Page 148 of Bratva's Vow
A glance at the wall clock made my stomach drop. If I didn’t leave now, I’d miss the shuttle from campus to Morozov’s development site. And there was no way in hell I was going to be the only real estate student who didn’t show up to tour the biggest project in the state. Not when I lived with the damn man responsible for it.
I checked the pantry and took out two granola bars—the honey and wheat kind that didn’t taste quite as much like sawdust as the others. Sawdust or not, it was just about the only thing I could eat in the mornings without feeling queasy all day.
“Child, that is not breakfast,” Pilar said behind me, arms crossed and gaze sharp. She stepped into the kitchen like amother hen, already reaching for a clean napkin and a bottled tea she must’ve prepped for me. Yesterday, when I came home feverish, she’d stayed with me, feeding me broth and wiping my face and neck with a cool cloth. Each time I thought I kicked the stomach bug, it returned with a vengeance.
“It’s all I can manage,” I said, half apology, half whine. “If I stop to chew anything more complicated than oats, I’ll throw up or pass out.”
Pilar clicked her tongue. She wrapped the granola bars in the napkin and handed over the glass bottle, condensation already pooling around her fingers. “Your cheeks are too red, and your eyes look glassy. Are you sure you should be going?”
“Can’t miss today. It’s important.”
She sighed, touched the back of her hand to my forehead with the kind of gentleness that made my chest ache. “I heard Mr. Morozov say you should stay home if you weren’t feeling better.”
“He did. But I’m not feeling that bad.”
It was a lie. My skin felt like it was stretched too tight over my bones and my limbs like they were filled with wet sand. To top it off, more strands of hair were left behind in my brush. But damned if I was going to stay home and miss today. The site visit was a part of my capstone project, plus the blood thrummed in my veins at the thought of my secret. Having everyone gush over Maxim’s work when no one had an idea what he meant to me.
“You say that,” she murmured, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear, “but I know what it looks like when someone is burning up on the inside.”
I curled my fingers tighter around the cold glass. “Thank you for the tea. I’ll drink it on the way.”
She watched me like she didn’t believe a word but nodded anyway.
The air outside hit like a punch, humid and already buzzing with heat that left me dizzy. I made my way down the front steps, the iced tea clutched against my chest. Nik leaned against the car with his arms folded, sunglasses perched on his head, while talking on the phone. When he saw me coming, he ended the call and waved.
“Wren, you don’t?—”
“Drive.” I threw my car keys at him, yanking the passenger door open and sliding in before the leather could scald me. “We’ll be late.”
He didn’t move. Just looked at me sideways. “You’re pale. And sweating.”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. Jess said you were getting better.”
“Was.” But every time I felt better enough to start eating again, my appetite went all downhill once more. I opened the tea and took a long sip. It tasted a little earthy, almost bitter, but it was cold and soothing my throat, so I took another drink. “Maxim’s taking me to the doctor tomorrow. It’s probably just something viral.”
Nik grunted, turning the key in the ignition. “You say that. But you keep looking worse.”
The words clanged around in my head like a warning bell I didn’t want to hear.
Ididfeel worse.
The headache that had started as a gentle throb earlier now pulsed behind my eyes like a war drum, and the discomfort in my legs tingled. I’d lied to Maxim when he left for work that I was feeling better than yesterday. I just needed to get through the day of this tour. Then I could crumple and tell him I felt like death.
My hands trembled slightly as I screwed the cap back on the tea bottle. I blamed it on nerves. On excitement. On notsleeping enough. But I could feel it—deep down—that my body was unraveling from the inside out.
By the time we got to campus, my thoughts had gone syrupy and slow. I blinked up at the building in front of me, confused for a moment about where we were. My head lolled back against the seat, and my vision tunneled. Sounds around me distorted like I was underwater.
Then Nik was shaking me.
“Wren.Wren—hey.”
I blinked groggily, mouth dry. “Huh? What?”
“You passed out,” he said sharply. “You were asleep, but I had to check you weren’t, like,dead.”
“I was just—” I stopped. Was I asleep? It didn’t feel like sleep. It felt like…like I'd vanished and come back again. “Just resting my eyes.”
