Page 59 of Ruby Menace

“They’re gone. Or under control, at least.” Tiana licks her lips. “Your men took care of them after you went down.”

“Petrov?”

“Dima.” She nods. “Put a bullet right between his eyes.”

“Better than he deserved,” I growl the words. I wish I’d killed that bastard myself. “What about Zoya?” Vague snippets of a scene are coming back to me slowly. Zoya’s screames. Tiana covered in blood.

“Gone.”

“Also Dima?

“Well, no.” Her voice is husky. “That was me.” She looks down. “I’m so sorry, Kirill. It was self-defense.”

The scene I wittnessed though the dark fog of looming death becomes clearer to me now. My little bird fighting like a tiger. It was an image that cut through the pain as I lay there. “You’re a true soldier, Ptichka.”

She’s still looking down. “I’ve never…” She lifts a shaking hand and rubs red-rimmed eyes. “I never imagined that I would take someone’s life.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. Zoya was broken. A cracked vessel.” I’m still stroking her cheek and my voice still sounds like shit. Her tears dampen my fingertips. I hate seeing her crying.

She straightens her shoulders. “I know that. But still…”

Still, it hurts her. Of course it would. My woman is intrinsically good. There’s no way I deserve her in my world… but I’m going to fight to keep her in it.

“You will never have to make such choices again, Tiana. That will always be my job.” My smile is stronger this time. I’m starting to feel better already.

“I wish it wasn’t.” Tiana raises damp dark eyes to mine. “I wish you didn’t live in a world where you were in danger. I hate being afraid for you, and I—”

The door swings open, and a white-coated man walks through.

“Ah. Mr. Vyronov. Good to see you awake, at last. You gave your young lady quite a scare.” He walks up to my bedside, checking readings on the monitors by the bed. “Everything looking good here.” He nods approvingly before looking more closely at my face.

I scowl at him. “When can I get out of here?”

He chuckles and looks up at Tiana. “He’s just the way you said he’d be.”

“Hey, mudak!” I snap a hand around his wrist. “I am talking to you.”

The doctor flinches. Seems like my strength is coming back. I feel a swirl of satisfaction.

“We’ll need to run some tests first.” He cautiously extracts his arm from my grip. “But I don’t see you leaving for at least another week. The surgery—”

“Fuck the surgery!” I manage to raise myself, even though it hurts like a bitch. “I will not be stuck here for another week.” I look around again. “Where the fuck is Dima?”

“Your assistant?” The doctor pinches his lips.

Assistant.

That makes me chuckle drily.

“Dima’s been waiting for you too, Kirill,” Tiana chimes in. “We’ve been sick with worry.”

My chuckle turns into a laugh. Which fucking hurts. “Dima sick with worry? Now there’s a picture.”

As if hearing his name, my “assistant” pokes his head around the door. “Ready to see me, boss?”

Blyad. He looks like a pile of shit. Maybe he really was worried.

“Yes.” I push myself further up the pillows. “Tell me what’s been happening while I have been in here.”

---