Kelly

 

The cab sped away from Andrei’s street and I watched the scenery, trying not to get sick. It was terrible, this feeling inside of me. I felt like I was being torn into two. I didn’t regret my decision. I knew what I was doing was the best choice for my baby. It was.

 

But the fact that I was thinking of the baby as mine…that legally shouldn’t be the case. Andrei Petrov had paid me one million dollars in exchange for my uterus. And here I was, essentially stealing from him. Kidnapping. Well, it wouldn’t really be kidnapping until after the baby was born, but still.

 

I didn’t know for sure how he would react when he found out I’d left, but considering he had just killed a man, I wasn’t about to stick around. Life with Andrei wasn’t safe. I should’ve run away when that man came up to me and threatened Andrei. That was my first mistake. Falling for Andrei had been my second. That was why leaving was so hard. Just focus on the man he killed. Andrei’s a mobster. You know that. He’s probably killed before, and he’ll kill again. That’s not the kind of life you want for your child, right? So just leave already.

 

Before I could leave town, though, I had to explain everything to my mom. I wasn’t going to disappear until after she knew everything, until after I had squared things with her so she would be taking care of.

 

The cab driver pulled up in front of Mom’s place. Exhaling deeply, I climbed out of the cab and paid the driver before removing my small amount of belongings. This was all I had. I might grab a few more things here but not a ton. I needed to hit the road. Get away from here. Find a new town. Get a job. Start over.

 

Pregnant belly and all. Not that I was showing yet but it was only a matter of time.

 

You hadn’t been able to find a job outside of Andrei’s offer. What makes you think you’ll find a job now?

 

I’ll find something.

 

I hoped.

 

To my surprise, the doorknob didn’t turn. My mom never locked the door. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise she had locked it. Better to be safe. I shoved in my key, turned the lock, and found my mom on the couch, reading a historical romance.

 

She lowered her book and glanced up with a smile. “Kelly. What are you doing here?”

 

To delay, I put my stuff down on the coffee table carefully. Then I hugged her. “Where’s Claire?” I asked.

 

“Claire went to the grocery store,” Mom said, eyeing me. “What’s wrong? You look upset.” She shifted her legs off the couch so I could sit beside her.

 

“Well…it’s a long story,” I warned. What would she think when I told her?

 

“I don’t have anywhere to go.” My mom closed her book and set it on the coffee table next to my pile. “What’s going on?”

 

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I just stared at her book. The woman looked adoringly at her bare chested man, who was gazing back at her as if she was the only woman in the world. Books always had happy endings. Too bad this was my life. I hadn’t had a happy ending ever.

 

“Is it about your new job?” Mom asked.

 

And there it was. I nodded and swallowed past a lump in my throat.

 

“What exactly is your new job?” My mom tilted her head to the side. “I can’t remember you telling me much about it.” She rubbed her temple. “Don’t tell me my memory is going, too. I can’t handle that on top of—”

 

I grabbed her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “No. I haven’t told you about my job.”

 

She threw me a shrew glare. “And there’s a reason you’ve kept it from me, isn’t there?” she asked.

 

With my free hand, I rubbed the back of my neck. “Yes.”

 

My mom closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “What is it?” she whispered as she opened her eyes, but then she didn’t give me a chance to answer, just added, “Tables. You’re dancing on tables, aren’t you?”

 

“No.” I shook my head.

 

“A hooker, then, is that it?” she demanded.

 

“Not exactly,” I hedged. I couldn’t look at her.

 

She blinked rapidly. “Not exactly? What does that even mean?” Her voice sounded strong and firm, something it hadn’t in a while. I should be glad, but oh God, if she was this worked up already, how would she react when she learned the truth?

 

I sighed. I so needed a drink.

 

Wait. No alcohol.

 

Great.

 

“I signed a contract,” I started.

 

“For…” my mom prompted when I just stopped talking.

 

“This isn’t easy.” I exhaled loudly. I wanted to rub my stomach. Strange. It wasn’t like that I was a habit of mine, and I wasn’t that far along at all. Must just be a sub-conscious pregnancy thing.

 

“Are you in trouble?” my mom asked quietly.

 

Kind of. “I signed a contract with Andrei Petrov.” I waited to gauge her reaction.

 

She frowned. “Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”

 

Considering I hadn’t recognized him by name either, I wasn’t surprised to learn she didn’t know him either. “He is Aleksey’s boss. You remember Aleksey, right?”

 

“That guy who dated Stacy. You couldn’t stand him. Thought he was bad news.” She did a double take. “Didn’t you think he was in the mob? And if this Andrei guy you’re working for is his boss…” Her eyes narrowed, and her jaw tightened. “Just what was the contract for, Kelly?”

 

“He paid me a million dollars—”

 

Mom stilled, but I could see her mind was churning, thinking about all of the things a man — a mob boss — would want in exchange for that kind of sum of money.

 

Best to just blurt it out.

 

“—for an heir,” I said in a rush. “A son. He was supposed to pay me another million once I gave birth, but now that I’m pregnant—”

 

My mom burst into tears, huge sobs that shook her body. “Why would you do such a thing?”

 

I was crying, too. The tears burned down my cheeks. “I…I had no choice. I lost my job. I was fired. The bills were mounting, and your treatment… I swear this was not an easy decision. I didn’t want to…but there weren’t any other jobs. I searched. Stacy searched too. I saw the opportunity, I saw the money, I took it, and now…”

 

My mom started to cry even harder now. I held her close, rubbing her back as she trembled in my arms. This wasn’t good. She shouldn’t be this stressed out. I never should’ve told her the truth. I hated stretching the truth as it was with her. My mom was the one person I relied on. She was all the family I had left. I was terrified. I wasn’t sure I could get through this by myself. If she wasn’t on my side, there was no way I could do all of this, could handle it.

