Page 7 of White Rabbit
“Find out who was here.”
His attentive stare also surveyed the room and he nodded. “Yes,Pakhan.”
Like a ghost, he was gone as I moved to Brecklyn’s bedside. Both her arms were tucked beneath the blankets, the covers up to her chin, something that never happened. Her normally smoothed hair was bunched up as if it had been knotted in someone’s hand. There was no mistaking the bruise materializing on the fair skin of her cheek.
“Moya kokhána, what happened to you?” I murmured as I drew closer.
“How can I help you?” a nurse asked, arriving with Anatoli. “What’s going on?”
“Theboyfriendwas here,” he grated.
I acknowledged the information with a single nod then pinned the nurse with my stare.
“What’s going on is that a crime has been committed? This patient has been assaulted.”
“What?” she gasped, moving around me to go to Brecklyn. I heard the woman’s breath catch as she saw what I saw.
“Draw back the covers and examine her,” I ordered. “My man will leave us, but I am staying.”
“Examine her?”
Who were these dullards in charge of Brecklyn’s medical care?
“Yes, unless you want me to. Clearly, coupled with the other damage to her, the blankets were drawn up to hide something.”
And Brecklyn’s ex had better hope I was over reacting and there was nothing, or he was close to drawing his last breaths.
When the nurse drew down the cover, there were four clear bruises on Brecklyn’s arm, matching an angry grip. But it was the deep purple bruising of her fingers troubled me most. I’d seen that before. I’d done that to men during interrogations.
“What the…” the nurse whispered. She clicked the com clipped to her shirt. “I need security and an ED doctor immediately.” She gave the room number before her hand dropped and she turned to me.
“Who has visited?” I demanded.
“We…we don’t keep visitor logs. As long as people come during visiting hours, they can come and go.”
I narrowed my eyes at her and my arms crossed. She took a step backward. I didn’t blame her. This look had made more than one man piss himself.
“You just let anyone come and go in a ward filled with unconscious patients—patients who can neither defend themselves or cry for help?”
“It’s not my policy,” she defended so quietly I barely heard her.
It was a policy that would change today.
She flinched when I pulled out my phone then sagged when she saw the cell. What? She thought I’d pull a gun on her, an innocent?
Pulling up my contact for my brother, Symon, our lawyer.
Valariy:get a meeting with the head of the hospital regarding security. Either Anatoli or Ivan will send details. I want this done today.
I didn’t have to say “or else.” Symon knew I wouldn’t demand changes from the hospital if it wasn’t imperative.
Symon:done.
As I shoved my phone back in my coat, a young security guard, with messy hair and a youth that said he was probably fresh from his teen years, meandered into the room. With a bored expression, he surveyed the area. His gaze slid over me, dismissed me, then moved to linger on the backside of the nurse who bent over Brecklyn, checking her vitals.
I cleared my throat to draw his attention back to me. Little asshole.
“I want to know every person who’s been in this room since yesterday afternoon,” I growled.
