Gospodi, she’s adorable. I rub my face to hide my fascination with her. This is why I find this girl intoxicating. Addictive. She’s so youthful—pure and precious. Undamaged. A bright light in a world with so few bright lights.
Ravil’s lips twitch. “I already knew about your unsanctioned pet.”
“You did?”
He touches his fingertips together. “Very little happens in my building that I don’t know about, Natasha.”
Thanks to my cyberstalking, of course.
He sits back. “I will have someone stop in and feed your furry friend while you are at the cabin and your mother is in Russia.”
She ducks her head. “Thank you.”
“Go back and see if Dr. Taylor requires your assistance.”
She stands, her high heels making her slender legs appear even longer than usual. I loathe the revealing dress she’s wearing. That she wore it for him. In my irrational and over-emotional state, it seems like Nikolai got shot because she put that fucking dress on for Alex.
Ravil waits until the door to the clinic shuts then asks, “What do you think?”
“I’m inclined to believe her,” Maxim says.
I scrub my hand across my face. “Me too, but my judgment is shit when it comes to her.”
“Obviously,” Maxim says drily.
“Svetlana’s in Russia now? The timing of that is suspicious,” Maxim muses.
Svetlana is Natasha’s mother, the proud and stubborn midwife who delivered Ravil’s baby, Benjamin.
“Right. She could’ve gotten her mother out of harm’s way before taking this risk.” Ravil looks at me. “Look into it. See if you can find out exactly where she is now and what she’s doing.”
“I left my computer in the hotel room.”
“Adrian or Oleg would’ve taken it. I’ll have someone drive out to the cabin tomorrow with food and supplies,” Ravil says.
“Thank you,” I mutter.
Ravil’s eyes narrow as he considers me. “Are you going to tell me if you find anything after you investigate her?”
He’s asking whether I’ll protect Natasha from him if it comes down to it.
I hesitate. Would I protect her? Fuck yes. The instinct is there. Even as angry as I am with her, I’d still take a bullet for that girl in a heartbeat. But would I hold back information from my pakhan for her?
No. Ravil is the fairest man I know. If Natasha’s trouble for us, I trust him better than I trust myself to handle things.
I nod. “Yeah.” I scrub a hand over my face. “I’m sorry about the car—”
“We’re good,” Ravil interrupts. “I understand she’s your soft spot.”
“More like my fucking Kryptonite,” I mutter. Because Natasha single-handedly wreaked me tonight, and I’m usually the one who’s thought of and prepared for everything. I lost all reason when she looked at me with those sea-green eyes and asked for a favor that made no sense.
The door from the clinic opens, and Dr. Taylor comes out, Natasha trailing behind. “I’m finished. I repaired the colon and put a drain in. He’s on a drip of painkillers and antibiotics. Moving him isn’t advised, but you obviously can’t keep him here.” He addresses Ravil but includes me in his eye contact. “Natasha knows how to administer the drip and adjust the drain. I’ve packed up the supplies you’ll need. I’d like daily updates and am willing to do a home visit in the next forty-eight hours to check on his progress if that’s… agreeable.”
“Video or teleconferencing would be preferred,” Ravil answers smoothly. Showing an outsider the location of the cabin would defeat the point of having the cabin. Of course, Natasha would know now, unless I make her cover her head with a hood, an idea that turns my stomach.
Dr. Taylor nods. “That’s fine. Let’s video tomorrow, so I can take a look at everything. I’ll send you with a pressure cuff as well.” He glances at Natasha. “You know how to use it, I assume?”
She nods.
“Let’s carry him out,” Ravil says. We use the bodyboard, and I put one of the back seats forward to lay Nikolai down flat like I’m transporting lumber. Natasha crawls in the remaining backseat, positioned near his head.
“Keep him comfortable,” I growl, throwing her a dark look before I slam the door.
The order is totally unnecessary. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Natasha will take care of him. That’s her personality. That’s why she made herself indispensable to the vet, brought coffee out to Ravil, and learned everything she would need to know to act as Nikolai’s nurse.
Still, I’m not going to soften my heart toward her again.
I can’t. Not when the consequences are this terrible.
Natasha
* * *
I jerk awake from what must’ve been a dream although it exactly represented my present moment. As in, I dreamed I was in the Land Rover, sitting beside Nikolai, trying to keep his head stabilized on a turn.
The vehicle bumps and jostles, and I realize it was the change to a dirt road that woke me. By the glowing clock on the dash, it’s nearly four in the morning. Dima drives another ten minutes or so then parks the Land Rover in the dark. I blink, my eyes getting used to the darkness. Dima gets out without a word and slams the door. He walks toward the darkened building.