Page 29 of Savage Warrior

“Take off the T-shirt. Let me check.” He gets up and goes over to a wall-mounted cupboard. When he returns to the table, he has a green leather case with a white cross on it. A first-aid kit. He opens the lid and extracts a tube of anti-inflammatory cream. “Let’s at least get some of this on those bruises. You need to lose the shirt.”

CHAPTER 9

Rome

I half expect her to refuse to undress, and I wouldn’t have forced the issue. She’s been through enough brutality at the hands of violent men. I’m no saint, but I draw the line at ripping the clothes off vulnerable women. I’m concerned for her physical well-being, but far more worried about the emotional impacts of her ordeal. I’m not about to add to her stress.

But, she complies without protest. I interpret this as lingering fear of me and what I might do to her. I’m not sure if that’s good thing or not.

I need her to obey me if I’m to get her out of this mess, and even then, it won’t be easy. From the descriptions and information I have, I can’t identify the traffickers. I can assume they’re Russian, operating out of Belarus. Probably a Bratva, but which one?

What I do know, and what worries me more than anything, is that going home to her family won’t make Arina safe. Quite the opposite. The Bratva want her back, and they’ll be looking. If they don’t find her here in the UK, they’ll have eyes on her home in Lida. Her sister and brother will be under surveillance, if not already in their hands. They’ll be hostages, to keep Arina quiet. That’s if they’re lucky. The Bratva may simply kill all of them, just to be on the safe side.

I’m not about to point all this out to Arina. She’d most likely panic and make another run for it, thinking she can somehow find her way back home and rescue them. I fear it’s already too late for that, so my priority now is to ensure Arina stays out of their reach.

Meanwhile, the job in hand…

Arina perches on the edge of her chair, my shirt crumpled in her hands and pressed against her breasts. I let her hang on to it while I smear the anti-inflammatory cream over the welts on her shoulders.

“I need to check for fractures. I’ll be gentle, but it may hurt.”

She nods and closes her eyes.

I press my fingers against her torso, probing for the most tender spots. She lets out a cry when I touch one especially angry-looking bruise on the right side of her ribcage. I suspect that one is broken, and I soon discover another likely candidate on her left side. I’m no medic so I can’t be sure about other internal injuries, we’ll just have to hope.

“I’ll put the cream on, then strap your ribs up. That should make it easier.”

Another little nod.

“Do you want to do the front yourself?” I offer her the tube of cream.

Her hands are shaking so much that she drops it.

I pick it up. “Let me.”

She fixes her gaze on a point over my left shoulder, and I get to work quickly, massaging the ointment into her abdomen and breasts. I’d like to say I’m unmoved by the way she lets me handle her body, but that wouldn’t be true. My cock stands to attention, but it this is neither the time nor place. I ignore my growing discomfort and get the job done.

I find a wide elastic bandage in the first-aid kit and use that for the strapping. At last she’s tended to, and I take hold of the shirt which is lying across her lap. I ease it over her head then help her to slide her arms into the sleeves. She swipes tears from her cheeks as she thanks me.

Arina is asleep, so I take the opportunity to unload the rest of the supplies Tony piled into the Land Rover for me. The snow has finally stopped but shows no sign of thawing. We’re stuck here for at least another day or two.

Once everything is in the cabin, I take stock. I’d say we have enough for a week, maybe two, then I’ll need to make a shopping trip. According to Google Maps, the closest store is a farm shop about twenty miles away, and that will only furnish us with fresh milk and some groceries. I’ll need to acquire some clothes for Arina if we’re to be unobtrusive once we leave here.

I’m thinking we should head south, towards civilisation and away from where the Bratva last saw Arina. If they are looking for her they’ll be focussing their search in the Highlands, and I see no reason to make things easy for them.

As she shows no sign of waking up anytime soon, I decide to slip outside and call Jack.

“Hey?” He picks up after two rings. “You found the place, then?”

“I did.”

“Are you snowed in? I saw the forecast…”

“Yup.” I hug my Parka close and bless the instinct which made me sling it in the back of the Land Rover when I set out. “It’s fucking freezing.”

“Enjoy the peace and quiet, bro,” he advises.

“About that…” I go on to provide him with a potted version of the situation.

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