I smile at the images it puts in my head. “Behave, Kolya. This is hard enough without you putting ideas like that in my head.” I can easily picture my big, strong man in a kilt, and he doesn’t know it yet, but he’s totally getting one for Christmas.
“Something tells me I’m not going to like where that mischievous grin of yours is leading,” he says, studying me from the chair. After a few seconds, he says, “Russians don’t wear kilts, Moira, so don’t even think about it.”
I laugh and go back to my food while he sits back and opens the book again.
“Behave and I’ll do the accents for you.”
Smiling, I settle back under the covers and put the food on my lap, finishing while I listen to him read about a timid duchess being happily ravaged by the Scottish highlander who’s kidnapped her to protect her from her dastardly husband. His deep voice with the slight accent is perfect for listening to, and he does the Scottish accents surprisingly well. I’m amazed at his ability to make me forget about everything that’s bothering me. I know I should be worrying about the future and my club and a million other things, but right now, I’m completely at peace, listening to Nikolai’s voice until I finally fall back asleep.
The next morning has me waking to a powerful headache and a stiff neck from the less-than-awesome hospital pillow.
“She needs her rest,” I hear Nikolai say from right outside my door.
“We’ve waited long enough, Mr. Sokolov.” I don’t recognize the man’s voice, but he doesn’t sound happy.
Another man’s voice jumps in and says something in Russian. Nikolai responds, and even though I don’t understand the words, I can tell he’s not pleased. When he peeks his head into the room and sees that I’m awake, his face immediately softens. He walks over and kisses my head.
“Morning, baby. How do you feel?”
“I miss my pillow,” I say, sighing when he starts to rub my sore neck.
“I hate to ask, but do you feel well enough to talk to the police. I’ve put them off as long as possible. They’re refusing to leave.”
“It’s okay. I’ll talk to them.” I sit up a bit more and brush back my hair as two men walk into my room. The one leading the way is an older man who’s out of uniform and carrying about fifty pounds more than he needs to be, and the other man is younger, uniformed, and keeps shooting nervous looks at an annoyed looking Nikolai.
“Sorry to bother you, Ms. O’Connor. I’m Chief Belov, and this is Officer Johnson.”
“This is Gina’s dad,” Nikolai cuts in, motioning towards Chief Belov.
“Oh, hi,” I say, remembering the stories I’ve heard about him and how badly he wanted to arrest Dmitri and the others for illegal fighting. “I’ve met your daughter. She’s really helped me out a lot since I moved here, and your grandson is just adorable,” I can’t help but add.
Chief Belov smiles and it transforms his face when he does so. It makes him look younger and healthier, and there’s no denying how much he loves his family. I can see it in the way his eyes light up at the mention of them. “Yeah, he’s got us all wrapped around his chubby little finger, that’s for sure,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve just been informed that you’re expecting. Congratulations to the both of you.”
It still feels surreal to think about being pregnant, and all I can do is smile and nod my head in thanks and lean into Nikolai even more.
Chief Belov takes a step closer and grabs a notepad from his pocket, opening it to a blank page before lifting his eyes back to mine. “I’m sorry to bother you at the hospital, but we really need to ask you a few questions.”
Nikolai keeps his hand on my shoulder, caressing my skin with his thumb and giving me a soft squeeze every now and then to remind me that I’m not alone.
“Usually, it could wait a little bit,” Chief Belov continues, “but since someone died, we really need to get this sorted out.”
Nikolai’s hand squeezes me again as I blurt out, “Someone died?” I look up at him, but his eyes aren’t telling me anything except that everything is going to be fine.
“Yes, Sean Gallagher.”
The whole room starts to spin as I suck in a deep breath and bring my hand to my head, willing myself to not pass out. Nikolai leans in close to me, pressing his mouth to my ear. “It’s okay, baby. Just breathe. Everything’s going to be okay.”
I concentrate on his voice, letting it anchor me to the here and now. My mind races while I try to take everything in. It’s not so much that I felt a gut-wrenching pain at the news of Sean’s death. I’d be lying if I said I was torn up about it. It’s more that it’s just such a complete surprise and shock. What the hell was he even doing there?
Nikolai kisses my ear before turning to look at the two men. “Are you sure this can’t wait?”
I look up in time to see the way Officer Johnson pales a bit at the hard tone of Nikolai’s voice.
Chief Belov doesn’t bat an eye, though. “Yes. I’m sorry, but it can’t.” He turns back to me. “What do you remember about that morning?”
I think for a second and lean into Nikolai’s touch. “I got to the club early. I was going to make some flyers and print out some coupons before opening up. There wasn’t anyone there or hanging around when I parked in front. I came in and went to the office.”
“Did you lock the door behind you?” Chief Belov asks while scribbling down some notes.