“Right.”
“I’ll tell you something, whoever’s making these things isn’t hurting for cash.”
I grimaced. “I’ll pay you back.”
Cassie shook her head. “Pfft. You just try it.”
The instructions on the packet seemed overly complicated and I read them all twice over with my knickers around my ankles, then tore into the plasticated foil of the packet and uncapped the lid on the flat, plastic thing that looked vaguely like a marker pen gone wrong.
I managed to avoid peeing all over myself, which was pretty good given how much my hands had started to shake, and then I sat and watched the small window in disbelief as a strong pink line developed, getting darker and darker by the second, right next to the first line.
“Oh my God, I’m having a baby.”
Cassie’s face was a carefully neutral when I came out of the bathroom again, and held the stick out to her. But her smile welled in brightly, as soon as I let out a laugh, my grin taking over.
How could this have been anything else, when I’d felt like I’d been walking on air for weeks?
“I’m having a baby, Cassie.”
“Oh sweetheart, yes you are.”
“Maxim’s going to be a daddy.”
Now all I needed to figure out was how to tell him that all the plans we’d been making had to change. I had to hope it wouldn’t bring everything crashing down. For all he said he wanted me, his whole life revolved around the Bratva. Before I came along, he hadn’t had room in his life for anyone else. In me he saw a partner, and I wanted to be one to him. I wanted to be there with him through every job he was sent on.
I didn’t want to bring up a child from hotel room to hotel room, safe house to safe house, surrounded by weapons and violence. But I didn’t want to give Maxim up either.
It was wonderful news, I just hoped he’d see it that way too. I didn’t think I’d be able to take losing everything if it wasn’t what he wanted.
I took Cassie’s hand and she must have seen the worry in my eyes because she squeezed my hand in hers. “Don’t tell anyone yet, will you Cassie? I want to be the one to let Maxim know.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t do that. Your secret is safe with me.”
CHAPTER 36
Maxim
One minute everything was fine. We were hand in hand in Kensington Gardens, enjoying the downtime before the next job came in, walking past the statue of Peter Pan and the rose gardens like a million other couples in love. The next, I spotted the two goons who’d been hanging around outside the Knightsbridge apartment, and I realised it wasn’t just me being paranoid.
They’d followed us in, past the Diana Memorial Park, and they’d come all the way here, skirting around in front of us. My instincts were prickling and I had a primal need to protect Elizabeth bubbling up in me.
I slipped my arm around her waist and changed direction, walking faster as I turned her along a different path, away from them before they saw her. The last thing I planned on doing was letting the FSB do an unnecessary clean up.
I had my mobile out in a fraction of a second. I didn’t care what time it was in Russia, Valentin needed to sort this out immediately.
“Maxim, what’s going on? I thought we were going to walk to Speaker’s Corner?” Elizabeth asked.
“Change of plan. I’ll explain later, luv. We need to leave the park now.”
The phone was still ringing, and when the call finally connected, I didn’t give Valentin time to draw breath.
“Listen Valentin, I have two fucking FSB officers doing a piss poor job of following me. You’re going to want to speak to whoever owns the bulldogs and call them off before they do something stupid.”
“What?” Valentin at least sounded passably outraged. That was something. If only a professional courtesy. “Maxim calm down. I didn’t know anything about that.”
We’d been friends for a long while, but there was a chance I’d gotten him wrong. This could be a retirement present he’d arranged for me. After all, I knew about every single hit the Bratva had arranged. That was some dangerous information to have if I wasn’t on the payroll any longer. Maybe Valentin was more ruthless than I’d given him credit for.
“That’s all well and good mate, but if one of them tries anything with Elizabeth, I’m going to have a problem. Do you hear me? And then it’s going to be your problem, because you’re going to be the one who has to explain to the President why their entrails are scattered all over Kensington fucking Gardens, do I make myself clear?”
“Maxim. Calm down.”
“Do not tell me to fucking calm down. You need to bloody tell them she’s not a threat. You need to do it now Valentin, or I swear to God, you’re going to regret it.”