and mother. ”

I turn on my heel and storm toward the door. When I turn back to look at him, Kovan’s eyes have gone dark and stormy.

Damn him. He does pissed off so much better than I do.

Still, I do my best to meet his anger with my own.

“My maternity leave ends in two months. At the end of those two months, I’m going back to work. Whether you like it or not.”