“It isn’t a problem. And thePakhanviews you as family. This is what we do for family. We follow our orders,” Konstantin replied.
I scanned all the Bratva men. They all wore the same determined yet unfazed expressions. When I glanced over at Mikhail, he nodded. I capitulated.
“Okay, I know when I’m outnumbered. Thank you so much. I’ll be speaking to your boss personally to thank him.”
I made sure to shake each man’s hand. Mikhail and Hoss offered to take me back to the hospital after I changed into the clean clothes I’d stuffed in my bag. When we left the building, I shook hands with the two men standing guard there before sliding into Mikhail’s Range Rover.
The ride to town was mostly quiet. The lights from the nighttime traffic flashed by. I sat there thinking over what I’d done. And I discovered I didn’t regret what I did. Would I? Maybe one day, but not now.
Anastasia:
Something made me surface and open my eyes. I was in the hospital. There was no light in my room other than the faint bit coming from the bathroom. The sound of the monitor counting my heartbeat was still there.
I’d sent Mom to get some rest at midnight. She was exhausted. The only way she agreed was if Iker brought Delphine in to stand sentry outside my door. Delphine replaced Poe. And Iker promised he’d make sure Mom got home safely and was kept under watch.
I knew from Reign he might not be back until late tomorrow. Eventually, I took more pain medication and slipped off to sleep. Wanting to know the time, I reached over to my bedside table to pick up my phone and check. The face lit up, and I saw it was three o’clock in the morning.
“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Reign said softly in a deep voice from the darkness, causing me to scream, then cut it off.
“Oh, Lord, you scared me! What are you doing sitting here in the dark? How long have you been here? Is it over?” I rattled out.
“Watch your eyes,” he said before snapping on the small overhead light. I scanned him.
Reign appeared drained, with darkness underneath his eyes that he usually didn’t have. I saw no bruises or cuts on his face or hands, but I had no clue about the rest of his body. I liftedmy good arm, and he took the clue. Reign stood and bent over, kissing me. We made it last before he disconnected.
“Wow, I needed that,” he whispered.
“I did too. Have you slept or eaten?”
“No, but that’s not important. Being here with you is. How are you feeling? How’s your pain?” he asked.
“You answer me first,” I told him stubbornly.
“Damn, woman, can’t you let me be the boss this once? Okay, I was sitting in the dark because I wanted to be near you while you got the rest you needed. I’ve been here for two hours. And yes, it’s over.” He said the boss part with amusement in his tone.
Relief hit me, then anxiety.
“There’s nothing that can come back on you, is there?”
“No, there isn’t. I need you to focus on healing. I’m not going to go into any details, at least not for a while. We’re going to be getting you back to normal. We’ll deal with your family, but with Sam gone, I believe they’ll only be an annoyance, and that might be more toward your mom now.”
“What about Rowan?” I asked.
“The court case will determine his fate, but regardless of whether he goes to jail or not, he’s out of my life. I can’t trust him, Sia. And I sure the hell won’t allow him around my family,” Reign said wearily.
“Help me scoot over,” I demanded.
He did it without asking why. It hurt, even though he was gentle, but I endured. Once I was on the far side of the mattress, I gave him my next demand.
“Put the siderail down and get in bed with me. You need to sleep.”
“Jaanu, I can’t. I’ll hurt you,” he asserted.
“No, you won’t. I can’t rest without you next to me. And I know you rest better when I’m near you. If the nurse complains,we’ll tell her to hush. You are better medicine than anything they give me,” I confessed.
Reign hesitated a few moments, then he groaned, kicked off his shoes, and slid into the bed as easily as he could. His arm came to rest across my waist.
“Tell me if I’m hurting you,” he stated sternly.
