Free Russian Killer's Baby by Bella Rose

exhausted. In the soft light of Vadir’s kitchen, Feliks could see the dark circles beneath her eyes. When was the last time she’d eaten or rested? This was the mother of his child. He wanted to be better to her than her father obviously had been.
    “Enough,” Feliks said, turning around. “Can we trust you to watch our backs while we rest awhile?” Feliks nodded to Annika. “She needs to eat as well.”
    Vadir nodded. “If my daughter believes you’re not worth the price of a bullet, I believe I can control my urge to see you dead on the floor.”
    “Your generosity knows no bounds,” Feliks drawled.
    Annika covered her mouth with her hand, obviously smothering a laugh. “Is my room still there?”
    “Yes. Exactly as you left it,” Vadir said in a flat tone. “I’ll leave you some of the stroganoff I made earlier. You can eat that.”
    “Thank you.”
    Feliks saw the awkward way that Annika and Vadir interacted. It made him curious to know exactly what had happened to turn daughter against father. Then Annika walked to his side. She stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss over his cheek.
    “Don’t trust him any farther than you can throw him,” she whispered in his ear. Then in a louder voice, “I’m going to go take a shower. The two of you play nice while I’m gone.”
    Feliks had to give Vadir credit where it was due. The man waited until his daughter was completely out of sight and earshot before he came after Feliks. It was no surprise really. Vadir simply reached into a kitchen drawer and pulled out a gun. He leveled it at Feliks and put his finger on the trigger. One tiny squeeze and Feliks would most likely be dead.
    Adrenaline surged through Feliks’s veins. He forced himself to stand perfectly still, hands open and loose at his sides. His own weapon was tucked into his waistband in the small of his back. But he wasn’t going to shoot Annika’s father. No matter how angry she might be at the man, there would be no coming back from that action. Not with a woman like Annika.
    “I should kill you now,” Vadir said tightly. “For what you’ve done to my daughter.”
    “You should.”
    His response seemed to throw the older man off guard. “You’re agreeing with me? What sort of strategy is that for staying alive?”
    “A realistic one. You’re not going to kill me because despite your selfish choices, you do love your daughter and you know that for whatever reason, she wants me alive.”
    “This child,” Vadir spat. “Is it really yours?”
    “I don’t know.” It was an honest answer, but it chafed a little. “Annika says that it is, and I believe her.”
    “Why?”
    “Wouldn’t you?”
    Vadir lowered his weapon. “Yes. Although sometimes I wonder how I managed to raise such an honest child.”
    “I suspect living with a twisted piece of work like you is what made her honest.” Feliks expected the gun to come back up, but Vadir laughed instead. The man was insane. That was the only thing Feliks could be certain of.
    “You have kept her safe,” Vadir said grudgingly. “I owe you your life for that. Nothing more. I’ve already told you more than I should.”
    “Orlov is a bastard. Yuri is worse.” Feliks considered what his next course of action would be.
    “You must kill him.” Vadir made it sound as though it were the most obvious solution.
    “One does not murder another member of the syndicate without reason, or evidence.” Feliks wondered how he could obtain that sort of proof.
    “The proof is with Yuri himself.” Vadir scratched his sparse beard. “The little bastard cannot help but brag about the things that he does. Even if the council were standing right in front of him he would boast about killing one of their members. He is that arrogant.”
    “You’re right. Which means I need a trap to catch a rat.”
    “You have bait.” Vadir pursed his lips. “Though I will kill you if something happens to my little girl.”
    Feliks shook his head. It was becoming