INSATIABLE CRAVINGS
Insatiable Cravings – Episode 139
Subtitle; {Loving You Is A Loosing Game}
TAGS: Age-gap, Mafia, Forbidden Love, Drama, Tragedy and Betrayal.
Settings: United Kingdom, Russia and others.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
~ Genevieve ~
I did exactly what Rory told me to do—I thought about the whole pregnancy reveal idea. A different kind of excitement, laced with a hint of nerves, was bubbling away inside me at the thought of how he might react.
I wanted to tell him the moment he walked through the door, but I had to wait. Just a few more hours. I had to hold it in.
In the meantime, I imagined it. I pictured his reaction so vividly: the way his gorgeous face would light up with that heart-stopping smile, the little sparkle that would brighten his beautiful eyes. He’d say something wonderfully sweet—something that would make my heart melt—and then we’d hug. And kiss.
It would be one of the happiest moments of my life. I could only hope it would be one of his too.
Now, all I had to do was wait until tomorrow. You’d think it would be easy, but it was already shaping up to be one of the hardest things I’d ever done.
Dominic was only a few feet away from me, in the bathroom having a shower, while I lay sprawled on the bed, fighting to keep my excitement in check.
Who the héll made self-control so blóody difficult?
Right—distraction. I needed a distraction. Something—anything—to stop me from marching straight in there and blurting everything out.
Ah, yes—I had something. Earlier this afternoon, my sister Adrianna had sent me a file with everything I needed about Ally’s adoption.
Perfect. That would keep me occupied.
I turned towards the nightstand, grabbed my laptop, and flicked it open. Almost instantly, my ‘lawyer mode’ switched on like a light.
Name: Allyssa Adams
DOB: 2nd August 2019
Age: 6
Parents: Kat and Dan Adams—both tragically killéd in a car accident a year ago.
The soft click of the bathroom door opening almost pulled my attention away, but I was too absorbed in the file to look up.
Kat and Dan had been an ordinary, hard-working couple. Kat worked as a nurse, Dan as a security guard at the same hospital. Every morning they drove to work together in their battered old car. But last winter, after a night of relentless snowfall, the roads had turned into death traps. They lost control of the car, skidded into a tree, and just like that… they were gone.
A soft touch brushed my arm, making me glance up. Dominic was standing there, fresh from the shower, hair damp and curling slightly, dressed in joggers and tugging a hoodie over his head.
“Baby,” his voice was low and gentle, “did you hear what I just said?”
I blinked, glancing down at the screen, which now showed pictures of Kat and Dan, before flicking my gaze back to him. “No… sorry, could you repeat that?”
“I said I’ll be out tomorrow.”
“Oh… alright. How long for?”
“Not sure, but I’ll be back before evening.”
I gave a soft hum and nodded. “Okay. Just… be careful, yeah?”
He smiled that soft, knowing smile. “I’m always careful.” Then he pulled the hoodie over his head properly. “But are you?”
“Of course,” I replied, shifting on the bed to get comfortable against the pillows. “Besides, it’s not like anything’s going to happen to me—not with your men watching me.”
“You make it sound like a bàd thing.”
“It’s not, obviously. But—”
I was cut off by the sharp trill of his phone.
“Be right back.” He pressed a warm kiss to my cheek before heading out, already answering the call with, “Yes, Echo?”
I turned my attention back to the laptop, going over everything in the file about Allyssa Adams. I needed to know every detail if I was going to push through this adoption.
About forty minutes later, Dominic strolled back in, too busy tapping away on his phone to notice the corner of the bed, which he promptly tripped over.
“Fúck,” he muttered under his breath.
My head snapped up. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
I gave him a look. “Nothing’s got you all tense like that?”
He hesitated, then sighed. “It’s Viktor.”
A groan threatened to escape but I bit it back, rolling my eyes instead. A sharp stab of irritation prickled beneath my skin.
“What’s he done now?”
“Echo tracked his location, so I sent Dex and a few of the lads over there… but it was a false lead.” His jaw tensed. “It’s like he knows our every move.”
The mood shifted instantly—thicker, heavier. A chill crept down my spine, and goosebumps rose across my skin. I curled up tighter without even meaning to.
Dominic noticed, his features softening. “Okay, I might’ve phrased that a bit—”
I shook my head, cutting him off. “I’m alright.” I closed the laptop with a little snap. “Let’s just go to sleep, yeah?”
