"How?"
"She told me that she had me followed, and that she went through the trash at the bathroom in the café."
"Blyat," Svetlana curses. "That was my fault. I got sloppy."
"No." I shake my head. "If Lola wanted to find out, she would've found out one way or the other. Don't blame yourself."
She nods, but the way her eyes look at me tells me that she isn't quite ready to forgive herself yet. "What happened next?"
"She had these pills. Mifeprex." And when Svetlana' tilts her head, I add. "It's an abortion pill. She forced one into my mouth."
Her blue eyes flash with rage. "That fucking bitch."
"She made me choose. Leave Anatoly forever and she'd let me keep the baby and Amara would be safe. Or stay and..." I look down at my stomach. "I couldn't risk it. I couldn't risk either of them. So I chose the first option, and she had Grisha take me to the train station."
"And Grisha wasn't about to hold to whatever deal she struck with you," Svetlana says, not as a question.
"No." I shake my head. "He told me that he was going to kill me" That wasn't all he said he'd do to me. But there's no need toagitate Svetlana any more than I need to. "And once on the train, I managed to get away. I hit him with my head, broke his nose. But then he started shooting. People died, Svetlana. Because of me."
"No," she says firmly. "You didn't kill those people. Grisha did. Because he's a piece of shit and a coward. But how did you get away?"
"I shot him in the leg. But when I tried to shoot him dead, the gun was empty. By then, the train was stopped in the Bronx, and I ran back to the barbershop where I used to work. Then I collapsed and when I woke up, I was in a hospital. And Anatoly came for me."
"Not bad, Indigo Malcolmovna." Svetlana's lips curl into a fierce smile. "You escaped from Grisha, and made him pay a price in blood. You did what many could not. Does Tolya know about this?"
I shake my head. "He just knows that I escaped from Grisha. He doesn't know any of the details."
"I think you should tell him." Svetlana nods, a smile spreading across her face. "Not because you owe it to him, but it never hurts to remind Tolya that you're not just a helpless wallflower who looks pretty."
Then the smile fades from her face and her eyes turn serious. "And the baby? Is your baby alright?"
"Yes." I nod. Warm tears well up in my eyes again. "We got confirmation at the hospital that the baby is okay. We also heard the baby's heartbeat."
Svetlana squeals in delight, a sound most unexpected from her. She immediately winces, pressing a hand to her bandaged wound, but the smile doesn't leave her face.
"You heard the heartbeat?" Her eyes shine with genuine excitement. "What was it like?"
"It was..." I struggle to find the right words. "Fast. Like a little hummingbird. And seeing that tiny shape on the screen..." I touch my stomach protectively. "It made everything real."
"And Tolya? How did he react?" Svetlana asks, her eyes curious. "Did he cry? Tell me he cried."
"He did. He won't tell you that he did, but there were a couple of tears in his eyes."
"So that man can be sentimental, after all." Svetlana smirks. "I'm sure he's ecstatic about it all. A Baryshev heir. The first of a new generation."
The joy in my chest deflates slightly at her words. Is that all this baby means to Anatoly? A continuation of his bloodline? Of the legacy of the bratva?
At the thought of bloodlines and legacy, another thought crushes the happiness that I felt.
"But Amara's gone," I say. "Lola has her. I should never have brought her here."
Svetlana's face grows solemn. "If you didn't bring her here, who knows what could've happened to her out there."
"Lola threatened to sell her." The tears start flowing again. "And I think she's serious about it. My sister is all I have left of my family, Svetlana. I can't lose her."
Svetlana reaches out, taking my hand in hers. Her grip is surprisingly strong for someone who looks so weak.
"Listen to me, Indigo Malcolmovna. I know Tolya. I'd give my left kidney to bet that he's working on finding Amara right now and he won't stop until she's back safely."
