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“Yeah. Did they take anything?”
He grunted. “Her laptop is missing, and it looked like a few pictures had been taken from her desk. The one of her and Sofia wasn’t in her room, and I know for a fact that she had that picture because I saw it when I took Sofia to visit her there once.”
I clenched my fingers around the phone. “They could target Sof next to try to find out where Tavia is.”
“I know, son. For now, she is still at Anya’s. She’s not going anywhere but school and back there, and even when she is at school, Ciro has two men watching over her since they are already there for Zariah.”
Relieved that my sister was covered, I leaned one of my forearms on the porch banister and glared off into the distance. “Do you think Tavia is safe here? Is this too close?”
I hated how unsure I sounded, but I needed to know if I was doing the right thing. Tavia was my top priority. Her safety was all that mattered to me. And even though we were on the other side of the country now, I felt like she was still too close to danger.
“Honestly? I don’t think there is any place truly safe for Tavia right now. They want her, Theo. And they want her badly. She’s the last of the Bykov bloodline. Adas will do anything to take her out. He wants her more than he wants you, and you killed his brother. It won’t matter to him that he will be starting a war with me and Anya over this. His hatred for the Bykov family is too strong for him to give a fuck about anything else.” He blew out a long breath, sounding just as tired as I felt. “But as things stand, you have her in the safest place I can imagine at the moment. Just keep your eyes open, trust your gut, and know that I have your back no matter what.”
Chapter 11
Tavia
Frustrated, I jerked the oxygen out of my nose and scooted to the edge of the bed.
I was tired of sleeping all day, tired of feeling helpless and reliant on everyone, tired of my nose being dry and irritated due to the flow of air from the oxygen tubes. I hadn’t had to have the hard pain medication in more than twenty-four hours, and my stomach muscles didn’t hurt nearly as badly as they once had.
But the women were still telling me to rest, only letting me up when I needed to use the bathroom. Considering all they were feeding me was freaking broth, Jell-O, and protein shakes, my stomach was fucking empty, and all I wanted was a big juicy burger. Yet when I told them I was hungry, the only thing I got was that stupid bone broth shit that might taste good but did nothing to fill the gnawing hunger in my gut.
When I got cranky or downright bitchy with any o
f them, they grinned like they were happy I’d complained and snapped at them. As if they thought I was fragile when I wasn’t yelling in their direction. And no matter how loud I screamed or shouted, Theo never reacted.
I didn’t get the grins from him that Raven or Flick or Lexa gave me when I was bitching. I didn’t get the snarky comebacks or the cajoling when I was being stubborn. He held me when I woke up from a nightmare, he told me he loved me when he kissed my brow and then commanded me to sleep.
But when I woke up, he would be gone.
Every damn time.
Not that I wanted to talk to him. Or see him. I hated him—mostly.
I could feel the tension in him, yet he wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. And I refused to beg him to confess. I was done asking for his attention. Done begging for anything where Theo Volkov was concerned. His words of love were empty anyway.
Slowly, I pushed to my feet and waited. For the burn. For the dizziness. For anything that would tell me I was overdoing it and that maybe Raven was right to tell me I needed to stay in bed a little longer. The pain was only a fraction of what it had been, more discomfort than actual pain at this point, and the dizziness was nonexistent.
My muscles were stiff and weak when I walked into the bathroom, making the process a little slower without someone to assist me. Once I was in there, I took care of business and then washed up. But my hair felt limp, and my entire body was sticky, even though I’d had a quick shower with Raven’s and Flick’s help only the day before.
I turned on the water and stripped while it warmed up. Stepping into the tub, I tipped my head back to the spray and let it flood over me. It felt so good, I couldn’t fight the moan that left me.
By the time I was done washing my hair, I was exhausted, but a feeling of accomplishment filled me. I felt the ghost of a smile teasing at my lips when I finally turned off the water.
Pushing back the curtain, I reached for the towel, only to find Theo standing there holding it. His eyes darkened when they skimmed over me, hunger ravaging his face. Gasping in surprise, I stepped back, and I felt my foot slide out from under me. With a whimper, I felt myself start to fall, and my muscles tensed, waiting for the impact of pain when I hit the ground.
Theo’s arms going around me and taking all of my weight saved me. I was pulled out of the tub and swung into his arms, still soaking wet but suddenly breathless from his closeness.
“Are you okay, krasotka?” he murmured softly, his lips brushing over my brow before he placed me carefully on my feet and wrapped the towel around my damp body. “Does anything hurt?”
Still stunned, I shook my head, holding the towel to my chest to hide my nakedness from him. Theo was the epitome of male perfection, from his face to those chiseled abs to his muscular thighs. Hell, even his feet were oddly perfect, something I’d only noticed once, when our legs were entangled right after we’d had sex for the first time.
And I was anything but perfect. My breasts were too small, my hips too wide, my stomach too soft in places. And now there were scars everywhere, not only from being shot, but also from the surgery that saved my life. My abdomen looked like someone had tried to play that children’s game Operation with it and then sewn me up once they were done.
“You should have waited for me or one of the women to help you shower,” he grumbled. “You aren’t well enough to handle things like this on your own yet, baby.”
Being scolded by him helped shake off the shock, and I glared up at him. “I’m not a child. I have been taking care of myself all my life, Theo. And I’m fine now. I can do things on my own.” Tucking the towel into place, I grabbed a second one to wrap around my hair and pushed past him to return to the bedroom.
