Russian Mobster's Pregnant Mistress (6 page)

Courtney crossed her arms, looking belligerent. “You told him that this was the last time. Great. You think you can actually stick to that?”

“Of course!” Maggie took a deep breath. Something in the flavor of the chicken was weird. She felt her gorge rising. “It would be insane to consider a relationship with a guy like him.”

“Uh-huh.” Courtney was staring at Maggie as though her head was about to pop off.

Maggie suddenly felt the urge to vomit so strongly that she dropped the spoon she’d been holding and bolted for the bathroom. She skidded across the bathroom tile on her knees and banged into the toilet. Holding on with both arms, she was violently sick.

“When was the last time you had a period?” Courtney yelled from the other room.

Once the illness passed, Maggie flushed the toilet and sat back on her heels. When
had
her last period been? She counted backwards, trying to remember the last time she’d gone in for a birth control shot. That was when Maggie realized that it had been more than six months since her last shot, and probably a month or more since her last period.

Not good.

“Maggie?” Courtney called. “At least tell me you’re alive and you haven’t died of some weird food poisoning, although given your eat-everything-you-see take on life lately, that wouldn’t be a shock.”

Maggie got up from the floor and rinsed out her mouth. She stared in the mirror and wondered how she was supposed to deal with this latest hiccup in her life. If—and that was a big
if
as far as she was concerned—she was really pregnant with Jacob’s child, that meant she had to make a huge decision where he was concerned.

“Maggie? Seriously, you’re freaking me out here.” Courtney’s voice moved down the hallway as if she were coming to look for Maggie.

“I’m fine,” Maggie called back.

“So.” Courtney leaned against the doorjamb. “When was your last period?”

“Over a month, maybe closer to two.” Maggie exhaled a ragged breath. “I don’t really have periods with my shot, but we went to Club 599 the first time right before my cycle should have started.”

“Okay.” Courtney pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Considering the symptoms you’ve had going on lately, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance you’re pregnant. But we should totally go to the clinic to find out.”

“Like now?”

“Yes, like now.” Courtney shot her a narrow eyed glare. “Paralegal has mafia boss’s love child. Can’t you see how this is a big deal?”

“I don’t have to…” Maggie trailed off. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. She wasn’t even sure how she felt. “Jacob is a really nice guy, Court. He’s nothing like what you’d think. I don’t know much about the mafia or crime rings, but Jacob is probably the nicest guy I’ve ever met. How is that possible?”

Courtney slung her arm around Maggie’s shoulders. “Criminals aren’t all assholes, Maggie. The problem is that what he does for a living is going to mean that if you’re with him you’re probably going to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?”

“I don’t know.” Maggie honestly couldn’t say. “When I think about what it would be like to be with Jacob on a regular basis. You know, go to sleep beside him, wake up next to him, laugh and cry and act stupid with him, all of the regular life stuff. It’s kind of a nice thought.”

“And the jail time is what?” Courtney prodded.

Maggie felt herself getting stubborn. “Wives don’t have to testify against their husbands.”

“Wow, you’ve already got yourself married to the man.” Courtney sighed. “Let’s start with a pregnancy test. There’s a women’s clinic a few blocks down that has Saturday hours. We’ll start there and see if we even need to worry about the rest of it.”

***

“I’m sorry, did you say I’m halfway through my first trimester?” Maggie was having difficulty wrapping her mind around what the doctor was saying.

“Yes.” The doctor appeared to be in her mid to late forties. The sympathetic and somewhat maternal expression on her face was not helping Maggie feel any better. The doctor patted Maggie’s hand. “I take it this was neither planned nor necessarily welcome?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say it’s not welcome,” Maggie hastily amended. “But I definitely wasn’t expecting it.”

“Pregnancy is often unexpected.” The doctor’s tone suggested she was about to go into a pre-rehearsed spiel about options. “I can give you some information about abortion or adoption if you’d like. Is the father involved at all?”

“Actually, I’m pretty sure he has no idea what’s going on.” Maggie struggled with an acceptable way to express herself. “He and I aren’t exactly a couple.”

