Page 54 of Hostage of the Russian
Her gray eyes flashed with anger.
“You’re being ridiculous. This could get infected, or you could have nerve damage, or—”
“Azriel.” He reached out with his good arm, cupping her face gently. “I’m okay. It looks worse than it is.”
She stared at him for a long moment, those beautiful eyes searching his face. Then she sighed, the fight going out of her.
“Fine. But I’m helping whether you like it or not.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Sit down and shut up,” she said, pointing to the edge of the bathtub. “Unless you want me to call your brothers and tell them their tough guy boss is too stubborn to accept help from his wife.”
Despite the pain, he found himself smiling.
“You’re getting awfully bossy, Mrs. Nikolai.”
“Someone has to be, since you clearly can’t take care of yourself.”
He sat where she’d directed, watching as she gathered supplies from the medicine cabinet. Her movements were efficient and sure, like she’d done this before. The thought sent an uncomfortable twist through his stomach.
How many times had she patched up wounds inflicted by her bastard father?
“This is going to hurt,” she warned, soaking a cloth with antiseptic.
“I can handle it.”
She began cleaning the wound with gentle, careful strokes. Despite her warning, her touch was incredibly tender, each movement designed to cause minimal discomfort. He found himself studying her face as she worked, noting the way she bit her lower lip in concentration, the delicate curve of her cheekbones, the way her lashes cast shadows on her skin.
“How did this happen?” she asked softly, not looking up from her work.
He’d been dreading this question. How could he tell her he’d seen Danny, that her father was working with their enemies? She’d been making such progress, laughing more, sleeping without nightmares. The last thing he wanted was to drag her back into that darkness.
“Business dispute,” he said vaguely. “Some rivals thought they could muscle in on our territory.”
“Were you alone?”
“No, Viktor and Fedya were with me. They’re fine.”
She nodded, continuing to clean the wound.
“Did anyone else get hurt?”
“A few of the other guys, but nothing serious.” He paused, watching her face carefully. “We didn’t catch all of them. Some got away.”
Her hands stilled for just a moment, and he saw something flicker in her eyes. Fear? Recognition? But then she resumed her gentle ministrations.
“Will they come back?”
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “But if they do, we’ll be ready.”
She reached for a package of butterfly bandages, her movements growing more hesitant.
“Kostya?”
“Yeah?”
“When you go after dangerous people like this, do you ever think about... about what would happen if you didn’t come home?”