 

Starting a new family by myself.

 

“I’d never…” my mom started, but she had to pause to composure herself. “I’d never want my daughter to have to do such a thing. You did this for me, and—”

 

“Don’t worry, Mom.” I clasped her hands to my chest. “I will never leave you again, Andrei or no Andrei.”

 

Maybe I could bring her with me. She would need a new doctor, but we might be able to make it work.

 

Her gaze drifted to my belly. “If he’s a… The contract. If you…you’re thinking about…you came here because you’re leaving him? Running away with his child?”

 

I nodded, defiant, ready…well, as ready as I could be.

 

“I don’t know,” she murmured. She freed a hand and touched my stomach. “He will not let you both go. You have to realize that.”

 

“It doesn’t matter,” I said stubbornly. I shook my head, but my stomach churned. She was right.

 

“He has the power, the money, the prestige…” Mom grimaced. “What if he has his men kidnap you? What if he drags you to court? What if he demands his money back because you tried to breach the contract?”

 

I pulled away and stood, staring down at her. “What are you saying?” I asked, my voice trembling. I wrung my hands. “What do you think I should do?”

 

“I think…” My mom shifted and stared out the window for a long moment. “I think,” she said finally, “you need to work things out with Andrei, for the baby’s sake.”

 

Work things out? She couldn’t be serious.

 

“But you don’t know what he’s done!”

 

“Has he hurt you?”

 

“No,” I admitted.

 

“Do you think he’ll start hurting you?”

 

“No, but—”

 

“He’s a man with resources. He would be able to hunt you down, Kelly. If you stay, he’ll make sure you are cared for, that the baby is cared for.”

 

She had a point.

 

But he had killed a man. While I didn’t think he would harm me, he was clearly desperate for a child. If push came to shove, would he threaten me? Would he hurt me? I’d like to think he wouldn’t, but did I really know him?

 

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

 

My mom appraised me. “There’s something else,” she said quietly. “What else is it?”

 

“What? No.” I rubbed my throat. She always could tell when I was trying to hide something. “There’s nothing—”

 

“You feel for him, don’t you? It’s bad enough you signed that contract and got yourself pregnant and now have to give over your baby—”

 

“I won’t give over my baby,” I said firmly. My hands curled into fists.

 

“I don’t think you have much of a say in that,” my mom said sadly. She looked so forlorn that I felt torn up about everything all over again.

 

“I…I can’t. I can’t.” Can’t love him. Can’t leave him. Can’t do anything. I was stuck.

 

“It is your life,” my mom said. “You aren’t a child. I can’t tell you what to do.”

 

“If you were me…”

 

“I wouldn’t have signed the contract,” she said wryly.

 

“Not even to save your mom?” I asked, crossing my arms. Even she couldn’t deny my intentions were good.

 

“Well…” My mom considered her options. “I wouldn’t risk leaving. You took his money. You spent his money. Claire. And the chauffeurs. They’re from Andrei I take it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Were they part of the contract?” she asked.

 

I hesitated. “No.”

 

My mom nodded as if that explained a lot. “Did you ask him to provide them?”

 

“No.” I shook my head.

 

“So he did that on his own, without any prompting.”

 

I nodded.

 

Silence descended. I tried to think, to reason things through, but I couldn’t concentrate. I had been with a few men before Andrei, but I hadn’t fallen for any of them as hard as I had Andrei. With them, there hadn’t ever been a point of time when I thought I might be with them for the rest of my life. With Andrei, I might’ve thought that once or twice, but that had been before I learned for certain of his job and before he told me he had killed a man. He hadn’t told me why he had killed him, and I hadn’t asked.

 

My mom cleared her throat. “Is he a good man?” she asked quietly.

 

Was he? For being a mob boss, he wasn’t a terrible man, but that didn’t mean he was good. “I don’t know,” I finally answered.

 

“What has you running? You came here wanting to leave. Why?”

 

“I just found out I’m pregnant.” I hunched down, curling into a ball, my arms wrapped around my belly.

 

“So you got scared?” My mom was watching me closely.

 

“Yes.” Not a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth either.

 

“I don’t know all of the ins and outs about this, but I hate that you felt the need to get involved with a man like him. I hate that I’m sick. I hate that I can’t work, can’t provide for myself, for you. That you would feel the need to—”

 

“Mom, I did what I had to in order to help provide for us.” And if I went back in time, I doubted I would make another choice. I hadn’t had another viable option.

 

“I just don’t…” She shook her head and wouldn’t meet my gaze.

 

“Mom.” I sat back down beside her and hugged her tight. “I don’t resent you. Is that what has you worried?”

 

She looked back at me, tears in her eyes again. “I’m sorry.”

 

“You have no reason to be,” I reassured her. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do tomorrow, but for now, I’m staying right here.”

 

Yes. I’d stay the night and think things over and figure out what the heck I was going to do. Running might not be the easy option I wanted it to be. My mom made a good point: Andrei would have the means to locate me easily. He had the resources.

 

But someone was obviously targeting him, someone powerful enough that he desperately wanted an heir. Would he be too caught up in that to worry about me?

 

Maybe he could easily forget about me, but there was no way he was going to forget about the baby I was carrying.

 

I had no idea what to do.