Page 38 of Saint

Mia waited, heart in her throat, as Nadia started talking in Russian. Dammit, why had she taken Spanish in school? Although, thinking back, she didn’t remember Russian being an option for a foreign language credit. Well, it should’ve been, because it would’ve come in quite handy.

After a couple of minutes of back and forth chatter with Alexei, Nadia hung up. A funny look passed over her face before she met Mia’s worried gaze. “Nikolai finally got his revenge.”

Mia’s mouth dropped open. “He’s okay?”

“No, he was shot.” Her matter-of-fact tone was almost dismissive.

“What?” Mia bolted up, her chair nearly flipping over. “Shot? Oh, my God, is he—”

She couldn’t finish the sentence because her throat closed and hot tears flooded her eyes.

“He’s alive,” Nadia revealed, studying her closely.

“Oh, thank God.” Mia pressed a fist to her heart. “What happened?”

“One of Petrov’s men shot him in the arm as they were escaping. Just a graze. Another scar to add to the collection.”

The fact that she didn’t sound at all concerned left Mia confused and slightly angry. Nik had been shot with abulletfrom agun. Graze or not, he’d bled and had to be in pain. And, the poor man didn’t need any more scars. He had enough.

“When will they be back?” Mia asked.

“They just landed, but the bad weather is going to slow them down.” She glanced toward the window. “They better hurry, too. No offense, but I much prefer being snowed in at home rather than here with you.”

I prefer that, too,Mia thought dryly, but didn’t reply. Instead, she abandoned her soup and hurried into the bathroom, searching for a First Aid kit. She had time to prepare for Nik’s arrival. Her first priority was making sure his arm wasproperly cleaned and patched up the minute he got to the cabin. And she’d insist he take the bed. She had no problem sleeping on the couch in front of the fire again. Keeping Nik as comfortable as possible, propped against a stack of pillows, was imperative. Besides, the couch couldn’t accommodate his long legs.

Kneeling on the bathroom floor, Mia dug around through the cabinet and drawers, searching for items that would help her take care of Nik. When a throat cleared behind her, she glanced over her shoulder to see Nadia standing there, arms crossed, a curious look on her face.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Looking for a First Aid kit,” Mia mumbled, head beneath the sink. “Found it!”

She pulled the small box out and began rifling through it, taking stock of all the items.

“You care about him.”

It wasn’t a question and Mia looked up, meeting Nadia’s intense green eyes. There was no point denying it, but she wasn’t exactly going to admit it, either. “He’s hurt. I just want to make sure he gets the care he needs.”

“And if his dick hurts? Do you plan on sucking it?”

Mia’s gaze snapped up and her jaw dropped. “I’m referring to his arm.”

Damn, these Russians were bold. Mia’s eyes narrowed.

“Why do you care, anyway?” Mia asked. “You said Nik was only good for a night.”

Nadia arched a brow. “A night or two,” she clarified with a smirk.

“Do you have feelings for him?” A zap of jealousy shot through Mia’s veins.

But, the other woman shook her head. “Relax, he’s all yours. Nik is like a brother. Half the time I want to punch him in the face. But he does have his moments.”

Mia’s shoulders sagged. Thank goodness. The last thing she wanted was to compete for Nik’s affections with Nadia. The woman was too gorgeous, too experienced and, if she had to guess, far too deadly.

Slowly standing up, Mia leaned back against the sink and clutched the small box to her chest. “He told me I’m not his type.” She hadn’t planned on sharing that humiliating tidbit, but it slipped out. Desperate for advice, for another female to confide in, Mia sighed and met Nadia’s worldly gaze.

“Really?” She appeared to be considering Mia’s words. “That’s interesting.”

“How so?”

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