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Pavel’s eyes drill into mine. “Kirill is the face of Oligarch money, but make no mistake, Ruby, Bratva blood runs in his veins just as it runs in Ilya’s. Kirill is the political link between the criminals who act to represent the people, and the underworld they all deal in. Ilya might be the Pakhan, but Kirill’s power is just as much, if not more deadly. His connections allow for manipulations unlike the kind most underground organizations will permit. He is not an enemy one wishes to make, and he holds, and hides, a fair amount of money for individuals high within the ranks of the Russian, American, Canadian, and European governments.”
I feel shaken. The man I am married to, the father of the child I nurture within my body, is far more terrifying than I initially assumed. And I always assumed he was a very dangerous man.
Glancing at the two men from the Cosa Nostra, I murmur, “So, Kirill does a lot more with his days than simply overseeing the construction of the Volk Vault Bank?”
Pavel nods. “Undoubtedly.”
I stare back at the rose bushes. “Is he in danger?”
“Kirill was trained very early to know how to protect himself. But that is why he has Dimitri.”
“Dimitri is his bodyguard?”
“Dimitri is his right hand.”
I nod, taking a long sip of my lemon water. “Thank you, Mac.”
He peers sideways at me. “For what?”
“For being honest with me.”
“Always, Ruby.”
The OBGYN’s office is done in a comforting, not over-the-top shade of rose pink. It’s clear this is an office for people with money, which is what Kirill has, and clearly wishes to spend, on me. Still, sitting with four massive bodyguards in the waiting room, isn’t exactly conducive to a stress-free environment.
I should have conceded when Kirill said he’d have the doctor make a house call to confirm the pregnancy and begin my prenatal care. But I’d refused, putting my foot down, because I wanted the genuine experience.
I’m thinking now that the genuine experience is overrated, as the woman across from me stares with bugged eyes. Her husband looks just as alarmed by the sight that I am with my four big, tatted, clearly dangerous, guards.
I shift, uneasy in my chair, relieved when the nurse calls, “Leah,” and the woman and her husband flee.
“I should have let Kirill pay for the house call.”
“Nonsense.” Maxim bumps my side with his. “We’ll get that ice cream you like after this. Make a day of it.”
Maxim always makes me smile. “I’d like that. Thank you.”
“Kirill is on his way,” Pavel informs aloud after glancing at his phone.
“He is?”
“He’s not far.”
A nurse appears. She looks a little uncertain as she calls, “Ruby…”
I stand, my eyes flashing to Pavel, who also rises. “He will join you as soon as he is here.” His hand moves to the small of my back, and he urges me toward the nurse.
Her eyes flick between me and Pavel, having caught our conversation. “Are you the father?”
“He is on his way.”
“Oh—” She looks even more uncomfortable. “Um?—”
“I will wait outside the door.”
“We don’t usually allow that.”
Pavel doesn’t even smile at her as he says, “You will make an exception.”
