Page 92 of Sinner's Secret

“And sore.”

“Let’s see what Yvgeny left for us. I asked for first aid supplies, but I have no idea how he interpreted that.”

Baz took Nika’s hand and they walked over to the basket. Baz took the bow off and pushed the cellophane and tissue paper away.

There was a large first aid kit with enough supplies in it to last them several days. Clothes for himself and Nika, including matching pajamas, and a large variety of fruit, beverages, and snacks.

Nika picked up the pajamas. “Cute. Your cousin has a sense of humor.”

“He’s got something all right,” Baz muttered as he caught sight of a jewelry box under the clothing. He had a pretty good idea what was in it, and it wasn’t something he wanted to deal with right now. He dropped a bunch of stuff on it, then focused on her. “Can I look at your leg?”

“Sure. I might need to change the bandage.”

Changing the bandage was the least of his worries. He needed to see the damage, he needed to know how close he’d come to losing her.

They went into the bathroom, which was ridiculously large. Two sinks, sunken whirlpool tub, and a shower with more gizmos than on the International Space Station.

Nika put the seat down on the toilet, took her jeans off, then angled her leg so they could both see her injured calf.

Baz crouched in front of her, the scent of fresh blood itching at the inside of his nose. There was a spot of blood the size of a quarter visible on the bandage. He peeled the taped down edges away from her skin and slowly removed the bandage.

There were stitches on two places, the entry and exit wounds, and it looked like the exit wound was bigger. There was a large scab over the area that was bleeding sluggishly now.

“I don’t see any sign of infection,” he said. “Let me get a fresh bandage on this.”

The first aid kit had several and he had one on her leg in short order. He looked up at her. Her face had lost most of its color and there were bags under her eyes.

“Come on, time for sleep.”

“I saw some over the counter pain meds in the basket. Could you grab me a couple?”

“Sure, that and some water. Then you’re going to sleep yourself out.”

“What are you going to do?”

He sighed. He’d been putting off doing anything up until now, but he couldn’t put it off any longer. “I’ve got a few phone calls to make. Joe is still missing, and if I don’t keep my eye on Yvgeny I’m afraid he’s going to do something stupid.”

“He did something stupid a couple of times already,” she said, getting to her feet. A wince crossed her face before she could hide it.

Baz picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom.

“Baz, I can walk,” she said, her tone aggrieved.

“I like carrying you,” he said, his voice rough. “That idiot could have killed you and I wasn’t there to stop him.”

“We had a plan, and it went as well as could be expected. I suspected he was the leak, but I had no idea how far off the rails he’d gone.”

Baz sighed, then carried her to the bed. He grabbed her pajamas from the basket and handed them to her. She put them on, then began hobbling back to the bathroom.

“Shit,” he said, scooping her up and carrying her there. “I forgot about brushing your teeth.”

She kissed his cheek. “Stop worrying so much. I’m fine.”

Ten minutes later, she was asleep, and he was contemplating the cell phone in his hand. He had the contacts list up, and the people Yvgeny had chosen to put in it was telling. Most of them were family.

He didn’t trust any of them.

The phone chimed, announcing a text message from Yvgeny.

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