Page 37 of Bought By the Bratva

Nadia was in her room when I got home. I went to my office and called in the staff one by one. By lunchtime, I had only seen about half, so I had lunch in my office. I called Tasha to touch base.

She hadn’t gotten very far either. She did, however, have a list of three employees that could have been involved. I didn’t want to believe that we had loyalty issues. But anything was possible in our world.

“I am sitting down with Alexandr this afternoon to discuss the employees. But I think you should stay home. Come in tomorrow, and let’s see what we have then,” Tasha said.

“Right, thank you, sis. I’ll go back to the warehouse and see if my men found anything more. See you in the morning,” I replied before hanging up.

By the time I was done talking to the staff, it was getting dark out. I told Tasha that I would be late as I needed to check in with the guards in the morning. As I rose to head down for dinner, one of the kitchen ladies entered.

“Oh,” I said, surprised to see her carrying my supper. “Are we not having dinner together?” I questioned, as I sat back down.

“Miss Nadia has already had supper and retired for the evening, sir,” she replied.

She placed the plate on the table and left. As she headed out the door, I spoke. “Thank you.”

She turned, bowed her head lightly, and left. I wondered what Nadia had done all day as I ate. I didn’t really have time to ponder it, though. I needed to find out what happened so we could prevent another attack.

The next two days were filled with inspections, meetings, and following up on leads. Alexandr took the news much better than I had expected. Anton was up in arms, as I predicted. He wanted Nadia and was ready to start a war.

Eventually, Tasha found a tiny bit of evidence. I felt relieved as I had been living at the office and the warehouse for the last three days. Heading home, I couldn’t wait to see Nadia. I wanted to have a romantic dinner, maybe watch a movie, and hear what she has been doing to keep busy.

I arrived home late and hoped she was still up. Entering the mansion, I stopped in my tracks. Nadia was sitting on the stairs, leaning and hanging onto the railing. “Nadia,” I huffed asI rushed to her side. Going down on my knees before her, I spoke softly. “Nadia, what’s wrong?”

She glanced at me, her eyes flickering open and shut. Her complexion was pale, and she looked sweaty. A small smile crossed her lips as she reached out to me. Her touch was hot as she placed her hand on my cheek.

Lifting mine, I felt her forehead. “You’re boiling!” I huffed. “I’m so sorry for not being around,” I added as I lifted her into my arms. Quickly, I walked upstairs to my room. I placed her down on the bed carefully. The fact that she didn’t even try to argue scared me. “Nadia, I’m just going to draw you a bath,” I added.

Nadia grabbed my hand as I started turning away. She must have seen the fear in my eyes. “I’m alright,” she whispered. Her voice sounded hoarse. “It’s just a cold. I just need to rest.” Nadia closed her eyes, and her hand fell from mine.

My heart was beating in my throat. For a moment, it felt like I couldn’t breathe. “Nadia,” I said, kneeling beside the bed. She tried looking at me, her eyes opening and closing again. “I’m going to draw you a bath with some oils and herbs that are great for curing a cold,” I added, swallowing hard.

Nadia smiled weakly as I rose. I moved quickly, filling the tub and adding the necessary oils and herbs. Mila, Alexandr’s wife, had given these to me when I came down with a cold a while back. I prayed that it was only a cold, and this would work. I had to do something; I had to help her recover.

Feeling the water once the tub was halfway full, I made sure it was the right temperature. I added the herbs and oils needed. Giving it a big swirl, I headed back to my bed to fetch Nadia. As I picked her up, I considered calling one of the maids but decided against it.

Entering the bathroom, Nadia opened her eyes. She frowned at me as she spoke. “I can walk, you know.”

“I know,” I replied with a small chuckle. “I want you to conserve your energy so you can get better.”

I moved up to the tub before lowering her to her feet. She stood, but it was wanly. “Let’s sit rather,” I said assisting her to sit on the side of the tub. As I started undressing her, she giggled. This made me smile. “What’s so funny?” I questioned.

“You are treating me like a baby,” she replied softly.

“You kind of are one at the moment,” I said teasingly.

Nadia smirked as I dropped her clothing to the floor. “Ready to get in?” I asked, taking her around the waist. She pushed up and placed one leg in the tub. I waited patiently for her to get the other one in before lowering her into the water. “Please don’t fall asleep, I’ll be right back, okay?” I added.

She nodded her head as I walked to the door. Satisfied with her response I left to prepare her some food and make some medicine. I had a recipe my mother used when we got sick, and it has done wonders for me over the years.

After making the cold remedy, I warmed some of the cook’s fabulous chicken soup. It was filled with nutrients and light enough to keep down. I also made a hot water bottle in case she needed it.

Grabbing a tray from the cupboard and piling everything on it, I headed upstairs. Placing the tray on the table in the corner of my room, I got the bed ready. I wasn’t about to leave her alone and would sleep on the chair if I had to.

With everything set up, I went to check on Nadia in the tub. She was moving her legs up and down. Smiling, I approached slowly. “No, no, no,” she huffed as she saw me.

“What did I do now?” I asked, kneeling next to the tub.

“Just a bit longer. It’s nice in here,” she replied.

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