Page 167 of Emerald Malice

“This is my fault.” It sounds far too cold to count as an apology. “I should have had a team on her. I didn’t think she was in any danger.”

“Andrey, please,” I implore. “I need you…”

Desperation is the only thing that allows me to be so vulnerable. I’m going down either way—I might as well be honest on the way out.

“Shura is with Katya, but Leonty is on his way to the hospital now. He should be there shortly.”

I don’t understand. I didn’t ask for Leonty. Or Shura. I asked for him.

“Andrey—”

“Slavik returning is not something I anticipated. He may be my father, but he’s a dangerous man. I need to sort this out first.”

I clutch the phone tighter, a flimsy lifeline. But before I can say anything…

He hangs up.

I freeze, held captive by dead air and the burgeoning feeling of isolation.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” I turn to the blonde, curly-haired nurse. “Your aunt has just been sedated. She’s going to need plenty of rest. Her blood pressure is pretty high and, given her age, we’re gonna have to monitor that closely.”

I blink fast, wishing there was an adult in the room with me who knew how to handle things like this. “Um… but she’s out of danger? She’s going to be okay?”

The nurse frowns, which isn’t at all reassuring. “As I said, her blood pressure is high. Until it drops, she’s not out of the woods yet.”

I mean to take a step towards my aunt, but my feet don’t cooperate and instead, I go barreling into the nurse. She steadies me with both hands. “Ma’am, are you alright? Let me get you a chair.”

“No, no,” I insist. “I’m okay.”

I have to be okay. How can I expect to be there for my family if I fall apart at the slightest sign of conflict or pressure?

I stumble over to Aunt Annie’s bedside and take her hand again. Her palm is limp and cool against mine. She turns her head to me, but her eyes are blurry from the drugs and fatigue.

She mumbles something, but I don’t understand a word of it.

“What was that?” I ask, dropping my ear to her lips. “Aunt Annie?”

“It’ll be the drugs,” the nurse informs me as she heads for the door. “It’s perfectly normal. She’ll be out soon.”

But when the nurse is gone, I try again. “Aunt Annie?”

“You’re not safe, Nat.” Her chest rises and falls with the effort.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’m protected.”

Aunt Annie’s eyes widen for a moment as though she’s remembering something. “He said… he said…”

The noose around my neck feels like it’s tightening. “Who said? What did he say?”

She passes out before she can tell me.

60

ANDREY

The manor is uncharacteristically quiet.

No chatter.

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