Page 166 of Toxic Salvation
I stand and strip off my clothes. Then I climb into the tub behind her, pulling her between my legs. Her head rests against my chest and she lets out a deep sigh.
“You probably want to know what happened,” she mumbles.
“Not if you don’t want to talk about it.”
She turns slightly so I can see half of her face. A weak smile, a tear-filled eye. “Thank you for being patient with me. I know it’s hard for you.”
“I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
She bites her lip. “Nikolai and Tikhon?—”
“—knew the risks of their job. They’re Bratva men, Vesper.”
“They died for me.”
“If they had done their job properly,” I growl, “Ihor would never have gotten within a quarter fucking mile of you.”
She pushes off my chest and turns around to face me. She pulls her knees up and leans on them. “They saved my life, Kovan. Please don’t be angry with them.”
I decide not to tell her that I’ve already fired Aleksei and Filipp. She doesn’t need that added guilt right now.
“What happened?” I ask instead.
She’s quiet for a while, just breathing, gathering herself, before she begins. “I had just finished my examination with Dr. Mann. She left me alone to change. I was talking to Charity on the phone when I noticed a shadow behind the door. Something felt wrong. I knew Nikolai and Tikhon were out there, but this was different.”
She pauses, adjusts, continues.
“I told Charity to call Osip and Pavel. Then I tried calling Nikolai. I could hear his phone ringing on the other side of the door, but he wasn’t answering.”
“Ihor had already gotten to him.”
She nods. “He walked in and started threatening me. He told me that if I didn’t come with him, he would kill me like he killed Nikolai and Tikhon.”
Her whole body shudders.
“When I refused, he came at me with his knife.”
I clench my fists under the suds where she can’t see them. The sinew cracks and pops, but it’s only lifeless bathwater I’m throttling to death. Not what I wish it was: Ihor’s fucking throat.
“So I did the only thing I could do,” says Vesper. “I fought.”
“Fought?” I can’t hide my surprise. “You fought Ihor?”
“Well, I tried to. There was a painting on the wall. I grabbed it and smashed him over the head with it.”
“Did you knock him out?”
“I wish. The man’s head must be made of concrete because I only managed to slow him down. But at least he dropped his knife. It gave me time to try and hit him again.” She hugs herself, arms dripping water and bubbles of soap. “He was so furious that his eyes were red. They were— He was— like some kind of devil.”
I have the urge to punch something, but I force myself to stay calm. This is about her, not me. My rage will have to wait. She needs my understanding first.
“What happened next?”
“He grabbed me by the hair and knocked the painting out of my hand. He had me bent over the examination table.” Her eyes brighten as she continues. “I did everything I could, everything you taught me. I scratched and kicked. I fought, Kovan, I swear I did.”
“You did amazingly well, Vesper. You were incredible.”
“Not incredible enough. No matter what I did, he wouldn’t stop. At one point, he slapped me—” She presses her hand to her cheek like she’s reliving the blow. “—and my vision went hazy. I thought that was it for me. But I heard the door open. Someone came in.”
