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“Is there something I can help you with?” I ask, deciding not to comment on what she said. Mainly because I don’t know what to say. Admitting I care about him. Admitting that in the three short weeks I’ve been here he’s taken me from scared prisoner to someone I don’t even recognize... That would make it too real and I’m not ready to face the possibility of what it all means just yet.
“Actually, would you mind running this up to Niko?” she asks, picking up a plate off the counter that’s wrapped in foil. “I went up to take it to him earlier, but he was sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb him.”
“I’d be happy to take it up to him,” I say, thankful to have something to take my mind off of Mateo, even if just for a short time. “As long as that’s okay with you.” I turn, pinning my gaze on Dimitri.
“Fine by me.” He shrugs. “I’ve been meaning to check in on him today but haven’t had the chance.”
“Because you refuse to leave me alone.”
“I have strict orders and I intend to follow them.”
I roll my eyes, turning back to Norma who extends the plate to me.
“How’s he doing anyway?”
“He seemed okay this morning. All things considered, I think he’s doing pretty well.”
“Thanks to you.”
“And you.”
“Hey Norma, before I go, can I ask where you learned how to do that?” I can tell I don’t need to explain what I’m referring to. By the look on her face, I can tell that she understands my question perfectly.
“When I worked for Diego, he had a doctor that lived on the compound who would treat the men as they came in with injuries. I picked up a few things.”
“I think you picked up more than a few things.”
“I’m a fast learner.” She smiles. “And it would appear so are you.”
“Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing. I think I was operating on pure adrenaline.”
“Well, whatever it was, you really handled yourself well. Niko was lucky you were here.”
“Yeah.” I blow out a breath. “Well, I guess I should get this up to him. I’ll come back down in a few minutes. If you need help with anything else, I’m happy to do whatever you need.”
“Sounds good.”
When we make it to Niko’s room, I wait for Dimitri to enter first, slowly trailing in behind him. He stops abruptly a couple of steps into the room, his back going ramrod straight.
“What’s...” I don’t get the chance to ask before my gaze drifts to the bed.
The sound of the plate hitting the hard floor fills my ears before my mind has a chance to process what I’m seeing. It shatters on impact, the noise echoing through the room.
“Niko...” His name is a broken sob that bubbles from my throat.
He’s sitting up in bed, his head draped to one side, eyes closed, blood flowing freely from a slash in his throat.
A scream tears through the room and it takes me a full second to realize it’s me that’s screaming.
Dimitri rushes to the bed, placing his fingers to Niko’s wrist in search of a pulse he already knows he’s not going to find.
He’s dead.
Niko is dead...
I shake my head, willing myself to wake up.
This is a dream.
