Page 62 of Delicious Prey

He grabs my hand and pulls the other chair over so it’s right in front of me, waiting until I’ve got myself a bit more under control.

“Lydia,” he starts, and the soft, hesitant tone of his voice has me lifting my eyes to his. “You know he didn’t mean anything he said in that warehouse, right? That was all done to protect you. He loves you so much.”

“I know. Before he got there, that’s all Enzo talked about. He said he was going to hurt me and make Kirill watch, that he wanted him to suffer like he’s suffered.” I give him a soft smile. “It wasn’t pleasant to listen to, especially since Kirill can give one hell of a dead look, but I knew he was just saying whatever he thought he needed to say to keep me safe.”

“He can give one hell of a dead look, can’t he?” Vadim says with a laugh. “He used to scare the hell out of me, still does from time to time if I’m being honest.”

“He told me he killed my dad.” I hadn’t planned on bringing it up, but now that it’s out there, I realize how badly I need to talk about it. “We had a fight. He confessed, and we fought.” I start crying again when I say, “I told him I didn’t love him anymore, that I needed to leave so I could think about things. I just left him,” I cry. “I just walked away and left him, even though he was devastated.”

“Lydia, he knows you love him. I’ve known the man a long time, and I’ve never seen him like he is with you. I never would’ve believed it, but I see it with my own eyes every time he’s near you. He took the job with your dad not having any clue who you were or that you even existed, and trust me when I say that it’s completely out of character for him to have left you still breathing. I think he fell in love with you the second he saw you.”

He squeezes my hand again. “He loves you, and he knows you love him, and he’s going to stay alive for you. You know how damn stubborn he is.”

I smile as best I can and nod my head. When there’s a soft knock at the door, he looks at me, making sure I’m okay before he gets up to answer it.

“Hi, I’m here to see Mrs. Chernikov.”

“She’s over here,” Vadim says, letting her in and leading her over to me.

The woman looks like she’s in her mid-twenties, big brown eyes and one of those mouths that naturally turns down in a sexy pout. God, if they make tips here, I’m guessing she’s getting her fair share.

“Hi,” she says, squatting down near me. “I’m Jenny, one of the nurse’s here.” Her eyes run over my face. “Looks like you ran into a bit of trouble tonight.” She smiles at Peanut and pets his head. “I love Yorkies.”

“His name’s Peanut.” She pets him again while I ask, “How’s Kirill doing?”

“Last I heard, he was stable, but he’s still in surgery.”

When she sees my face fall, she quickly says, “It’s a good sign that he’s stable at this point in the surgery.” She waits until I meet her eyes again. “A very good sign. He’s strong, and he’s fighting.”

“Thanks,” I tell her, grateful for the seed of hope. I’ll gladly clutch at it, because without that kernel of hope, I’ll lose my fucking mind.

She rummages through the bag she brought and brings out some sterile bandages and ointment. She may look like she should be in a bikini photoshoot, but her confident, quick-working hands tell me she knows exactly what she’s doing. Jenny is clearly not just a pretty face.

“That bastard got you good,” she murmurs, running her fingers along my nose to make sure it isn’t broken.

“Yeah, but he paid for it,” I murmur.

She smiles and whispers, “Good.”

When she’s satisfied my face is okay, she runs her eyes over the rest of me, but the bulky sweatshirt I’m wearing isn’t revealing anything.

“Did they hurt you anywhere else?”

I know what she’s asking, so I quickly so, “No, nothing like that. I got very lucky. I do have a cut along my ribs, though.”

Vadim steps closer so he can grab Peanut and then walks over to the kitchenette, busying himself with getting him some water while also giving me some privacy. I lift the hoodie and T-shirt up enough to show her the cut that I hadn’t realized was bleeding again. It’s already soaked through the T-shirt, and when she gently examines it, I hiss out a breath at the pain. I’d been so pumped full of adrenaline and then fear for Kirill, but now that I’m looking at the knife wound, it’s starting to hurt like a son of a bitch.

“You need stitches,” Jenny says. “Okay, hop on the bed for me. It won’t take long.”

“What about Kirill?”

“I’ll be quick, and something tells me he’d want you to get taken care of.”

“I can vouch for the truth of that statement,” Vadim says from the kitchenette. “Kirill would kick my ass if you didn’t get stitches when you needed them.”

I know they’re both right so I lay down and keep my shirt lifted enough for her to work. She disinfects the entire area and then starts gathering her supplies. Holding up a syringe, she says, “This is going to sting, but it’ll be numb in just a few seconds.”

I nod, not caring about the pain and welcoming it for the distraction it is. She sews up the cut, asking me questions about Peanut to distract me. Turns out she had a Yorkie growing up and is thinking about getting another but worried about the long hours she works and feeling like it wouldn’t be fair to leave them alone for so long.

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