Page 39 of The Bratva's Virgin Bride

We all go back inside and move to the sides. They bring him in and lie him down on the sofa.

“He's been sliced up, possibly stabbed. We can't reach the doctor to help him,” Viktor says, glancing at the first aid supplies.

“Riley can help. She did a first aid course.” Gwen nudges me forward.

I shake my head. “I can't.” I take a step back.

Viktor walks to me and takes my face in his hands. “Riley, he needs your help. You need to at least look at him.”

“I can't. I can't,” I say as tears start dripping down my face. “I can't breathe.” I try to pull away, but Viktor pulls me into his arms.

“It's okay, you're safe.” I shake my head. All I can think about is the men storming the casino and taking me away.

“Riley, you're okay.” Viktor kisses me softly. “I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Please. Come back to me. You've got this. You can beat this.”

I take a few shaky breaths and close my eyes.

“You can do this,” Viktor whispers. “It's just like skydiving. You just have to take a chance and jump out there.”

I open my eyes and look up at him. He wipes my tears away. I nod slowly.

I go over to Anton and say, “Get him undressed.”

Viktor and Roman undress him to his boxers and lay him back down. Anton groans softly. “It' hurts,” he moans.

“I'm sorry,” I say softly. I rummage through the medical supplies Fiona provided and pull on a pair of gloves. First, I check the deeper wounds. Once I'm sure they don't need stitches and nothing important looks cut, I clean the wounds with disinfectant. Fiona brings me a suture kit and opens it up. I take it and glance at Anton. “I don't have anything to numb you with.”

“It's okay. Viktor will cry for me,” he jokes. “It's a twin thing. I get hurt, and he cries.”

I give him a hesitant smile and begin stitching his cuts closed. I go through two suture kits, then clean the more superficial cuts with disinfectant and apply band-aids. I check him for broken ribs and ask Gwen to get an ice pack for his black eye. I sit back and breathe heavily.

“He should be fine. Though a doctor should go over him,” I sigh.

Everyone except Viktor fawns over Anton. Viktor comes to me and starts to pick me up in his arms.

“Viktor,” I protest. “I'm fine.”

Despite my protests, he carries me out of the room and upstairs, into what I assume is a guest room. “What are you doing?” I ask.

He puts me down on the counter in the en-suite bathroom. He turns and starts the shower. “Get undressed,” he says quietly. “Let's wash that blood off of you.”

I look at him gratefully. He helps me stand and undresses me slowly. “You really weren't wearing anything else,” he tries to tease me. I nod, but I don't say anything.

“Oh, Love,” he says quietly, kissing my shoulder. “Everything is okay now. You helped Anton, and we're all backin one piece. Rigor is already working on upping security for everyone.”

I nod and step under the shower with his guidance. He leaves me standing under the water. “I'll be back. I'm going to get you something to wear.”

“Don't leave,” I say softly.

“I'll be right back,” he promises. Kissing my head.

He leaves, and I start to cry. Tears stream down my face, and my body shakes. I don't know how much longer I can stand on my own, but soon, he comes back. “Riley?”

“I was so scared. I thought something happened to you,” I admit.

He takes off his clothes and steps into the shower with me. He pulls me close and holds me tight. I lean my head against his chest and start to cry. He gently strokes my hair. He's practically holding me up while my legs tremble. After a few minutes, he whispers, “Can you stand so I can wash you?”

I stand straight and wipe my eyes. He kisses my forehead and grabs a sponge. He pours some shower gel on me and starts to slowly wipe me down. He's so gentle. More gentle than even our first proper night together. I let him wash me, spreading my legs. Nothing sexual. Just an intimate wash.

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