Page 24 of Unspoken

I thank the girl in billing and return to the waiting room that seems like a wasteland of empty chairs and flickering fluorescent lights.

Alexander is lounging in one of those chairs in the very corner, away from the prying eyes. And I can’t remember if he was there when I left him to speak to the doctor. I hardly remember his presence at all after we arrived at the ER.

"Time to go," I say as I approach him.

"Is your mum going to stay?" he asks hesitantly, rising from his chair.

"Yeah. Just overnight." I nod, more to myself than to him. "Magda's coming. She'll stay with her."

"Magda is the one who called you?"

"Yes. She’s Ma’s friend. She lives in the same building."

The air between us thickens with unspoken words as we move through the sliding doors, stepping back into the world that carries on oblivious to the chaos it leaves in its wake.

We sink into the car, the leather seats cold and unwelcoming. As I push the button to start the Navigator, the engine coughs to life.

"You still want sushi?" I ask Alexander as we crawl through the parking lot. I know I need to be saying other things but I'm still processing.

"Maybe next time," he says quietly.

"Okay."

The drive back to Vlad’s mansion is a funeral march, the night pressing against the windows with the weight of an ocean. The silence is coiling around my throat, tightening it with each mile that falls away beneath us.

"Thank you," I finally choke out, the words scraping against my vocal cords like gravel. It's a thank you that costs me more than I'd care to admit, a currency minted in pride and paid in full.

At first, there’s nothing. No response. It’s like he didn’t hear me but I know he did.

Finally, Alexander shifts in his seat and as we roll up to the red light, I dare a glance at him sitting beside me.

His silhouette is etched against the neon glow of the passing streetlights and signs. "It's not a big deal," he says. His voice is like a flat line on a heart monitor, betraying nothing of the tremors that must surely run beneath the surface of his calm exterior.

"It is a big deal for me."

He turns his head and his gaze catches mine for a moment. "I hope she gets better."

CHAPTER 8

SASHA

I lie on my bed, staring up at the ornate plasterwork ceiling of Vlad’s mansion. I can't think of this place as home. My mind's bloody chuffed with thoughts. It's been a few days since the dodgy ER incident with Logan's mum, and I know I should tell my brother about what happened. Logan broke the rules, put my life at risk, so to speak. Not that he actually did, but Vlad will think it for certain. Strangely, I just can't bring myself to do it. If Vlad finds out, Logan will be sacked for sure. And for some barmy reason, I don't want that to happen.

I have no idea why I care. Several weeks ago, I tried every trick in my playbook to get him fired.

He's just a bodyguard. A muscle for hire. Nothing more. But as I mull over everything I saw in the ER, fragmented memories of my own mum float to the surface, bringing a wave of sadness and longing for the scant bits of my childhood I can recall with her.

I see flashes of her radiant smile as we play together in the snow-covered garden of ourdachaoutside Moscow. "Sashen'ka, milyi moi! Lovi menya!" she calls out playfully, her blond hair streaming behind her as she runs, urging me to chase her. Her emerald eyes, so like my own, sparkle with love and mischief.

"Mama! I’m coming!" I squeal with delight in a language I’m starting to forget. My chubby little legs pump as I dash after her. My heart is bursting with pure, untainted happiness.

I was six then and I had no idea how cruel the world could be. Especially to the people who didn’t deserve it.

According to our father, Mama died from a stroke. But in my mind, it's like one day she was just...gone.

Vanished from my life without a trace.

The ache in my chest swells as the memories recede back into the shadows of my mind. I take a shaky breath and swipe at my damp eyes. Bloody hell, I miss her. I hardly even remember what she looked like. And Logan, seeing him so gutted over his mum...it just brought it all back.

---