Page 13 of Doctored Vows

“I hope it goes well for you.”

He takes a moment to authenticate the sincerity in my tone before he dips his chin in gratitude.

Tension thickens the air with humidity, but before it can stick to my skin, Maksim glances over my shoulder. I miss who has caught his attention since they dart through foot traffic like they’re attempting to outrun the Grim Reaper, but Maksim seems eager to catch up with them.

He mumbles a quick goodbye before he takes off after them, leaving me confused and devastated on the footpath.

CHAPTER SIX

“I’m on my way now.” A valid excuse drowns out Zoya’s shocked huff. “A patient came in with severe stomach cramps, and there was a rostering issue with the student doctors.” I hustle past a patient wheeling his IV stand outside so he can get his daily hit of nicotine. “And then I called Gigi to make sure everything was okay. You know how much she loves to chat.” I barely stop to suck in a much-needed breath. “I’ll still be there in plenty of time, and I checked in online, so I can go straight to security.”

“Okay.”

Her calm response is shocking.

She is usually more vocal when stressed.

“Is she there?” I don’t need to say her mother’s name for her to know who I am referencing. My high pitch announces my worry without additional words needed.

I breathe a little easier when she replies, “No. It’s just?—”

She’s interrupted by my cell phone sounding a long, annoying beep.

“Shit. I forgot to charge my phone.” When I’m not riled about how even my cell is forced to operate with minimal recharges, I say, “Zoya…? Z…?”

I pull my phone from my ear and cuss when I notice it has begun its shutdown.

After storing it in my pocket, I sprint through the revolving door of Myasnikov Private Hospital. My speed is so brutal a woman is flung into the hospital foyer so forcefully she almost stumbles.

“Sorry.”

I’d offer a more heartfelt apology if I had more than a minute to race to the bus stop half a block down. I can’t miss this trip. It hasn’t been in the works for months, but the instant it was brought up, I promised Zoya I’d be her plus-one.

The briskness of the evening air flapping my jacket out should be the first indicator of the slippery conditions I’ve merged into, but my brain doesn’t register that the ground is icy until my stilettos lose traction with the slush-covered concrete.

I skid for several feet before I crash into a wall of hardness. The soles of my pumps are worn from hours of rounds. There’s barely any tread left. So even with my skid ending, I still flap and wail like a chicken released from a coop when my feet continue to slip out from beneath me.

I’m saved from landing on my ass with a thud by digging my nails into the arm of the spicy-scented man keeping me upright. It is a cruel clutch that has me wishing I hadn’t placed myself first.

“I’m so sorry…” The rest of my apology traps in my throat when I raise my eyes to my savior. His murky, almost black eyes are familiar, and just like every time I’ve caught their attention, they set my heart racing. “Maksim…” Like a freight train crashing, worry smacks into me hard and fast. “Is your mother okay? I tried to caution her to slow down, but she doesn’t seem the type to?—”

“Listen? Act her age? Continually change her mind on a whim?” He smirks at me, and it has me as giddy as a teen girl meeting her idol. “If it is the latter, you may need to reevaluate your belief.”

While smiling at the mirth in his tone, I correct my footing before placing a smidge of distance between us. Not a lot. Just enough to breathe without my erect nipples grazing his arm. “I was going to say she doesn’t seem like the type to take unwanted medical advice. But if you need to vent, I’ve been told I’m a skilled listener.”

His smirk turns into a smile. “Thank you for the offer, but there isn’t enough time in the world to work through all my kinks.”

With so much attraction firing in the air, my reply literally kills me. “I’d love to prove otherwise, but unfortunately, I can’t. My bus”—my heart sinks when my eyes shoot down the street—“is leaving without me.”

Shit.

It’s the last bus to the downtown district. If I don’t catch it, I won’t be able to keep my promise to Zoya. That’ll be worse than the corny lines I just tossed out. I’ve never been good at flirting, and tonight’s attempt proves it is still a skill I lack.

The blows keep coming when I dig my cell phone out of my pocket to see if I can rummage up enough funds from an overdrawn credit card to pay an Uber fare.

I can’t even order an Uber since my phone’s battery is flat.

Double shit.

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