Starting Our Forever: Her Savior Series

Chapter 2

*Harper's POV*

"How did your dad take the news?" I was nervous to hear his response, because I could only imagine how the conversation went, which made me feel even worse about the whole thing.

"Not well... You know how desperate he is to have an heir... He believes now more than ever that we have threats around the world, ready to overthrow our position and an heir is the only way to solve the potential problem." I nodded in understanding, knowing Zeke's response was everything I had suspected. He has put significant pressure on us to have a child, ever since the wedding night. I felt equal amounts of remorse as I did guilt for not being able to conceive, not only for myself but for our family and the possible business repercussions as a result. I bowed my head to avoid showing the tears welling up in my eyes. I have cried so much about this for the last two years that I was mentally and emotionally exhausted from it all.

"I'm so sorry...this is all my fault. I'm creating a wedge between you and your father. All because I can't seem to get pregnant," I put my head in my hands and gave in to the emotions of it all. I sobbed into my hands as Dawson rushed to my side, pulling me into his arms.

"Baby, you didn't do anything wrong. This is not your fault. Please don't think like that," he insisted, trying to rationalize with me and my emotions. I couldn't help but think it was partly my fault, but I knew deep down that Cole was responsible. That b*****d was still creating problems and finding ways to torture me from beyond the grave. I replay that night in my head, thinking I should have fought back harder to protect myself. I should have done everything I possibly could have to get myself out of that situation. I cringed at the thought of just letting him abuse me to the point where I lost my child. I knew I would never make that same mistake again. I would never let anyone harm me like that ever again.

"But what if we can't conceive? What if I can't give you the heir we need? Then what?" I asked, dreading the answer, but I was desperate to know. He had to have a biological heir to take over, and I couldn't help but wonder what it meant if I couldn't give him that.

"For now, we will just keep trying," he responded with an optimistic smile as he wrapped his arms around me once more. He kissed me slowly and gently on the forehead, allowing me to forget all of my worries, if only for a moment. I pulled back from his touch, letting my worries come flooding back. Concern was written all over my face at the possibility of this next attempt failing. I really hoped it worked this time, but I was so scared about what it would mean for us if it didn't...

"And what if it doesn't work in a month? One year? Two years? What then?" I pressed the issue, observing his face intently for any indication. He looked just as upset as I was about the whole thing.

"Then, we start thinking about other options..." he answered reassuringly with a shrug.

"Like?" I searched his eyes for answers, desperate to know exactly what he was inferring.

"We could entertain surrogacy?" He suggested, pulling back to look me in the eyes.

"You mean, have someone else carry our baby?" I asked, allowing tears to break through and stream down my face. The thought of it, completely tore me apart. I didn't like that idea one bit, but at the same time, if this didn't work again, I didn't know what other options we had. We both knew time was running out and things would get infinitely more complicated if this didn't work again.

"Baby, I don't want you to worry. It will all be OK," he said, calmly as he reached up and pulled the hair out of my face, tucking it back behind my ears.

"How do you know that for sure?" I asked, seeming unsure. I looked up at him with my wide doe eyes, filled with tears, waiting for him to reassure me once more. I hated feeling so insecure at that moment, but with all the pressure on us right now and all the hormonal treatments I was currently enduring, I struggled to keep my emotions at bay.

"Baby, listen to me. I will not let this get in our way. I refuse to let something like this drive us apart...I will give all of this up before I let that happen. Do you hear me?" He asked in a gentle but stern voice. I could tell he was serious, which allowed me to relax even more in his touch. It reassured me to hear him defend the unity we had, but at the same time, I knew I could never let him do that. I could never let him sacrifice the business.

"Don't say that. You can't give this up and let someone other than a Mitchell take over..." That was something that has now become a non-negotiable for me. Ever since he took over for his dad, I can see how badly he wanted this, and how much of a great leader he has become. I would be d****d if he lost it all because of me. We would make it all work out. We had to...

"I can, and I will, if that's what it comes to. You are the most important thing in my life. You come first." He leaned in and wiped my tears from my face before capturing my lips in his. My body responded to his touch, pulling him closer to me as I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling him closer to me. The kiss was electric, sending shock waves throughout my entire body. He swiped his tongue across my lips, asking for entrance. I gladly obliged and matched his pace.

The sound of someone clearing their throat quickly broke us apart. We looked to see Blake standing in the doorway.

"Boss, sorry to interrupt, but there is an important call for you." Blake's face was full of concern, telling me it was someone important.

"Can't you see I'm busy? Take a message," Dawson said, seeming angry about being disrupted by a lousy phone call.

"I'm sorry, but it's important," Blake insisted. "It's Artem Petrov," Blake said.

