Shattered Crown: A Dark Mafia Age Gap Romance (Kozlov Empire Book 4)

It’s nearing the dinner hour by the time Liza arrives at our estate the day after the gala. I greet her at the front door—something I’m sure seems uncouth to our staff, but I don’t care. I need to take the freaking tests and find out if I’m pregnant or not. Because if I am, it changes everything.

‘Please tell me you brought them,’ I whisper when the door is closed behind her.

‘Would I let you down?” Liza runs a hand through her dark hair as she gives me a kiss on the cheek. “It took me forever to get rid of Anatoly today, but I got three different brands to be sure. Had to convince my guard that I was getting tampons so he’d give me space.”

“I owe you one,” I say, dragging her upstairs towards the bedroom. “Actually, I owe you a lot more than one. I hope you’re keeping count.”

“Oh, sure, I have a spreadsheet and everything,” Liza jokes. “Pregnancy test delivery counts as double, though.”

“Yeah, well, let’s hope this is a one-off thing.”

Both of us freeze as we reach the top of the stairs to find Nadya watching us, her gaze sharp as knives. She doesn’t say a word, but her eyes follow us with silent suspicion.

Shit! Did she hear what we were talking about?

But no. That’s Nadya’s usual stern expression, and truth be told, I have bigger issues to worry about right now. As it is, I barely slept last night, debating what I’d do if I was pregnant. On one hand, I feel a rush of excitement at the thought of a baby. Then there’s Maxim, his stance on having children so clear and uncompromising. How could I possibly tell him when he’s so set against it?

Even though I’m worried about Maxim leading an attack on Lai King, I’m grateful for this time alone because if I am pregnant, I’ll need space to sort out my head.

My impatience reaches a new level once Liza and I enter my bedroom. She fishes in her purse for the three boxes, all of them various shades of pink and white, because apparently pregnancy tests have to look as cutesy as the potential results they’re delivering.

“How do these things work?” I ask Liza as I head into the en-suite bathroom.

“How should I know? I’ve never used one. From what I’ve seen on TV, I think you pee on the stick.”

“Right. I’ll read the instructions.”

In no time, I have all three tests out of the box and lined up on the counter. My hands are shaking, and there’s a tightness in my chest that won’t ease until I know for sure. It’s awkward as hell trying to aim my pee accurately on the tiny test strip, but I manage to do it. Three times. Now, come the longest five minutes of my life. I set a timer on my phone and flop onto the bed.

Liza settles next to me, her expression soft yet serious. ‘What will you do if it’s positive?’ Her question hangs in the air, heavy with implication.

I let out a shaky breath, my gaze drifting to the ceiling. ‘I don’t know,’ I admit. ‘Part of me wants a child. I never had a mother, other than Masha, and the mother-child bond is something I really want to experience. But I’m also terrified that Maxim doesn’t want this.”

Liza turns on her side to face me and props her head on her hand. “Do you think Maxim would make a good father?”

I’d never really given it much thought up to this point because there was no reason to. The long-term future was never something we discussed. But after this, I realize we have to.

If there is a child, nothing would make me happier than seeing Maxim cradle a tiny version of us in his arms. Maxim is rough on the outside, but inside he’s surprisingly sweet and caring. I can picture him melting into a smile as our child wraps a tiny hand around his finger. Imagining us as a family brings a lump to my throat.

‘I think he would.’ A sober thought douses the warm flicker of my imagination. “But he’s made it clear that he doesn’t want a kid, so if I’m knocked up, I might be raising this child alone.”

“Yeah, right.” Liza’s face falls with concern. “There’s no way he’s letting you walk away with his child.”

“But where does that leave me? He’d force me to stay living here, under his roof, to raise a child he doesn’t want and would resent me for having?”

Liza looks at me like I’m insane. “First of all, it takes two to tango, so this potential situation is as much on Maxim as it is on you. And second of all, you’re missing the obvious—Maxim is head over heels for you, whether he’s told you or not. He might surprise you.”

“I hope so,” I say.

Liza watches me, her brow creased with concern, but before she can say anything more, the alarm on my phone goes off.

“I can’t do it. You look.”

Liza disappears into the bathroom and comes back with the three sticks. Her expression is unreadable as she examines each test, a master poker player holding all the cards close to her chest.

The silence stretches until she finally turns to me, her eyes softening. “Three out of three pregnancy tests confirm you’re pregnant.’

My heart stalls, then races. It’s joy, fear, a wild concoction of “what ifs” and “now whats”. I take the tests from her, my hands trembling as I see the positive results for myself. Each little plus sign is a monumental shift in the life I’ve known.

I’m going to be a mother. And Maxim is going to be a father, whether he likes it or not.

Liza and I spend the next hour talking about what’s next, but ultimately, I know there’s only one thing to do. I need to call Maxim and tell him I’m carrying his baby, that I want to have it and raise it with him.

Because I fucking love him.

The timing sucks, but I honestly can’t wait. I’ll lose my shit if I can’t speak to him tonight. I’m sure Maxim would want me to reach out to him, especially with all these crazy emotions banging around inside of me.

