Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
She peers up at me sheepishly while gathering our things. I doubt she remembers me as we met in passing at a function two years before I moved abroad. She was as shy and demure back then as she is now.
“Should you be taking this many hormones?” I ask when I notice every one of the labels is prescribed to her. “They can cause premature onset of menopause.” Sofia isn’t much older than me, and from what I’ve learned over the past month, she only has the one child. Surely, she doesn’t want to go through menopause yet.
“That’s no concern of yours.” Her words are the whisper of a church mouse—weak and extremely low.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t meaning to pry.” I swallow down the rest of my apology when the big-ticket item I should have gone for first captures Sofia’s attention.
Before I can snavel it up, she beats me to the pregnancy test. “Whose is this?” she asks while glaring at the positive result.
“Um…” I could lie, but what’s the point? “It’s mine.”
Her eyes snap to mine so fast, if she were Alek, I’d be checking him for signs of a migraine. “You’re pregnant?”
I nod, the turmoil in her voice too shocking for a vocal response.
“Does Ghost know?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. I was just on my way to tell him.” I practically have to pry the test out of her hand to remove it. I’m shocked she’s so protective of something I peed on. Alek was the only one game to touch my last positive test. He had it framed. Everyone thought he was weird, but I love his quirkiness. “Please don’t tell anyone. I want G-Ghost to know first.” You have no idea how hard it was to say my last sentence. I almost said Alek.
“I won’t tell anyone.” She sounds deceitful, but what would I know? Alek has kept me away from her as much as possible over the past month, and his avoidance tactics were as stellar as years ago when we first met.
“Bye.” That felt odd. Rightfully so. I have a sudden feeling I’m starring in a horror movie where the cast was requested to act impulsive and insane.
“You all right?” Ghost asks when I arrive at his office.
I nod before searching the expansive room for Alek. I’m a little shaken, but nothing he won’t fix in half a second. I find him near Ghost’s filing cabinet of horrors, but he isn’t alone. Kirill is standing next to him.
When he spots me, Kirill not Alek, he turns to me with a smile, then asks, “Shall we start proceedings? From what I hear, they’re going to go off with a bang.” His eyes barely drop a smidge, but my stomach revolts like he’s scarring my unborn child with the same knife he cut his daughter’s face with.
“Yes. You first.” I couldn’t care less about his supposed infamous reputation or that I’m meant to bow in his presence. I just want to get his eyes off my stomach before Alek finds out I’m pregnant by me vomiting on his shoes.
Kirill appears smug as fuck when I gesture for him to lead the way. He holds his head high while exiting the room, meaning he doesn’t see the test I slip into the pocket of Alek’s suit jacket. My clutch is busted, and I think our ruse might be as well.
“What happened between this afternoon and now?” Ghost asks after pulling me into his side like we’re the devoted loved-up couple everyone at the compound thinks we are. His suspicions are as rife as mine.
“Nothing. We were careful.”
He tightens his grip around my waist when Kirill peers back at us. He must hear our whispers.
Once Alek steals his attention by asking him a question, Ghost’s focus devotes back to me. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “Kliment walked me through every camera. I avoid them at all costs…” My stomach gurgles when something I hadn’t considered smacks into me. “Is the pantry monitored?” When Ghost jerks up his chin, I cuss under my breath. “I took something from there this afternoon.”
“Something?”
I wish he had mind-reading capabilities because I really don’t want to tell anyone before Alek, but when his confused expression exposes he doesn’t own those skills, I mutter, “A test.” His nails dig into my hip when I alleviate his confusion with a whisper, “A pregnancy test.”
Before he can announce his shock, we’re walked into an ambush. Thankfully, this time it is minus the machine guns and grenades Alek and Ghost faced the last time they tried to deceive Kirill. There are banners and streamers and well-wishers popping blue confetti-filled party poppers.
Alek’s eyes shoot to mine as quickly as Kirill’s focus is devoted to Ghost. “I hope I didn’t ruin the surprise.” He locks his eyes with mine, forcing me to stop signaling for Alek to check his pocket. “You’ve tested, right?”