Page 39 of Sinful Scars

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LEV

I turnup the air conditioning in the car to stop myself from falling asleep. My skin is covered in goosebumps, and my teeth are chattering from the cold, but Elle is due to finish her shift any minute, and I need to stay awake so I can make sure she gets home safely.

The past twelve hours have been torture, and my eye lids are painfully heavy as I keep them trained on the hospital entrance.

“Where are you, Elle?” I check the clock again.

Elle was meant to have finished her shift ten minutes ago, and while it’s common for her to finish late, I can’t help but imagine the worst.

I’m just about to go storming into the hospital in search of Elle when a call comes through on the center screen of my car from Pyotr .

He’s been quiet over the past couple of days, and I’m desperate for an update on Alexei Koslov.

“What have you got for me, Pyotr?”

“Are you alone?”

“Yes.” My eyes flick to the main entrance of the hospital.

“Good. Because I have some information for you that you might want to keep to yourself.”

“You’re the only person I talk to.”

Pyotr chuckles. “I’m honored.”

“Spit it out, Pyotr.” I look at the clock on my screen.

I start tapping my fingers on the steering wheel.

Elle’s shifts usually run long, but that doesn’t make me worry any less.

“Igor was the one to order the attack on Elle.”

My body stills. “You’re certain?”

“Yes.”

I shouldn’t be surprised and yet, I am.

“I’m going to fucking kill him.”

The reason that Elle wakes every night, screaming in terror, is because of my father.

Why would he do this?

If he wanted to go after Alexei, targeting Elle like he did doesn’t make sense. He should have gone after his wife or child, or even one of his brothers.

There’s only one reason he would go after Elle, and the realization has bile burning my throat.

He did this to get to me.

He wanted to lure me out of the shadows that I’ve been hiding in for the past few years, and there is only one person that I would dare risk exposing myself for.

“From what I can tell, he’s not planning another one.”

I run a hand over my jaw as I watch a few nurses exit the hospital.

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