Page 95 of Masked Seduction
Abram tightens his hold. “We’re done here.” He orders Denis to arrange medical transport quietly—no sirens, no questions. Denis nods and steps into the hall, already dialing.
Mikail scoops a set of keys from Nico’s pocket, tossing Abram a small handcuff key. The metal is cold against my skin as Abram frees my wrist. He rubs circulation back in with gentle fingers, his mouth a hard line.
“Stay awake for me,malyshka,” he says, guiding me through the doorway. Stale hallway air rushes over us and I stumble. He catches me before my knees fold.
Outside, the desert night presses on, hot wind kissing our skin. Three Yukons sit at the curb. An unmarked ambulance waits half a block away, parked dark between street lamps. The paramedics wait beside a gurney, an example of exactly the kind of discretion Abram’s money can buy.
I open my mouth—now, Jenna, tell him about the baby—but Abram presses a finger lightly to my bruised lips.
“Conserve your strength,” he says. “We’ll talk later.”
The paramedics rush toward me with the gurney. They speak calmly as they help me on it, gently placing a C-collar around my neck and checking my blood pressure. I hear mention of possible head trauma.
They wheel me back to the ambulance. I clutch Abram’s sleeve when they try to separate us.
“I’m right here,” he says, climbing in beside me. His hand swallows mine—steady, warm, and grounding.
I wet my lips, summoning every ounce of consciousness as I tug him closer. “Tell them…” The words sound like sandpaper. “Tell them I’m pregnant.”
Raw shock flashes in his eyes, but before he can reply, darkness swoops in. The last thing I feel is his palm against my cheek and the ambulance lurching forward, the siren still mercifully silent.
White sheets. Soft beeping. Sunlight beams slanting through the blinds.
For a second, I think I’m in Abram’s penthouse when I first come out of the fog, but then I register the scent of antiseptic instead of espresso and realize the skyline is framed by reinforced hospital glass.
A shadow looms by the door. A mountain of a man in a dark suit, earpiece coiled at his neck. A bodyguard. Of course.
My throat screams when I try to swallow. “Water,” I croak, though the word barely escapes my lips.
Across the room, Abram jumps to his feet, chair screeching back. He crosses the space in three strides and presses the call-button for a nurse, while his other hand finds mine, thumb brushing the inside of my wrist.
“Malyshka,thank God.” The relief in his voice guts me. He turns to the guard. “Get the doctor. Now.” The big man slips out, door whispering shut behind him.
I blink, trying to piece timelines together. Outside the window the sky is bright. “How long?”
“Night passed,” he says softly, smoothing a strand of hair off my forehead. “Concussion had you under. They kept you sedated so your brain could rest and recover.”
Concussion. Right. Nico. My stomach flips, my hand flying instinctively to it. “The baby?—”
Abram’s grip tightens. “Easy. Breathe.”
The door opens and a woman in pale green scrubs enters. She’s in her mid-thirties, sharp but kind eyes behind rimless glasses.
“Dr. Reyes,” she introduces herself while checking the monitor. “Good to see you awake, Ms. Ridley.”
I’m barely able to manage a nod. “My baby?”
She smiles genuinely. “We ran a full maternal trauma panel, repeated scans six hours apart. No placental abruption, amniotic fluid levels are normal. You and baby are both stable.”
A sob claws up my throat, relief so fierce it hurts. Abram exhales a breath.
Dr. Reyes palpates gently around the bruise blooming across my jaw. “You’ll have headaches for a few days. No sudden movements, plenty of fluids, a light diet.” She glances at Abram’s bandaged forearm and the dried blood on his knuckles. “Both of you could use plenty of rest, frankly.”
He gives a curt nod. “She gets whatever she needs.”
The doctor’s lips twitch. “Already noted, Mr. Vasiliev.” She hands him a folder of discharge instructions before leaving the room, though I get the feeling we won’t be going anywhere until an entire security battalion signs off.
Silence settles over us. Abram brings my fingers to his lips, eyes shimmering with raw emotion.