His eyes lingered on me, searching. I could see he wanted to say something more, but he swallowed it down. “Yeah… let’s.”
I tucked the laptop away, climbed under the duvet, and shifted to him as the mattress dipped beneath his weight. His arms wrapped around me, strong and secure, pulling me close.
The lights clicked off. Darkness enveloped the room. My eyes closed, but sleep refused to come.
How could it?
His words were still running wild in my mind.
“It’s like he knows our every move.”
If that was true… did it mean Viktor knew about the baby?
Oh God, no. No. If he knew… if he had any kind of plan involving my child… I wouldn’t survive it.
No. I forced a steady breath through my nose.
No, everything’s fine. It’s all under control. Nothing will happen to my baby. Nothing will happen to any of us. Whatever Viktor’s planning… it won’t work.
☆☆☆☆
“So… have you thought about it?” Aurora asked the moment Dominic stepped out the front door.
We were still at the dining table, only a few minutes after clearing up from breakfast. The plates were gone, but the conversation lingered.
I looked up to her eager, curious expression. “Yeah,” I said quietly, almost too quiet for myself to hear.
My head was still spinning from last night. Those words… those dréadful, gnawing words… they wouldn’t stop looping through my head.
Like a broken record, repeating itself over and over and over.
Aurora pressed, “Yeah? What are you thinking?”
I gave a small shrug. “I want it to be simple. But… meaningful. Something special without being over the top.”
“Okay…” she drew out the word dramatically. “And?”
“I was thinking… maybe a baby onesie with something like ‘See you soon, Daddy’ or ‘Hi, Daddy’ on it. What do you think?”
Her grin spread instantly. “I think it’s absolutely perfect.”
A soft smile crept across my lips, but I didn’t say much else.
“Come on,” she stood up, her chair scraping back. “Get ready, meet me outside in… ten minutes? We’ll go shopping—you’ll get your onesie, I’ll get a few things for myself.”
I was about to nod but hesitated. “You think it’s safe? Dominic was really stressed last night about Viktor. I didn’t get the full story but… something felt off.”
“When is Viktor ever not causing trouble?” Aurora shot back, her tone sharp with irritation. “This is meant to be a happy moment for you and my brother. I’m not letting some lówlife, pàthetic wannabe ruín it for either of you.” Her words carried a fierce protectiveness as she pushed back against my hesitance. “And we’ve got guards watching us—trained assassíns. We’re perfectly safe.”
Are we really?
A chill swept over my skin, prickling at the back of my neck. It was strange—unfamiliar, even—but for once in my life, I was scared. Not just nervous… genuinely, gut-twistingly scaréd. A deep, hollow féar that tightened in my chest and made it hard to breathe.
“Why don’t we just stay in and order the clothes?” I suggested quietly, my voice not as steady as I’d have liked.
Aurora looked at me like I’d just grown two heads. “I don’t order my clothes,” she said, as though the very thought was ludicrous. “How would I know if it’s the right fit or not? And you…” she gave me a pointed look, “you need to see it with your own eyes to choose the perfect one.”
I hatéd to admit it, but she was right. Still, the dréad wouldn’t leave me. It twisted in my stomach like a knot pulled too tight.
“Don’t be scared,” Aurora said gently, reading me far too easily. I raised a brow in scepticism and she let out a little laugh, light but determined. “If anything happens, I’m trained to get us to safety.”
Well, I wasn’t.
I wasn’t trained in anything except running my mouth and overthinking. I couldn’t risk my life… not now. Not when I had another life to protect—tiny, fragile, and growing inside me.
“So, I really can’t convince you?” Aurora asked, her voice softer this time, noticing the stubborn set of my jaw.
I pressed my lips together, not trusting myself to speak without sounding harsh. She saw right through me, though—reading every line written across my face.
“What if we keep it short? Just an hour,” she bargained. “We’ll have a bit of fun, pick out what you need, and I can do something nice for my future niece or nephew.”
It wasn’t wrong that she wanted to spend time with me. I was with her brother, she was with mine—we were family now, whether we’d officially said it or not.
But Viktor—
No. Enough. I could do this. I wasn’t going to spend my entire pregnancy hiding away in féar.
“Alright,” I relented, my tone firmer than I felt. “One hour, Aurora. Just one.”
Her face lit up with a wide, triumphant grin. “Brilliant!” she clapped her hands together. “Got it.”