Dawson quickly pulled back from my touch, glancing at Blake with a hard gaze. That clearly got his attention. He turned back to me, gently rubbing the sides of my arms.

"I have to take this. We will finish this later, OK?" he said sweetly as I nodded in response.

"Go," I said reassuringly, releasing a soft smile in his direction. He gave me a quick kiss before stepping back and turning to leave the room with Blake.

*Dawson's POV*

As soon as Blake told me who was on the phone, my blood went cold. I knew whatever Artem had to say would not be good. I hated leaving Harper in her sensitive state, but she knew and understood my job. Sometimes, things come up suddenly that call for my immediate attention and this was one of those times.

I closed the office door behind me before getting comfortable in my seat and picking up the phone.

"This is Dawson Mitchell," I answered the phone in my usual professional tone.

"Ah, Mr. Mitchell. It's so good to speak to you again." Hearing his thick Russian accent, sent shivers down my spine. This was a ruthless, spineless man that I hated interacting with. I wanted to get down to business right away so we could end this interaction as quickly as possible.

"How's the wife? How's the family?" I rolled my eyes, ignoring the questions. His attempt at small talk was quite irritating. I knew as well as he did that he didn't give a d**n about how we were doing.

"What do you want, Artem?" I asked, getting straight to the point. Artem was in his fifty's and about ready to hand over his business to his son, Aleksei, who was only three years older than me. Artem had been calling more lately than ever before. I knew he was scoping out his competition, testing his boundaries, and I had no patience for it. Artem was the one responsible for killing my grandfather and that was something that I would never let go or even begin to forgive. We would always be rivals and I would one day get my revenge. I personally would like nothing more than to see his own family dead and buried, but that would lead to a war that we weren't quite prepared for yet. I had to play nice for now, knowing that wouldn't last very long.

"Right, you like to get straight to business. You know, I like that about you..." he said, seeming condescending. He paused briefly before continuing.

"I thought we had an understanding...but I don't appreciate your men at my border..." I could hear the flick of blinds on the other end, as if he was looking out his window at them right at that moment. I quietly cursed myself, frustrated that my men didn't clearly listen when I told them to stay out of sight.

"We have business in China. I assure you, we mean you no harm. I will have them pull back by the end of the week as soon as our business there is done," I confirmed, refusing to give him further details.

"Be sure that you do, because I would hate for something as trivial as this to start another war between us..." I gripped my phone tighter, letting anger rise in my throat.

"We know full well who started the last war, Artem, and I can assure you, it wasn't us," I said in a harsh tone.

"The past is in the past. When are you going to let that go, my dear boy?" His voice seemed light and relaxed. I could imagine him smiling on the other end now. I detested his arrogance and confidence when it came to foreign affairs. His light approach was going to get him and his men killed one day. I would see to that.

"You killing my grandfather? Never. And it would be wise of you not to provoke me. I'm not my father and I will not stand for an assault on my men," I warned. My dad hated the Russians, but he knew as well as I did that they currently had us outnumbered in members. We, however, had them outnumbered in weaponry. All we needed was more men and more training, and we would be ready for the fight of a lifetime.

We recently added around forty more men and increased their training requirements for this very event. I knew a war was coming between us and the Russian Mafia, but I wanted to make sure we were the most prepared for this fight. I wanted to increase our chances of succeeding and would do anything in my power to give us a victory.

"Now, now Dawson. Let us come to an understanding. I will not kill your men until they dare cross my border," he warned in return.

"That will not happen. Like I said, once they finish business in China, they will pull out of the area. They will be out by the end of the week," I assured him.

"Great. Then, our business for the time being is done. It was a pleasure as always, Dawson." I heard a click of the line, telling me he had ended the call. I immediately called Zeb and Blake, filling them in on all the details of my recent phone call with Artem.

"Zeb, I need you to increase security measures on and off the grounds and see if you can get a wider scope with our cameras. I want to make sure I know exactly if and when they plan to strike," I said, waiting for Zeb to nod in response before I turned to Blake.

"Blake, as you know, we have recently added forty more men, and we will keep increasing our numbers until we are equal or greater to Artem's men. I would like you to train them all and increase training days with our current men," I said matter-of-factly. Blake released a slight nod in understanding.

"How many more men do they have?" Blake asked.

"They have about two hundred men on us," Blake released a heavy sigh, "but we have them in weaponry...especially with the additional nuclear weapons we just purchased overseas. Once we have those, we will definitely have the upper hand on that front," I reassured them, knowing I was covering my bases in all areas.

"Do you really think they are going to be stupid enough to attack us?" Blake asked, seeming concerned.

"We need to be ready for any possibility. I don't trust Artem and I don't want to take any chances." They both nodded in understanding.