SERGI
“Explain,” I demand as I stare at the picture in my hand. It’s black and white, grainy, but it is, without doubt, an image of a foetus.
The reason as to why I am holding it is a mystery to me, until my man hands me CCTV images of a very pregnant looking Iris, her three Shadows, and Andrei fucking Mikhailov, one of my son’s men, in a hospital in Russia. I don’t miss the fact that both Kent twins are present and very much alive, despite my son having shot one of them for me.
My teeth grind, an edgy, twitchy feeling washing over me as I think about the betrayal of my own flesh and blood.
“Sir,” my man says, no hesitation even though I know that he fears my reaction by the way his breathing quickens when I snap my gaze up to him. “The girl, Iris, the doctor said she was six months pregnant.”
I freeze. Six months.
When she arrived she was on her period, I know because it didn’t stop me fucking her but it was messier than I usually like, and then…nothing. She was only with me for three weeks, but that was six months ago.
This baby is mine. My property.
“Boy or girl?” I snap, looking back down at the image with fresh eyes. If it’s a girl, well, there are always alliances to be made, perhaps a marriage with the Volkovs, since clearly Nikolai is not in Russia to deal with them. And if it’s a boy…well, then I have a new heir and can rid myself of the disappointment my first has turned into.
“A boy, sir.”
A smile lifts my lips, my eyes travelling over the unborn child. My son.
“And where are they all now?” I question, glancing up at my man, who flinches ever so slightly. I’ll allow it, though usually he would earn a beating for showing such weakness, but I’m in a forgiving mood, having just discovered that I am soon to be a father.
“Still in the hospital, but I believe all being well, she will be discharged soon and they will return to the cabin they’ve been staying in.”
I chuckle, the sound dark and full of amusement. Nikolai thought that he hid his Russian cabin away, that I didn’t know about it. Stupid boy. He should have learned that I am always one step ahead of him. That I know everything.
“Good. Why don’t we organise a welcoming party for them, hmm?” I order, and his lips quirk into a devious smile as he gives me a nod.
“Yes, sir.”
I flick my fingers at him in dismissal, my gaze going back down to the image of my son.
The Fallen may have made it clear that any move on my part against Iris would jeopardise my connection with them and the Society, but they said nothing about the baby, my baby and my property by rights.
Anushka may have gotten away, may have slipped through my fingers all those years ago, taking my first child with her, but I will not let that happen again.
This child belongs to me, even if I have to carve him from his mother’s womb when the time comes.
HUNTER
Vibrations jar me awake, and I blink my eyes open just as they stop, only to start up again. The antiseptic smell hits my nose, reminding me we are still in the hospital, waiting for the doctors to give Iris and the baby the all-clear.
I reach for my phone, which I placed on the small table next to Iris’s bedside before I wrapped her in my arms and we fell asleep. My brows dip when I see the name on the screen.
“Hunter?” Kai Matthews asks, and suddenly I’m wide awake, wondering what shit is about to hit the fan now.
“Kai? What’s up? Is Lilly and the baby okay?” I ask, my voice husky from sleep as I gently extract myself from the bed, Iris staying asleep and snuggling into Nik’s side. His eyes are open, his brows drawn down as he watches me.
“Yes, they’re fine. It’s you that I’m worried about,” he says, and my heart thunders as I reach for the door, peering out before stepping from the room and shutting it behind me. I don’t move away, I can’t be that far from my family, not if the tone of Kai’s voice is any indication. “Well, Iris and her baby technically.”
“How the fuck do you know about that, Kai?” I ask, wracking my brain to try and remember if we mentioned Iris’s pregnancy to the Knights but coming up blank.
“That really doesn’t matter right now, Hunter. What does matter is Sergi knows, and he’s waiting for you back at that hidden cabin of Nikolai’s,” Kai tells me, and all the blood freezes in my veins. Fuck. “He also has eyes on the hospital.”
“How the fuck do you know about that? About all of this?” I snarl, my terror making my skin itch.
“Again, it’s not important. What is of paramount importance is getting you all out in one piece. There is a car waiting in the staff car park, back exit, black and with one of our guys in it. It will take you all, including Nikolai and his two men, to a private airstrip where our jet is waiting for you. That will take you to our private island off the coast of Bali. You should be safe there, it’s off-grid and no one knows about it except us.” His words and the urgency of his tone have my senses sharpening, my eyes darting around as if Sergi’s men will jump out at any moment. “But you have to leave now, Hunter. Right now.”
“Fuck, okay. Thanks, Kai, for the heads-up and well, all of this,” I rush out, turning and placing my hand on the doorknob.
“Not necessary, just returning the favour we owe,” he replies, the call cutting off and details of the car coming through immediately, as well as the driver so I know he’s legit.
Stepping through the door, I find them all awake, Iris looking sleepily around.
“We have to go. Now,” I declare, going over to Iris and taking the monitor off her.
“Hunt! What the f—” I interrupt her before she can stop me, adrenaline coursing through me.
“No time, baby. I’ll explain on the way, just trust me for now, okay?” I dart a glance to her face, the pinch of her brows hurting me. Shit, she needs to keep calm, but this is not a relaxing situation. If Sergi knows we’re here, he’ll know about Iris and probably suspect that she is carrying his baby.
“Okay, Daddy,” she whispers, letting me pick her up, her hands coming to wrap around my neck.
