A few days later, I noticed that we were being trailed on our way in to get Anya some new things. I didn’t want to alert her, but I could see the black SUVs behind us. They were still a few cars away, but they turned with us, not giving into my tricks of evasive driving. I knew that even public notice would’ve stopped them from doing the job they’d came here to do, and I’d rather not have an audience, so I started to pull off the turnpike.

Anya sat up in her seat, looking out the window. “Where are we going? The city’s not for another ten miles.”

I stayed silent, hoping she’d let it drop. I looked over at her for a moment. She was wearing these distressed, faded jeans that looked like they were made for her body. She’d left her hair down and curled, just how I liked it. I wonder if she knew that it was the way I preferred. She was wearing makeup, but I liked that it was only on her eyes. She didn’t have to cover up her flawless skin or add fake powders or liquids.

When I saw three SUVs turn off with us, I did a mental check of the weapons in my vehicle. A gun tucked into the belt of my jeans, a knife in my boot. A gun in the glove compartment, the pocket of the door, and under my seat and hers. Extra ammo in the console. Another knife on the right side of my seat. Heavily artillery in the spare wheel compartment in the back.

If I had been alone, I wouldn’t have been that worried. But Anya was a sitting duck. She had no knowledge of weapons and very little self-defense training, from what I could tell. If she was captured, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would give my life for her. And that might be what was required, but it was only a matter of time if I was captured that she would be as well, so it wouldn’t really do us any good.

“Anya, listen to me very carefully. There are SUVs behind us that, once I stop, will pull behind us and either attack us, or get out and attempt to persuade us into giving ourselves up.”

She whimpered and reached for my right hand. I let her have it. Then she sniffed and straightened up in her seat. “What do you want me to do?”

Good girl. “I want you to stay in the car when I get out. I’ll attempt to reason with them.”

“You know that these aren’t reasonable people, Viktor.”

“Well, if that doesn’t work, I’ll attempt to get us out… in a different way.”

She choked on a sob. “I don’t want you to kill people for me, Viktor. It’s not worth it.”

I didn’t bother correcting her. Of course it was worth it. I’d do it without a moment’s notice if I had to, and never question it. She was worth it. “Hopefully it won’t come to that.” I would never get the jump on all of them, in any case.

I pulled over into an abandoned parking lot that offered one building for protection. I parked the car behind it, then told her to get down behind the front seats. I got out quickly, locked the doors behind me, and walked around the corner so she would be out of sight. I knew this place, had used it before. I knew there was no other way around the building since it was contained with an electric fence and steel-enforced gates.

All three vehicles came to a screeching halt when they saw me walking. This was the test. If they gunned me down where I stood, there was nothing I could do. I had no protection and didn’t have enough bullets to kill them all inside the bulletproof vehicles.

A solitary door opened from the second vehicle and two underbosses and Piotr Petrov got out.

“Viktor,” he greeted me. “It’s been a long time.”

“Not long enough,” I responded.

“Oh Viktor, you don’t mean that. You’re part of the family. You always have been,” Boss Petrov smiled greedily, probably counting all the malicious ways that I’d made him a rich and secure man over the years.

“I’m calling in my favor, Pakhan.” I said the words clearly and loudly, hoping that all the men had heard me call it in.

Boss just shook his head. “You know it doesn’t work like that, Viktor. The favor is good for one moment, for one person only. It doesn’t encompass everything.”

“Then let Anya go safely. That’s my favor.”

He thought about it, his eyes narrowing. “I’ll consider it, but that means that you’re mine. You’re mine, Viktor. A weapon to use as I see fit.”

“No!”

I heard Anya’s voice somewhere behind me. I seethed. Could she not follow one order once in her life? “Anya, get back in the car.”

She walked up next to me, clasping my hand in hers. “We’re married. You cannot sell me to the highest bidder, nor ransom me, nor have me for yourself. I’m Viktor’s. I belong to him. I’ve lain with him. I carry his child.”

I looked at her, stunned. Was this a game? Suddenly I was overcome with the desire for it to be real, to see her swollen with my child. To see her pregnant, take care of her. To hold our son or daughter. I wanted it more than I’d wanted anything before.

Boss Petrov didn’t notice my look of surprise since he was staring at Anya. “It cannot be.”

“It is. So even if you shoot Viktor now, everyone will still realize that I’m damaged goods when my belly grows full with our child.”

I realized she was right. Petrov was in a tough spot now. He couldn’t ransom her to Ramone, if not only had Pakhan let his underboss marry her he’d also knocked her up.

She was a genius. I could call in my favor to have her be unharmed. “Anya goes free.”

“No,” she said quietly. Then in a much louder voice, she called out to Boss Petrov and the man in the vehicle. “Viktor has called in his favor to protect himself. You will let him leave, let him out of this… family… forever. He’s worked hard for you. He will protect all your secrets—you know he will. I promise you he will never tell anyone, or this deal is void. In exchange, I will not go to Boss Ramone and tell him what you’ve done. For he is my—” She paused, gripping my hand. “Ramone is my family, and will be family to this baby. And Viktor and I will remember your mercy and grant you favor with Boss Ramone.”

I stared at her, disbelieving that she would try to negotiate with Petrov. I would be proud of her, if I didn’t want to spank her first.

She tossed her platinum hair, her voice cool. “Do we have a deal?”

Boss Petrov stared at us for a solid minute, probably running all the possible options. Then he gave a curt nod. “Da. The deal is done.”

I let out a sigh of relief after he turned his back, positioning myself in front of Anya in case the deal suddenly went south or he reconsidered. But he didn’t. He got in the SUV and drove away with the three other vehicles. Not a single drop of blood had been spilled, not a gun been fired.

It was too easy.

I turned to Anya. “You little fool.”

But I couldn’t stay mad after what she’d just pulled. I caught her up in my arms, swung her high while she laughed. When her feet were back on the ground, I pulled her tight and kissed her. “You are a fool. But you just saved our lives.”

She smiled back, eyes shining. “Now there’s just one problem.”

“I know. We have to contact Boss Ramone and convince him of the same deal.” I was already thinking of ways we could do this where she wouldn’t be placed in any danger.

“No,” she interrupted my thoughts, tugging on my arm. “You have to get me pregnant.”

A rush of blood when instantly into my cock, straining against my jeans. “I’m sorry?”

“Well, I’m not really pregnant yet, I think.” She blushed. “But we can’t let them know that. You have to get me pregnant. And quickly.”

Anya was my wife. And she’d just saved my life. The only thing I had left to do was have sex with her? Repeatedly? Until she grew pregnant?

Yeah, I think I could do that for the rest of my life.

I was still in an utter state of shock that this could actually be playing out this well, this seamlessly. “I can’t believe it’s done. It’s over. Not more watching behind our backs, no more protective custody.”

The truth was that I didn’t really believe it. But she seemed so pleased with herself that I couldn’t bring her down.

She laughed. “So I can leave the house?”

“I think that could be arranged.” I pulled her close, breathing in her fruity scent and burying my face in her hair. “I definitely think that could be arranged.”

We shared a long, searing kiss. Then she looked up at me. “Where to?”

“We go to the mall,” I said, incredulously.

She smiled at me and we drove to the mall, where she bought every piece of clothing under the sun until the car was full and we had to come back later to pick up the rest.

Anya was happy and it felt like we were a real couple. Except that her and I both knew this was just to satisfy the mob. Our story wasn’t done yet. I still had no idea how she really felt about me, or if she understood that this was now the rest of our lives.

We could never get that divorce, we could never split up, never change our minds. I’m not sure that she’d fully realized that yet and I couldn’t help feeling like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.