“I’m happy you’re so inclined to help me, but I can’t risk being seen.” Once again, I thought about the options.
“More flattery. I took an oath, Kirill. That’s all this is.” Even the way she grumbled under her breath was adorable.
“Is there a storage room on this floor?”
“Of course. It’s locked. Why?”
“And you have the keys.”
Her nose wrinkled. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I need gauze. I need to check the wound and clean it. You might need stitches.”
“All items that are kept in the storage room. With your expertise, that’ll be all I need.” Fighting with her was getting nowhere and I needed to arrange backup. “Take me there.”
She glared at me defiantly.
“Don’t make me need to tell you again.”
“Fine, but I’m not happy.” Once again, she tried to take control by opening the door and I stopped her as I’d done before by wrapping my arm around her waist and pulled her around and in front of me.
Vivian shuddered in my hold, especially when I whispered in her ear. “You’re not going to do anything stupid. Do you understand me? Perhaps you’ve figured out by now, but in case you haven’t, you should know I’m a dangerous man.”
“A real criminal.”
“You’re right. Now, are you going to do things the easy way?”
Her nod was followed by a slight moan. I pulled open the door, pushing her gently into the corridor. All was quiet, no one within sight.
“Where is it?” I asked.
“To the right about ten doors down.”
“Let’s get going.” I stayed behind her so as not to draw any attention to my injury. Although with sweat beading on my face, it was getting harder to disguise the fact that something was wrong. When she slowed down, I pushed her again. “Move, Vivian.”
“You’re much pushier than I remembered.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not every day some asshole takes a shot at you for no apparent reason.”
“My guess is you gave him a reason. Men with guns usually do.” She made the statement from a place of knowing. While the scrap of information was nothing overt, it was enough toinsinuate there were several layers to her personality and her life.
I didn’t like being kept in the dark.
As soon as she stepped in front of the door, we both heard voices.
“Hurry, little lamb.”
As soon was my heated breath washed across her neck, she stiffened, fighting with the keys. Where before she didn’t seem nervous, the reality of what was happening seemed to crowd in on her. She managed to open the door and I gently pushed her inside, immediately switching on the light.
Shuddering, she backed away from me as far as possible while I locked the door. When her back hit a set of shelves, she placed her hand over her mouth. Perhaps she was worried about what I’d do to her.
I glanced at the ceiling, taking gasping breaths. The knife wound was taking its toll. I moved to the only clear wall, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor.
“Shit. What in the hell am I doing?” she muttered while immediately moving to a few shelves, grabbing several items.
“Possibly saving a life.”
I’d adored her sassiness before and the way she tossed me a look with her eyes lit up, irises flickering in the lower fluorescent wattage. “Yeah, well, my oath didn’t prepare me for going against my conscience.”
“Oh, come on. We’re in New York. You can’t tell me that you haven’t been required to work on someone who you’d just as soon see die on the table as to save. A murderer, perhaps?”