“Back exit, staff car park. Get Bubby, Dima and Andrei too,” I order Nik, who gives a sharp nod, swiping the screen on his phone and calling his men who I know were in the family room down the corridor with Bubby.
Rowan opens the door, checking like I did before he gives a nod and heads out, Roman after him, then Iris and I with Nik behind us. We’re walking down the hall when Andrei, Dima, and Bubby join us, Dima heading up front with Rowan. We get a couple of strange looks from the night staff, but otherwise there’s not many people around and we’re uninterrupted as we make our way to the stairs that will bring us out at the right exit.
“What is it with you guys and always taking the stairs,” Iris huffs, and I chuckle, pulling her closer as I walk as quickly as I can down the stairs while not jostling her too much.
Rowan and Dima have the exit open when we reach the bottom, dipping their heads to say it’s all-clear, and just like Kai said, a shiny black people carrier with blacked-out windows is waiting. The driver is by it, the doors open, and he fits the description Kai gave, so I give the guys a nod, letting them check the inside.
“Clear,” Rowan says as he pokes his head out. Andrei gets in first, settling into the last row of seats in the back, Rowan next to him, then Bubby.
I get in the middle seats with Iris, Nikolai following, and we place her between us. Roman, like the brat he clearly still is, sits himself on Nik’s lap with a grin, and I watch as Nik’s only reaction is to pull him closer, placing the seat belt over them both. There’s a flare of jealousy as my Baby Boy snuggles into Nik, but it warms my chest to know that he’s getting all the love and care he deserves. Dima climbs in next to the driver, and just as I buckle Iris in, the driver takes off.
“Mr Griffiths instructed some weapons be left for you in the back,” he tells us, his dark eyes catching mine in the rearview mirror. “And Mrs Knight insisted on a blanket for Iris.”
“Mrs Knight?” Iris asks as Rowan hands the blanket to me from the back. She pulls the blanket around her as both Nik and I try to tuck her in, and her lips twitch with a smile that I’m so fucking grateful for.
“It’s Lilly’s surname. She took it when they all got married, well, handfasted,” I explain, and I catch the considering light in her eyes as she thinks about it. “You already have my surname, Peaches. You’re my wife.” The note of possession in my voice makes the last part come out as a growl. I can’t help it though, she’s my wife, and I don’t plan on sharing that with any of the others, no matter what they try.
“Just thinking, husband,” she sasses, licking her bottom lip, and although another rumble leaves my chest, I’m beyond fucking glad that she’s somewhat back to normal. I need her to be okay, especially given the shitshow we are in. “Can you now tell me what the hell is going on? And, Rowan, I know you weren’t about to give a fifteen-year-old a fucking gun.” She doesn’t even look at him, her eyes fixed on me, and I bark a laugh, but her eyes narrow. “He’s too young to be put in that position, Hunt.”
I sigh, taking the gun that Rowan passes me and tucking it into the back of my jeans, safety on. “I won’t compromise on your protection, Peaches, and Bubby has shot a gun before, so he gets one. For now, at least,” I say, my tone firm, and her jaw clenches but she doesn’t say anything else. “I got a call from Kai Matthews, one of Lilly’s husbands. He told me that Sergi has discovered about the baby, that it’s his, and is waiting with his men back at our cabin, plus keeping watch on the hospital.”
The guys curse around me, but I keep my gaze focused on Iris, who turns pale, not that she was her normal colour before. Her hand flutters to her stomach, trembling.
“H–he knows?” she whispers, the whites of her eyes showing as she looks at me. “How?”
“Maybe one of the doctors,” Nik snarls, cursing in Russian. “This must mean that he knows about Roman and that I’ve betrayed him.” He lets out a hard exhale.
“Most likely,” I tell him, darting my gaze to his. I can almost see his mind racing, see the plans he’s forming and then discarding. Roman snuggles into him more, and Nik places a kiss on the side of his head, looking less frantic. “For now, the Knights are sending us to their private island in Bali. No one knows about its existence, so we should be safe.”
“Sweet!” Bubby exclaims, and I dart a glare at him. His eyes widen, his throat bobbing with his swallow. “Not the situation, that’s shit, but I always wanted to go to Bali.”
“Same,” Iris murmurs, twisting to look back at Bubby and giving him a soft smile. “It’s one of the places I never went with my dad, but I bet the island they have is beautiful.”
I’ll forgive the kid for speaking like that, but only because he made her smile. Plus, now I know we get to share this first time with her. The guys and I have never been to Bali either.
I take her hand in mine, which is cold, and I bring it up to my lips, placing a kiss on her knuckles. “Well, I guess a beach holiday won’t be so bad,” I say with a smile, and she turns those beautiful fucking eyes on me, her lips lifting like the first rays of dawn peeking over the horizon.
“It sounds perfect,” she replies, a yawn almost cracking her jaw.
“Come, rest on me, Peaches.” I wrap my arm around her, tugging her in so her head is on my shoulder. “I’ll wake you when we’re at the airstrip.”
She mumbles something, her eyelashes fluttering closed as she rests her beautiful cheek against me.
The landscape passes us by as we drive, everyone keeping quiet or sleeping. I watch it, the dark of the night, which hopefully aids our escape.
We can’t run from Sergi forever. One day, we will have to face him and he will pay for all the wrongs he committed against my family, Nik included, but for now, I can give Iris some rest. Let her enjoy the calm before the epic storm that will wash over us.
I just have to hope and pray that it doesn’t wash us away.