“I see.” The doctor grabbed some pamphlets and handed them to Maggie. “Why don’t you look these over? In the meantime, while you’re deciding what to do, I always recommend my patients do the prudent thing and start taking prenatal vitamins and the like.”

“Of course.” Maggie had seen those in the store beside all the other feminine products. She had just never considered the need to purchase any.

“And I would also recommend scheduling another appointment in two or three weeks for an ultrasound just to make sure things are progressing normally.” The doctor stood up and moved to open the exam room door. “Do you have any other questions for me right now? I realize this is a lot to take in.”

“Uh, no.” Maggie could not think of a single thing to ask.

The doctor gave Maggie a pleasant smile. “Then I’ll leave you. When you’re ready, you can take the hallway to the right and Clara will schedule your next appointment.”

“Thanks.”

Then the door closed and Maggie was alone. Or really she wasn’t alone and would never
be
alone again. At least not in a manner of speaking. How had this even happened?

Maggie haphazardly pulled on her clothing, ditching the paper gown in the trashcan. She grabbed her purse and exited the exam room with an almost frenzied need for fresh air.

Courtney met her in the reception room. “Oh boy, it was positive wasn’t it?”

“You can tell that from my face?”

“Yeah.” Courtney took Maggie’s arm and steered her toward the exit.

“Wait. I need to schedule another appointment,” Maggie protested.

Courtney didn’t pause. “I think that can wait until you figure out what you’re going to do. Your baby daddy might want some fancy mafia approved physician to be in charge of his offspring’s development.”

“You make it sound like I’m a broodmare or something,” Maggie said irritably. “And who says I’m going to tell him?”

They strode down the sidewalk in the direction of Maggie’s apartment. Maggie yanked her arm away from Courtney, wanting to slow down. She was in no hurry. Not at this point.

Courtney finally paused for a moment. “Okay, so why would you
not
tell him? The guy already had you checked out enough to know where you lived and what your full name was. You don’t think he’ll keep tabs on you now just because you told him you can’t see him again?”

“Jacob will respect my privacy.”

“Hello?” Courtney said sarcastically. “He’s a criminal with access to an amazing amount of resources. He probably isn’t going to tell you that he’s having you followed. In fact I bet we’re being followed right now. He probably already knows what the test results were.”

Maggie was about to tell Courtney she was being paranoid when she noticed a dark car parked on the curb across the street. It looked suspiciously like an FBI or undercover cop car from a television show. The notion was ridiculous, but Courtney’s paranoia was catching.

Maggie exhaled a firm breath to try and pull herself together. “This is silly. Jacob knows that there is no future for the two of us. I couldn’t have been plainer about it when I told him last night. He has no reason to follow me and I can’t imagine why he would even suspect something like this”—she gestured vaguely to her belly—“without any rhyme or reason.”

“I’m just saying I think you should really consider telling him.” Courtney’s tone was serious. “This isn’t a cheap thing to deal with you know. He’s at least fifty percent responsible for the cost, and for the other stuff.” Courtney was looking distinctly uncomfortable. “I don’t even know what’s required to raise a kid. Do you?”

“Not really.” Maggie had been sort of deliberately not thinking about that part. “I mean I do like kids.”

“Well that’s a good place to start at least,” Courtney grumbled.

From the corner of her eye, Maggie saw the doors of the black FBI wannabe car open. A male and a female got out of the vehicle. They were both wearing black slacks and suit jackets. Her stomach began to knot and it had nothing to do with the misplaced morning sickness she’d been experiencing.

“Courtney,” Maggie whispered. “Are those people walking this way?”

“Shit. Yes.” Courtney grabbed Maggie’s hand and began walking energetically toward the apartment. “Let’s get out of here before we have to find out what they want.”

“What if Jacob sent them?” Maggie argued, balking a little.

“Those two have the strongest cop vibe I’ve ever experienced,” Courtney argued. “Now move.”

They had made it perhaps fifty feet before a voice yelled behind them. “Margaret Morrison, we’d like a word with you.”

Maggie froze. Nobody ever called her Margaret anymore. Not since her parents had passed away. Courtney was still trying to walk away. Maggie was tempted to let her. There was no need to put her friend in the middle of trouble.

“Courtney, just keep walking. I’ll catch up later,” Maggie told her.

