Page 87 of Savage Truce

Sergei finally pulls up to the hospital and comes to help me carry Andrei inside.

Anastasia doesn’t let go of Andrei’s hand until we place him on a gurney, and as the nurses run down a hallway with him, she comes to wrap her arms around me.

“He’s going to be okay,” she says, her voice thick as she cries. “He’s strong and will pull through.”

He just has to.

CHAPTER 27

Anastasia

With nothing else we can do but wait, I take Rodian to the nearest restroom so he can wash his hands and arms.

Thank God he’s wearing black today.

Once he’s done, I place my hands on the sides of his neck and say, “Andrei is strong.”

For a moment it doesn’t look like he hears me, but then he nods.

The door slams open, and Sergei pops his head inside. “Atanas and Constantin just arrived.”

I watch as a ruthless mask wipes the worry from his face. We walk back to the front where a nurse is telling some of the men to leave because they can’t all wait inside the hospital.

When it looks like they’re going to put up a fight, Rodian calls out, “Get back to work. Sergei will send updates.”

The men don’t argue, and as they file out of the hospital, Atanas and Constantin come toward us.

“How is Andrei?” Atanas asks.

“We don’t know. They just took him to the back,” Rodian replies, then shakes his head. “He was shot a few times, and they cut him up pretty badly.”

I’ll never get the image of those men slicing through Andrei’s eye out of my mind.

God, the pain he must’ve felt.

My heart weeps for what he’s been through and the long road of recovery ahead, and I make a promise to do everything I can to be there for him.

Constantin’s phone rings, and he steps to the side to answer, then turning back to us, he says, “Rosie’s trying to get a hold of you on your phone.”

Rodian looks at me, which has me saying, “I left it in the car. I’ll go get it quickly.”

Just as I take a step, he grabs hold of my arm. “No, Sergei will get it while he parks the car. It can’t stand out front.”

While Sergei jogs out of the hospital, Rodian pulls me tightly to his side and keeps me pinned to him with an arm around my shoulders.

He takes Constantin’s phone to talk to Rosie. “I’m here. We don’t know… Find every fucker involved. I want to know where they eat, where they shit, and who they fuck. Also get me what you can on Sokolov Junior.”

Chills ripple down my spine from the rage darkening his tone.

“No, I haven’t heard from Tim. I’m sure the kid is fine,” he mutters before hanging up and returning the phone to Constantin.

“What’s the plan of action?” Atanas asks.

“As soon as the names start coming through from Rosie, I’m going on a killing spree. It’s the only thing I can do while I wait to hear what the doctors say.”

“We’ve each brought a few men. We’ll join you, and Devran should be here in the next hour or so,” Constantin informs us. “Last I heard, Ryo was in Poland for a meeting, so he might –”

“I’m here,” a Japanese man I haven’t met yet says as he comes in. He’s younger than the others but doesn’t look any less lethal.