••
One hour wasn’t one hour. Not when you were sat in gridlocked traffic with impatient drivers honking around you. The drive alone swallowed nearly fifty-five minutes, but somehow, it wasn’t so bad.
Aurora and I kept ourselves busy, chatting about anything and everything. I was still uneasy, of course—a niggling sense of anxiety lingered at the edges of my mind—but it helped to have her there, keeping me distracted.
Eventually, we reached the shopping centre and headed straight for the baby section. The moment we walked in, I felt my breath hitch. The shelves stretched out in every direction, bursting with rows of miniature clothes in every colour imaginable. I had no idea where to even begin.
Rory, however, was on a mission. She looped her arm through mine and confidently led me down the aisles towards the newborn onesies.
“I know this place like the back of my hand,” she said with a bright smile. “My friend Jazzy once got lost here for an hour.” She giggled to herself at the memory, her eyes sparkling.
I gave a small nod and let out a slow, steadying breath, forcing myself to focus. The quicker we got this done, the quicker we could be home—safe, sound, and far away from this uneasy feeling gnawing at my chest.
It didn’t take long before I spotted a simple black onesie without any patterns or prints. Minimalistic. I liked it. I grabbed it and turned, only for Rory to wave a bright pink onesie in my face.
“This one’s miles better,” she grinned. “It’s pink, it’s cute, and…” she flipped it around, “…it’s got exactly the wording you wanted.”
She was right. In elegant cursive, it read, ‘Hi, Papa.’
I didn’t have the energy to argue. “Fine,” I said, mustering a half-smile. “We’ll get both.”
“Perfect!”
As we made our way to the tills, Rory pulled out her phone. Her cheeks flushed pink almost instantly, and a knowing smile tugged at her lips as she typed something back quickly before tucking it away.
“Gen,” her voice was softer, almost dreamy, “I don’t think I’ll bother shopping for my clothes after all.”
“Why’s that?” I asked, amused.
“No reason,” she shrugged, though her grin gave her away. “I’ll drop you off and… go somewhere else.”
“Somewhere that involves my brother?” I teased, raising an eyebrow.
Her sputtering was immediate. “Yes. I mean, no. What are you on about? Okay… yes,” she admitted, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Come on, let’s be quick about this.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, fine.”
Not long after, we stepped out of the shopping centre, heading towards Aurora’s car. The winter air was pleasant—not too cold, with just enough of a breeze to keep it comfortable beneath the bright midday sky.
Aurora’s steps were lighter, almost bouncing, clearly eager to see Everett. She was practically skipping ahead.
“First boyfriend?” I asked curiously.
She didn’t miss a beat. “Mmm-hmm. Everett just… makes me happy.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words died on my tongue.
Something shifted. A chill slid down my spine, icy and unrelenting. I felt it… the heavy, suffócating weight of being watched. Not the familiar, comforting eyes of our guards—but different ones. Darkér. Menacing. Hungry.
“Rory…” My voice cracked as I turned to her, but I didn’t have to explain. The alarm in her eyes mirrored my own.
Without a word, we both bolted towards her car. It wasn’t far, but it felt like miles. Every instinct inside me screamed danger.
Then he appeared. Like a ghost stepping out of the shadows, a towering man leaned casually against Aurora’s car, a wicked smirk tugging at his lips. His dark eyes locked onto ours, gleaming with malice.
Aurora and I glanced at one another. No words were needed—our instincts kicked in, and we pivoted sharply, bolting in the opposite direction.
We skidded to a halt.
Five men stood at the rear of the car park, blocking the way.
Not our men.
We whipped our heads to the right—two more stood there, broad-shouldered and imposing. Left—another pair, just as cruél, just as prepared.
We were surrounded.
My hand dove into my bag, desperately fumbling for my phone. Fingers brushed plastic, but before I could close around it, it was struck from my hand. It clattered to the ground and skidded away.
Heart hammering in my chest, I lifted my head… and froze.
“Oops.” The man in front of me sneered, his smile sharp and wicked. His eyes were black—void of anything remotely human. “My bàd,” he added mockingly. “Not like you’ll be needing it where you’re going.”
My throat went dry. I tried to form a response, something, anything—when a sudden sharp prick jabbed at my neck.
I gasped.
My limbs went weak, vision tilting as my body sagged into someone’s waiting arms.
No, no… my baby.
Oh God, my baby.
TBC📖✍️