As soon as I say goodnight to Liza, I go back to my room and try to find the number to reach Maxim. He told me earlier that he won’t have his regular cell on him, only a satellite phone, and he provided me with the number. I look in my clutch, but I can’t find it there. I go to the closet and rifle through the pockets of my coat but come up empty.

Seriously?! I’ve somehow misplaced it in the craziness of tonight.

Nadya, of course, will have it. Great. Time to hunt down the witch.

I scour the mansion, my footsteps echoing in the empty corridors. Nadya’s office is dark, the door slightly ajar—a sign she’s not there. I try her room next, knocking softly at first then louder. No answer. Frustration mounts as I check the usual haunts: the kitchen, the back office, even the bloody laundry room. Nothing.

Frustrated, I trudge back to our bedroom. I’m halfway up the stairs when I hear a loud noise—is that an explosion?—coming from the east end of the property.

A chill runs down my spine, my heart pounding as my palms grow clammy, gripping the railing for support. Downstairs, the shouts of guards and hurried footsteps amplify my fear.

What’s happening? Are we under attack?

Terrifying possibilities occur to me as I rush up the stairs, entering my bedroom and locking the door behind me. I lean against it as I try to catch my breath, but when I raise my eyes, an unexpected sight greets me.

Nadya stands there, a coldness in her eyes that chills me to the bone.

“What are you doing here?” I ask her.

She jabs a finger towards the pregnancy tests on the nightstand. ‘This was not part of the plan,’ she spits out. ‘You were supposed to be on your way out, not pregnant with Maxim’s child. You stupid girl. You’ve gone and ruined everything … again.”

Confusion pins me to the spot, and for a moment, I’m speechless.

She’s angry that I’m pregnant?

‘Let’s talk about this.’ I try to keep my voice calm to not provoke her since she’s clearly not in her right mind. ‘I don’t know what the issue is, but if you tell me, we can work through it.’

It’s too late for talk because when I look up, she has a gun pointed at my chest.

My heart thunders, my newfound maternal instinct roaring to life as my hands go to my still-flat stomach.

‘I’m not discussing anything with you. Here is what’s going to happen: you’re not going to scream or cry; you’re going to walk calmly through the house towards the west entrance and into the waiting car. I’ll be right behind you. Make one wrong move, and I won’t hesitate to use this.’ She waves the gun, her eyes drilling into mine.

“The property is under attack,” I point out, a cold sweat coating my back.

Her smile is ugly. “That was my handiwork. Couldn’t have the guards getting in my way, could I? They’ll be occupied for the next little while, so don’t try anything stupid.”

My heart drops to my stomach. She’s truly lost her mind, or maybe she was always unhinged. Either way, I underestimated what Nadya is capable of. She’s not only protective of Maxim—she’s obsessed with him. And soon, I’m going to learn how far she’s willing to go.

I choose my next words carefully, hoping to appeal to her sense of devotion to Maxim. ‘I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I promise you that whatever happens, you won’t lose your place by Maxim’s side. He doesn’t know about this baby, and I’m not sure how he’ll react … but I know he’d never want to lose you.’

‘Shut up. I’m not interested in your opinion.’ She stuffs the pregnancy tests into her pocket, but she only has two.

That’s because I have the third one. I kept it on me to stare at it whenever disbelief set in.

“Walk.’ She waves the gun for me to move.

We slip through the shadows of the back hallway, the gun’s cold metal against my back. As I fight against rising panic, I consider my options.

I could fight her. Distract her and try to take her down. I’m well trained and in better shape than Nadya, but she’s crazy and has a weapon. That makes her a dangerous opponent.

It may be a long shot, but the only way I have to communicate with Maxim is leaving the test somewhere he will find it, hoping he’ll recognize that something is wrong. As Nadya guides me towards the back door, I know this is my only chance.

With a sudden gasp, I cry, ‘Did you hear that?’ I glance upwards as if listening for something far away.

She looks up too, and in that instant, I reach into my pocket and slip the test on the shelf next to me.

Nadya responds with a derisive laugh. “There’s no one to hear your cries, little lastochka,” she sneers, mocking Maxim’s pet name for me.

We emerge into the chilly night, finding a plain dark sedan waiting. I recognize it as part of Maxim’s fleet, but there’s no driver behind the steering wheel. Is she working alone? She pops the trunk, her intention clear.

“Maxim will never forgive you for this,” I threaten. “You know that as well as I do. If you let me go, we can forget th⁠—”

“Save your breath.”

There’s a sharp pinch at the back of my neck, and then a flood of warmth hits my bloodstream. She drugged me! It shouldn’t surprise me, but somehow it does.

She pushes me forwards into the trunk. I have no choice but to curl up into a ball before she slams the top down with a final thud. The world fades to nothing.

My last thought is a whirlwind of desperation and fear. I don’t know when Maxim’s coming back. I don’t know when someone will discover I’m gone. Hell, I don’t know how deep Nadya’s betrayal goes. The only thing I know for sure is that I need to keep myself and my baby alive any way I can.