Knocked Up by the Russian (Nikolai Bratva Brides #3)

Chapter 5 - Amy

Feeling numb, Amy followed Ivan from his apartment's underground parking lot to his apartment door. It stood ajar, but so did Adrian's. Something told her that was on purpose.

Besides, with Ivan's connections to the Bratva, she had no doubt the security here was airtight. They had too many enemies for it not to be. Actually, if she was entirely honest with herself then he, and the rest of his brothers, probably owned this whole damned building. No one was getting in or out without him knowing—which Ivan only confirmed when he walked right in without reaching for the gun she knew was holstered under his suit jacket.

"Amy," a familiar voice breathed, snapping her from her thoughts. She looked up just in time to see Zia rushing toward her. "Oh my god, are you alright?"

"I—" she began, but words failed her. Her head was spinning; it had been ever since she'd opened that package. Unable to speak, she shook her head and mouthed, "No."

Zia pulled her into a hug, her expression sympathetic when she finally let go. "Come sit down. You've had a rough day."

Amy laughed derisively, her eyes prickling. That's an understatement . Her mind flashed to the threatening contents they'd found in the package, and just thinking about the bullet left her sick. Boris's face flashed through her mind. The blood that had sprayed from the wound and onto Eclipse's marble floors. Who cleaned it up? Her whole body started to shiver. She'd walked past the room earlier that day, drawn to the place starring in last night's nightmares.

"Amy?" Zia murmured quietly, drawing her back into the present. Amy heard a ringing in her head. "Are you okay, hon?"

Tears trickled down her cheeks as Amy smiled uncertainly—and a sob caught in her throat. Boris's mouth gaped wide in her mind, and she hiccuped as her stomach curdled. Her mouth opened and closed, but the words got stuck in her throat and tears continued to spill. Then, to make matters worse, Zia's eyes sparkled with tears for her . And all Amy could think about was how angry she was going to be when she heard about the job interview.

"Everything's going to be okay," Zia murmured softly, wrapping her arms around Amy in a tight embrace. Tight enough that she could feel Zia trembling, and that only deepened her guilt.

Please don’t hate me for this, Zia.

Amy squeezed her eyes shut, desperate to regain control. When she opened them again, Ivan's intense gaze pierced her from across the room. He'd moved toward the living room, retrieving the bullet and the paper from his pocket, and laid them on the coffee table with a grim expression.

Sitting on the couch with his laptop in front of him, Adrian blinked at the items before returning his focus to his screen.

"What's that?" Mikhail asked from the windows as Kostya picked up the piece of paper.

"A job offer," Ivan answered, his voice cold. But that wasn't what pierced Amy's heart. It was the confusion on Zia's face as she released her.

"For who?" she asked, her brow wrinkled as she gently dragged her to Ivan's leather couch and sat her down. "Were you looking for another job?" she asked Amy.

Amy tried to explain again, but a sob spilled out instead. Zia's confusion was swept away by sympathy as she wrapped her arms around her again. "It's okay. You're allowed to make your own choices."

"No, you don't understand." Amy’s body shook as her breath hitched.

"It's okay," Zia replied gently, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm sure you had a good reason."

No, I really didn't, Amy couldn't help but think as she spilled the truth. The words tumbled together in her haste. "I—I'm so sorry; I know I should've mentioned something, but you've been so happy, and I didn't want to ruin anything. I was supposed to go to the interview tomorrow, but then last night—"

"What happened last night?" Zia interrupted as Ivan walked back into the room, his tie loosened and an open bottle of bourbon in his hands.

"I accidentally walked in on something," Amy admitted, her voice small. None of the men looked surprised, and she remembered that Ivan had been speaking to them last night. They were already aware. "There was a dead body—Zia. No, wait, before you say anything. I know I should've been more careful." Fresh tears spilled out as Zia's face darkened. Before Amy could say anything further, Zia turned to the rest of the room.

"Why the hell were you conducting Bratva business at the club?" she snarled, furious.

"It's not their fault," Amy interrupted, but Zia was already shaking her head and she mumbled the rest as her friend grew angrier. "I should've been more careful."

"No. This isn't about you being more careful, Amy. The Bratva shouldn't have been there at all. That's the one thing I asked for when I hired you," Zia snapped, her voice loud and sharp enough to wake Alexander—Amy hadn't even realized he was there until he let out an upset wail from another room. " Lev, you guys promised."

