Page 129 of Bratva's Vow
But so was Vasiliev.
If I couldn’t trust the people around me, I had nothing. The last resort was putting everyone under surveillance. Tapped phones, watched houses, bugs planted in cars and homes. If I did that, I had a potential falling-out on my hands, but I needed answers, and they weren’t providing themselves. Sergei was the head of security and would have to do the surveillance, but as long as everyone working for me was a suspect, wouldn’t I have to consider Sergei one as well?
My stomach churned, sour from bitterness as I walked back into the living room. As though sensing my presence, Wren stirred awake.
“What’s wrong?” he asked hoarsely. “You sounded pissed on the phone.”
I sat on the edge of the couch. His skin was still warm. Not as bad, but not gone either.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” I said. “How are you feeling?”
His eyes searched mine, sleepy but aware. “I feel a little better. That nap helped.”
I frowned. “I wish you hadn’t gone to classes earlier, butyou’ll rest over the weekend. Pilar left you soup in case you’re hungry. You didn’t eat anything earlier.”
“Because every time I eat, I get sick.” He stretched. “But I could do with something to drink.”
“Some of that stuff Pilar left you?” The way the housekeeper took care of Wren eased my mind.
“Just some plain water will do.”
“Okay. Hang on.”
I grabbed a bottle and a straw from the kitchen, then returned to the living room. Wren sat up, the throw on his lap. I unscrewed the lid and handed him the bottle. He took it with a weak smile and sipped from the straw.
“Thanks.” He let out a deep breath. “That really helps.”
“Want to try some of that soup?”
He shook his head. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll try some food. This is good for now.”
“Tomorrow’s Vova’s memorial. If you’re not feeling well enough?—”
“There’s no way I’m missing it. I want to support you.”
“You being here is support enough. Don’t you know that?”
“Then I want to be more supportive.”
I brushed his hair from his forehead and kissed his nose. “Then look after yourself. I need to change.”
He blinked up at me, fiddling with the bottle. “It’s late.”
“I know.”
He swallowed, dropping his gaze. “Is it to do with what happened to Vova?”
“Yes.”
He slowly nodded. “Okay.”
He didn’t try to stop me as I got up from the couch, although I knew it was hard for him every time I had to do something I couldn’t explain to him fully. I quickly changed out of my lounge pants and returned downstairs, where Nik was waiting for me. He sat next to Wren, chatting in a lowtone, but got to his feet the second he saw me. I eyed them both. He was Wren’s driver, and naturally, they’d grown close, but I didn’t like the whispering I’d walked in on.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No, just checking up on Wren,” Nik said. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah, I’ll meet you out by the car.”
