Page 122 of Emerald Vices

I squat down in front of my broken cousin and clasp him by the shoulders. “Stop this, man. Mila needs you to be strong for her. Blaming yourself won’t solve anything.”

His eyes are locked on mine, but it’s like he’s looking through me. “If she dies… what will I do?”

Natalia wraps her arm around him and he sobs against her shoulder. Katya sits on his opposite side, patting his arm. I join Shura in the corner.

“Thank fuck for the girls,” Shura rasps. “I wouldn’t know what to do.”

I don’t say a word. I just nod in agreement.

Every minute that ticks by feels like an eternity. I pace the corridor, willing the emergency door to open. Willing some nurse to come offer us some kind of update about Mila’s condition.

Two minutes pass.

Five.

Ten.

Twenty.

After a while, Natalia leaves Leonty with Katya and walks over to me. I pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head.

“I hate that he has to go through this,” she whispers, nuzzling into my chest. “I’m so worried for Mila. Terrified for the both of them. But I’m so relieved that it isn’t you and me in their position.” She chokes on her own words. “Does that make me a horrible person?”

“Not in the slightest,” I assure her. “Tragedy makes you grateful for what you have left, even if you lose something.”

Natalia bites her lip. “Do you think she’ll survive?”

“All we can do now is hope.”

Finally, the doors swing open and Mila’s doctor steps out.

Leonty beats us all there. “Is she okay? Is she alive?”

There’s a pregnant pause. “She’s alive and stable.”

“Oh, thank God!” Natalia mumbles, bending over as though she can’t stand the relief. “Can we see her?”

“Soon. She’s being wheeled into a private room as we speak. She lost a lot of blood, but she was extremely lucky. The bullet missed her major organs…”

As the doctor drones on about the details of the procedure, I grasp Natalia tightly, savoring the solid feel of her. The warmth of her. Her pulse, softness, smell.

A few minutes later, Leonty goes off with the doctor to see Mila. The rest of us congregate outside her room.

Shura meets my eyes above the women’s heads. Silently, I gesture for him to follow me down the corridor. “Do you think it’s possible to keep this quiet?” he murmurs.

“I think it’s too late for that already,” I admit. “Viktor’s thugs will have spread the word by now.”

Our conversation is cut short when Leonty reappears, gesturing the girls forward. “You can see her if you want. She’s still unconscious, but I think she’d appreciate you being there all the same.”

I’m about to follow them in when my phone starts to ring. When I see who’s calling, I curse under my breath.

“Is it him?” Shura asks.

I nod. “You go in. I’ll handle this.”

The moment the door swings shut, I answer the call.

“Is it fucking true?” he yells. “Is my daughter dead?”

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