Courtney looked outraged. “What? I’m not leaving you with these clowns.”

“Please?” Maggie tugged her friend closer and whispered. “If I don’t text you in an hour, go to Club 599 and see if you can find that Sasha guy. He’ll know how to find Jacob.”

Courtney bit her lip, but didn’t argue. “Look, if they don’t charge you they can’t hold you. But don’t spill your guts to them either. Don’t tell them
anything
. Understand? If they don’t read you your rights, they can’t technically use anything you say against you, but if you tell them what they want to know willingly, you can incriminate yourself anyway.”

“Oh my God.” Maggie was in danger of hyperventilating. “So what do I say?”

“Ask for a lawyer and keep asking for one until they let you call me. All right?” Courtney pursed her lips. “I’m not kidding, Maggie. Don’t tell them anything. The FBI has carte blanche these days when it comes to prosecuting people like Jacob. They’re liable to say a lot of crap and know a lot of crap that will shock you. Do not give them a reaction. Remember. Lawyer.”

Maggie nodded, but Courtney was already off and running down the street. Maggie watched her turn the corner before turning around to face the music. Scared did not even cover the emotions she was experiencing right now. How much did these people already know and how much could she tell them without incriminating herself and Jacob in the process? Even worse, she now had a tiny life that was depending on her to make the right decision.

Chapter Eight

“Margaret Morrison?” The female agent held up a badge of some kind. “My name is Special Agent Forrester. I’m with the FBI and we’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“Okay, so ask.” Maggie crossed her arms over her chest. The street seemed like the perfect place to h

ave this conversation.

“If you’ll just step into our vehicle, we’ll take you to a more secure place for questioning.” Agent Forrester started to take Maggie’s arm, but she pulled away.

“Do I look like an idiot to you?” Maggie snapped. “Am I under arrest? Have I done something wrong? I’m not getting into some unmarked car and letting you drive me away from my neighborhood. I watch television. I know what happens when people do that.”

“Ma’am, this is nothing like that.” The male agent held out an arm as if to herd her toward their car.

“Who are you?” Maggie demanded. “You haven’t even introduced yourself.”

“I’m Special Agent Sparks.”

“Well, Sparky.” Maggie could see that the nickname really pissed him off. She didn’t care. “You can ask me what you want to know right here in the street.”

Sparks’s eyes glittered with intelligence. He was a little taller, broader, and far more intimidating than Jacob. She could also see that Sparks was packing a gun beneath his suit jacket. His shaved head matched his bare bones personality. She could tell.

“Ms. Morrison,” Forrester said in a low voice. “We know that you’ve been sleeping with Jacob Dolohov. We could actually arrest you based upon nothing more than that.”

“What?” Maggie said, alarmed. “You’re going to arrest me because I have bad taste in one-night stands? I didn’t even know who he was until last night.”

Forrester raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, yesterday afternoon when I saw a news story on him,” Maggie admitted.

“So you knew who he was when you went home with him last night,” Sparks said accusingly. “Don’t you think that looks a little suspicious on your part?”

“What?” Maggie yelped. “No! Besides, Jacob is really nice.”

Forrester and Sparks shared a look of disgust. Then Sparks growled at her. “Do we need to show you photographs of some of the hits he’s sanctioned to show you what kind of monster he is? Because we would be more than happy to do that.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Maggie insisted. “I told him last night we were through.”

Forrester snorted. “Was that before or after you slept with him?”

Maggie glanced around. People were starting to take notice of what was quickly becoming a very animated altercation between her and two FBI agents. Why were they pestering her? What did they think they had to gain?

“We know you’re pregnant.” There was a note of triumph in Sparks’s voice. “You’re pregnant with Dolohov’s child. That makes you a very valuable player in our game with Dolohov. Do not underestimate that.”

“What. The. Hell?” Maggie snarled. “You have no right to go through my medical records! And how would you even
know
that? I only found out fifteen minutes ago.”

“We’re the FBI,” Sparks said arrogantly.

“Yeah?” Maggie sneered. “Well good for you. Now I’m going to go, because I can. I have rights and you can’t just come out here and trample all over them just because you have a badge. Nobody died and made you king.”