Preg-Not

32

She was tired of waking up on her kidnapper's bed, but what could she do? She had no energy left.

Groggily, she rolled over on the bed. Her lower back was killing her, her feet were in tatters, and her blood sugar was low. Even if the door was wide open, she wouldn't be able to walk through it.

The soup on the nightstand had been replaced with steamy steak and mashed potatoes. Since she had no idea if the food was laced, she wanted to skip the meal. She only forced herself to sit up to eat for the babies.

She slouched against the headboard and pulled the plate to the bed. The fork fell from her limp fingers, making a mess on the white sheets. She picked it up and took slow bites.

Some energy came back to her, but not enough to get her on her feet. All she could do was stare at the door while clutching a fork. The utensil was her last line of defense.

Shadows flickered under the crack of the door, and she clutched the fork hard enough to hurt her hand.

The door opened, and the younger Italian appeared. "You're up. Good," hw said.

"When can I leave? What do you want?"

He raised a hand and raked it through his hair. "You're here for business. You're a... civilian. You wouldn't understand."

"Don't you think you owe me an explanation?" she glared, pulling the blanket tighter around her body and hiding the fork more discreetly. She should be docile, but her hormones demanded that she raged.

"You violated me and threatened my pregnancy. I deserve to know what the fuck you want."

"Look at your hand," he ordered. For a second, she feared that he noticed the fork.

"You wear no ring. Instead, you wear something more important– blood. Two Kuznetsov's are in you. Maksim Kuznetsov's children. In our world, that makes you more valuable than half of Russia. You are his property, his territory."

"I am not–"

He crossed his arms over his chest and interjected, "Be quiet. You asked, so I am answering. The mafia is not big on feminism. Call it what you want, but it is dominated by men and their... outdated views. We claim distributors, turfs, and women as property. You are Maksim's. If the rest of the underworld found out that a mafia boss had his property snatched under his nose, he would become a laughingstock. You are more than pussy to Maksim. You are his face. The proof that he can protect his... assets."

Seeing the outrage in his face, he shrugged. "Like I said, civilians would not understand. It is the way of the mafia."

"So–" she licked her lips. "What did you mean that I'm here for business?"

"Negotiation. The Russian wants you back, so he will have to pay."

"But– but– but I'm a person! How could you trade a person?"

He laughed. "Kidnapping you is a prayer compared to the other things I have done in this line of work."

She knew it was true. This life was rewarding, at the cost of your soul. It's why she didn't want her babies in the mafia world. Their light would be suffocated.

"It's nothing personal."

He turned and left.

She heard the front door close a few minutes later. "Hello?"

No one answered. She was alone.

Her paranoia conjured sick thoughts. Would they set the house on fire and burn her down with it?

She stood up to look out the window. After taking two steps, she went down. The nightstand slashed her already injured hips. She hissed and landed on her knees.

Getting back up would be impossible.

The distant sound of a helicopter mixed with her heavy breathing until it dominated all sounds. She heard nothing but the powerful blades. They were still spinning when a loud boom came from the front of the house. Someone was kicking the door down.

"Raelynn!"

She recognized that voice.

Her shoulders sagged with relief, and the fork clattered once it hit the floor.

Men yelled "clear," as they rampaged the house.

"Maksim!" she cried out just as her door came down.

The suit lowered his gun and called for Maksim, who shoved him away.

Maksim looked like a mess, but his thick, secure arms were very much welcome. He thumped on the ground, and collected her against his chest.

"Got you," he breathed. "I got you."

The embrace lasted only a second. He sat on his haunches and hovered to cover her and pawed at the blanket. He revealed her nakedness and looked for injuries.

"Are you okay? Are the okay?"

"I'm– fine..." It was hard to talk, especially with him turning and poking her anxiously.

When he found her swollen and raw feet, he growled inhumanely. "I'll kill him. I'll burn all of Italy for this."

Tucking the blanket around her, he pulled her into his arms and rushed out of the house. When she realized just how many of his men were in the house with weapons drawn, she cowered under Maksim's chin.

A helicopter was parked in the yard. She didn't know how that was possible with there being flight regulations, but she figured that crime lords must have their ways.

She was strapped in, and a doctor stormed her with questions. When it became too much, she covered her face to hide from the attention. She wasn't sure why she sobbed. Maybe it was relief, maybe she was overwhelmed. Whatever it was had her trembling hard enough that she feared the helicopter would go down.

Maksim ignored the safety protocols and kneeled in front of her. He rubbed her thighs and wrapped his hands around her to reach the small of her back. When he noticed that the gentle massage was calming her down, he focused on repeating the motions.

He only returned to his seat for landing. It was still dark outside, and the feeling of safety tempted her to fall asleep again. She knew it would be a long time before she got time alone, though, because when Maksim got her in the penthouse, there was a medical team waiting for her.

She went through question after question, prod after prod. The doctors made sure her her body was healthy, but what she needed was a doctor for her mind. She was so distressed, so exhausted, that she was backpedaling.

"The heartbeats sound very healthy," the doctor said. "You have nothing to worry about."

Maksim stared directly at Raelynn as he processed the words. He knew the truth now.

Part of Raelynn wished that she was still with the kidnappers instead of the intense male.