"I promise, I had nothing to do with this one, Malyshka," he muttered before jogging toward Ivan's home office, obviously eager to leave before Zia lost her temper. He disappeared down the hallway, returning with the baby in a sling as Zia stood up from the couch, hands on her hips.

"Well?" she snapped at the rest of the men. They looked at each other, waiting for someone to speak up, but no one did. Well, no one except for Kostya, who held his hands up innocently.

"Wasn't me."

"Mikhail? Ivan?" Zia's eyes narrowed at Ivan, and he grimaced, slipping a finger through the collar of his shirt to loosen it further. A vindictive part of Amy liked how stressed he looked under Zia's angry glare.

"Zia, it isn't their fault. Ivan did try to warn me, but I was distracted. I should've been more careful." Especially after last time , Amy sighed as she got up from the couch. The lack of sleep was finally starting to catch up to her—it was either that or the emotions leaving her feeling drained. The words Ivan had spoken in the car rang out in her head and Amy felt sick. What's going to happen to my family?

"What are we going to do now?" she asked softly, interrupting whatever Zia had been about to say. She swallowed harshly, trying to dispel the lump that had settled in her throat. "My mom's at work, and I don't even know where my siblings are. What if someone tries something with them? What if they get hurt because of me?" Her breath disappeared just thinking about that.

"No one's going to hurt you or your family," Ivan growled, and she turned to face him.

The promise in those ocean-blue depths steadied her breath and her panic eased just like it had the night before. Only this time there was no way she could hide her face in his shirt, and the look in his eyes left her with a shiver. Ivan broke his stare as he sat down next to Adrian, fingers running through his hair. Resentment aside, she knew he meant it. He'd never broken any promises he'd made before.

"I take it you have a plan," Mikhail said as he handed the bullet and the letter to Lev.

Some fucking plan , Amy thought as she looked at Zia. Emotions played over her friend's features; anger, guilt, regret. A lot of them were the same as what Amy was feeling as they both stared at the objects in Lev's hands.

"We're getting married," Ivan said as he drank from the bottle, and Amy flushed when Zia's gaze snapped toward her.

The room went silent at his declaration. Adrian was the only one who didn't look surprised. In fact, he looked rather grim as he finally closed his laptop and rubbed between his eyebrows. Amy wasn't surprised when he was the first one to speak. His eyes flicked toward her, seemingly apologetic. "Boris' death was uncalled for but predictable. Your entrance, on the other hand, wasn't. Everyone's on edge as it is, so if Ivan hadn't said the two of you are engaged, then you would've ended up dead. Threat aside, there's an expectation. The men wouldn't have allowed you to pretend for a few weeks and just break it off."

"You're saying we would've had to go ahead with it anyway?" Amy questioned, her voice cracking as she looked to Zia for answers. Zia bit her bottom lip, her expression worried. "So... regardless of the threat I've been sent, I'm forced to marry Ivan. Is that what you're saying?"

"Correct," Mikhail answered before anyone else could. Amy's eyes flashed toward Ivan, her anger flaring out of nowhere. Did he know that?

Ivan's face was blank and she hated how it left her wondering what he was thinking. She shouldn't give two shits about his thoughts. Glancing toward his brothers, his tone was cold as he spoke. "None of the men from last night would have sent that package. It just doesn't make sense. They're old motherfuckers—but I've known them since I was a kid. Calling Amy mine should've been enough to satisfy their curiosity."

Kostya snorted, muscles bunching as he folded his arms across his chest. "Gossip spreads, Vanya. The Bratva playboy finally found his match, do you think they wouldn't have run to tell everyone?"

"He's right," Lev agreed with a sneer. "They're worse than a bunch of teenage girls."

Amy blinked, not sure what she should say to that. Then who sent the package?

"Maybe someone should fucking remind them to keep quiet. We've already lost three high-ranking men due to the shit that Boris was involved in," Mikhail shook his head, jaw clenched with irritation—and even knowing him as she did, Amy felt her pulse quicken. This was the Bratva Pakhan. No matter how comfortable she was with the rest of Ivan's family—no matter how many times she'd seen Mikhail with his twins cradled in his arms, the man still left her heart racing with terror whenever he got mad.

