Page 154 of Bratva's Vow
The hallway outside Wren’s room was too quiet. A hush that pressed against my ears, like the hospital itself was holding its breath. I walked into the waiting room down the hall. They were all there—Sergei seated stiffly, elbows on his knees, worry carved into the granite lines of his face. Nik pacing. Jess was crying softly against Darius’s chest while he rubbed her back.
One face was missing.
“Where’s Archie?”
Sergei straightened. “I called him as soon as we got here. He said he’d hold things down at the office.”
I let out a short breath. “I bet he did.”
The others exchanged glances, tension thickening like a storm cloud rolling in. Jess stood, using the back of her hand to dry her face.
“How’s Wren? Is he going to be okay? Do they know what’s wrong with him?”
“They’re working on a theory.” I gestured to Sergei, who rose to his feet. “We need to talk on the outside. You too, Darius. Nik, can you stay here and keep guard? Jess, do you mind sitting with Wren?”
“Of course. I was so afraid I wouldn’t get to see him.”
“Only one person is allowed in at a time. Nik, don’t let anyone in who isn’t cleared by me or the doctor. Absolutely no one else is allowed to see him.”
With the lengths the perpetrator went through to harm Wren, I could no longer leave anything to chance.
Sergei and Darius stepped into the hallway with me. We didn’t speak until we walked out of the hospital. The three of us piled into the car, away from prying eyes.
“The doctor thinks Wren might’ve been poisoned,” I said, voice bitter from having to think about it again.
Sergei’s brow furrowed. “What? How? He’s with Nik all the time.”
“It’s not confirmed yet, but the doctor—who’s Bradley’s fucking husband, by the way—is running tests. Hair analysis. Blood panels. Wren’s symptoms match thallium exposure.”
Darius let out a slow breath, shaking his head. “Poison. Jesus Christ. I know he hasn’t been feeling his best, but poison?”
“The symptoms started a few days after I hired Pilar and she became in charge of our meals.”
“Oh shit,” Darius muttered. “The housekeeper? Didn’t Archie vet her?”
Silence fell as I let his question sink in to see if they arranged the pieces of the puzzle the same way I had.
“Fucking hell,” Sergei sounded as sick as I did. He knew the implication behind my words and the impact it would have on us all.
Archie was one of us. Sure, we’d gotten rid of men who betrayed us in the past, the latest being Vasiliev. But none had been as close to us as Archie.
“And just like that, it all makes sense,” Darius said drily. “What are we going to do about him?”
“This is heavy,” Sergei said. “We have to be sure. Archie’s been with you longer than anyone else, Maxim. He would never hurt you.”
“But he tried to hurt Wren, and that’s unacceptable.” I clenched my hands into fists against my thighs. “I was a fool. I was so fucking caught up in giving Wren some freedom so he doesn’t hate me to be vigilant. Pilar is behind this. Even if not Archie, then she’s working for someone else.”
How I would love nothing more than for Archie not to be involved, but Sergei was right. Archie would never hurt me. He never had any intention to harm me. All along, he wanted to get rid of Wren.
“I need you to find Pilar before she’s dead.”
“You think he’ll kill her?” Darius asked.
“Vova. Stone. Those guys we found dead in their apartment. I’d bet my life on it.”
“And what do we do about Archie?” Sergei started the car.
“Keep a tail on him. I want to know his every move. As soon as we have Pilar, we’ll confirm and take him in.”
