Page 16 of Wicked Knight 2

After my rant, the room fell quiet again, until there was only the soothing beeping of Maxim’s heart monitor. I stared at his face. Under that gauze, I could see thick eyebrows, a bearded jaw, and brown hair pulled up into a man bun. He had a tall form, and a body that had obviously had a rough life. Was that what I was to expect? A kind of hell contained in these four walls.

“You can’t do this to me,” I begged him. “Please. I don’t want to marry you.”

“Do you really mean that?” A woman’s voice brought me back from my useless outburst of anger.

My gaze shifted from Maxim to the pretty woman by the door. She had long dark hair, a curvy body and all kinds of confidence. “Well, do you?” She spoke with a slight Russian accent.

“What? About not wanting to marry a stranger? Absolutely, I mean it.” I close the space between us, my hopes rising with every step. “I’m Donata.”

“I know who you are. All morning, all everyone’s done is talk about you. The great Donata is finally home.” She shook my hand. “I’m Belinda.”

“This isn’t my home.” I pulled her toward me. “You have to help me.”

“You want to leave?”

“Yes.” Why would she assume I want to stay? “I don’t want to marry Maxim.”

“You’re so lucky.” Tears pooled in her eyes. “Max is everything.”

“Oh. Are you?” I didn’t even know how to ask. Were they together or was this just a crush? This could be my chance. Belinda was my way out. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“We’re lovers,” she said proudly. “I thought it was just a matter of time before he proposed.”

I beamed at her. “That’s great news. Um, maybe we can help each other. I’m not here to steal your…fiancé. In fact, I need to go home to my fiancé. You have to help me.”

Her eyes went big in surprise. She shot a glance over her shoulder, then at Maxim, before she pulled me into the bathroom. Oh, I could tell when a woman was on a mission. Beautiful Belinda wanted to help.

“Delivery truck,” she whispered. When I leaned in, she continued, “we get them once a week. I can get you to the kitchen with some excuse. Then you go from there. I’ll tell them you hit me with a pan or something.”

“That’s a great plan. When do we start?”

“Friday.” She motioned for me to lower my voice. “Until then, don’t try to leave. Make them think you want to stay.”

“That’s two days from now.” I said louder than I meant to. “The wedding is tonight.”

“What? No. No.” She paced the length of the room, looking as desperate as me. “We have to postpone the wedding. Can you keep him asleep until Friday?”

“Okay. Yeah. I can try that. I mean, that’s a bit unethical for a doctor. I don’t really have a medical reason to do it.”

“Lady. You want out or not?”

“Yes. Yes. You’re right. I can do it.” I let out a small laugh. “They can’t possibly make me marry an unconscious man, right?”

“I don’t think they can.” She beamed at me. “Thank you.”

“Thank you.”

“Can I see him?”

“Oh sure.” I motioned toward the door. “He powered through it. He’ll be just fine.”

With a quick, grateful nod, she bolted toward him. By the time, I joined her, she’d crawled into bed with Maxim and had her head on his good shoulder. They made a beautiful couple. Who I was to get in the middle of that?

She whispered to him in Russian. I had no idea what she said, but it sounded kind of romantic and intimate. While she talked to him, I checked his stitches and replaced the bandages, including the gauze over his nose. He’d taken a real beating. What kind of man goes from a fist fight to a shooting in the same day?

“What happened here? Who did he piss of?” I poured water into a container and dipped a sponge into it.

“There was a challenge yesterday.” She sat. “Can I do that?”

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