Page 55 of Sergei
“Hey.”
“Viktor’s gone.”
“I know.” His eyes narrowed. “You okay?”
I was still trying to process it all, so I simply nodded and muttered, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“He fucked up, didn’t he?”
“No, no. It was good to see him again.” I shrugged. “It’s been a long time. I mean, we spent most of the time talking about Alek and all that, but it was good to spend some time with him.”
“I see.” He studied me for a beat, then arched a brow. “I take it he’s pissed.”
“I think he was hurt that he hadn’t been able to help you more.”
“I had my reasons for not involving him.”
“I know.”
“You guys talk about anything else?”
“No, not really.” I managed a small smile. “Oh, umm… he might’ve said you were keeping me prisoner.”
“Is that so?”
“I told him that wasn’t true,” I scrambled. “I told him about the sketchbook and how I liked being here.”
His brows furrowed, and after a long, torturous moment, he stood and announced, “He’s right.”
“What?”
“Give me a minute to change.”
When he started for the door, I asked, “Where are you going?”
“We’re getting out.”
“We?” I gasped, thinking about how painful it would be to put my foot in a shoe. “I don’t think today is the best day for that.”
“Oh?” He whipped around, and I dipped my head toward the floor, reminding him of my toe. “Ah, shit. I’d forgotten about that. I need to get you some ice.”
He started out of the room, then stopped cold and turned back around. Without saying a word, he came up to me andslipped his arm beneath me, lifting me into his arms. “What are you doing?”
“You need to stay off it.”
“It’s a toe, Sergei. I’m more than capable of walking.”
“Maybe, but I’m not taking any chances.”
It was clear he was set on carrying me, so I didn’t bother arguing. I simply slipped my arm around his neck and let him carry me into the living room. As he lowered me down on the sofa, I giggled and said, “My very own Prince Charming.”
“Not even close.”
He gave me a wink, then made his way into the kitchen. Seconds later, he returned with a bag of frozen peas and a cup of coffee. He propped my foot up on a pillow and placed the peas on my bruised toe. “How’s that?”
“It’s great, but truly unnecessary.”
“Maybe, but it’ll help with the bruising.”