"I'll handle the men," Lev murmured, fingers scratching at his five o'clock shadow. "It's the least I can do."

Mikhail nodded before facing Amy. "I'm sorry you got involved; the men were there under my orders, therefore, I take some responsibility for this and I hope you'll forgive me. We'll do our best to ensure that you and your family are kept safe. Unfortunately, this protection does come at a cost—but we can't renegade on what you both told the men last night."

As she nodded, Amy felt herself growing dizzy. This wasn't what she'd envisioned when she overheard Ivan on the phone with his brothers. Though, she probably should've known better considering most of them had gotten married in similar ways.

"We can't dismiss the threat. Something isn't right there. How the fuck do you even get a bullet engraved?" Ivan asked, not meeting her eyes.

"It's probably real silver," Kostya chipped in, brow furrowed as he studied it again. "Or at the very least, the gunpowder must have been removed beforehand. You'd have to be really fucking stupid to use heat on a real bullet."

Adrian nodded, reaching toward the bullet as Kostya put it down. "That would mean there was more planning. How many hours do you think it takes to make something like this?" He scratched his jaw just like Lev had, brow furrowed. "I'm not saying it's impossible, just that it's either something that could've been in the making for a little longer than we thought or—"

"Someone spent enough money to get it sorted," Ivan finished, eyes flashing furiously as he disputed his brother's words. "Which could be anyone in the Bratva, the cartel, or even the mafia. You know as well as I do that money can buy anything."

"Adrian, you and Kostya can find that out," Mikhail said gruffly as he waved his hand, glancing outside once more. "Ivan. I want you on wedding plans. Don't fucking call my wife to help you. You're not going to drag the rest of us into that shit."

Ivan rolled his eyes at the other men's sniggers, but Mikhail ignored them as he continued. "Word will be spread through the ranks that you're getting married—but make sure you send a few invitations out, too. Maybe that will give us a bit more time before the next package arrives."

Amy stared at him, her eyes wide. "The next package?"

Mikhail nodded, his face as grim as the rest of the men around her. "It's safe to assume there will be another one."

Exhaling a shaky breath, she dropped her gaze as she sat down on the couch, curling her arms around her knees. Zia settled in beside her, rubbing her back.

"Everything's going to be okay," Amy heard her murmur as she closed her eyes. She didn't even have the energy to admit what she really felt—that nothing felt okay anymore. I'm getting married , she thought numbly, stopping herself before she laughed. Her body felt weighed down by the weight of her thoughts. Planning a marriage? The idea was ridiculous. How was she supposed to tell her mother? The weight of that thought sent a fresh wave of dread crashing over her. It was all too much.

Amy squeezed her eyes shut until the world around her grew quiet, and she could give in to the sleep she desperately needed.

***

A few hours later, Amy woke up to find that everyone except for Ivan had left. Sitting up, she found herself wrapped in a thick woolen blanket. She leaned against the back of the couch and pulled it closer, smelling Ivan's cologne.

He probably used this last night, she thought as her eyes scanned the room. She didn't know why she expected him to leave her downstairs, but it was clear soon enough that he hadn't. Sitting where her feet had been, he slept with his head tipped back at an odd angle that left her feeling like he'd been looking at her when he fell asleep.

Impossible , she thought as she took the time to study his grumpy expression. His eyes were scrunched, jaw clenched, and brows furrowed.

I'm surprised he has any teeth left , she thought as his cheeks twitched. Her mouth curled with amusement as he let out a soft snore. Shadows played across his features, and she glanced over to where the TV was on but muted. Seeing the sports channel was unexpected, and she snorted before she could stop herself.

When she turned back to Ivan, she froze, her heart quickening at the sight of his open eyes. Without moving, he looked at her with an expression that almost seemed vulnerable— it couldn't have been, though. Right?

Voice husky, he reached toward where she'd curled up, then dropped his hand. Something... paper crinkled at that movement, and she saw the job offer stuck in the creases of the couch between them. Her brow furrowed as she wondered how it got stuck there, but the thought disappeared in the next moment when Ivan spoke, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Why were you planning to leave me?"

Amy blinked. Leave him , not Eclipse. A strange feeling settled in her chest at his words, and she tugged the blanket tighter as she lay down again. She wouldn't touch that subject with a ten-foot pole.