AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“One of the girls at the club is Bulgarian. She brings it by when she wants to get on the Friday shift.”
“Send Kolev a complimentary dish of banitsa from me. Make sure it has a finger or two of Bulgarian in it.”
“Consider it done.”
My stomach churned, and I was glad this scene was just a nightmare. I wouldn’t want to be this Kolev, and at the same time, I envied the woman this guy wanted to avenge.
Then the baritone voice whispered into my ear, “Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own. In pain and sickness it would still be dear. Your mind is my treasure, and if it were broken, it would be my treasure still.”
My heart sped up. I remembered those words. Were they from a book, a movie? I tried to open my eyes, wanting to see the face behind the whisper. A sharp pain seared through my head, and I passed out.
My eyes fluttered open. I lay in my own bedroom. I felt more than heard Kristoff near my bed. I’d always had that strange connection to him, as if my body could sense his nearness somehow. Suddenly, the conversation I’d heard when I was half asleep made sense.
“No one,” he spoke into the phone. “None of them get to live.”
A cough overtook me, and he pivoted, his eyes widening when he saw I was awake.
“Water,” I croaked, while I took in my surroundings. With it came recognition and a string of bad memories.
He pressed a button next to the door that hadn’t been there before. Then he handed me a cup of water.
“Slowly,” he said, when I almost downed it in one gulp.
A few seconds later Olga rushed in, her usual stern expression morphed into a rare smile. Ignoring Kristoff, who stared at me as if I might croak any moment, she plumped my pillows, threw open the drapes, and fussed over me.
Kristoff, my beautiful Prince of Darkness, looked as sharp as ever in his dark suit. Something was different, though. His long strands of hair that brushed his shoulders seemed longer than usual. His five o’clock shadow was more pronounced. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d say he looked haggard.
“How long have I been out?”
“Too long.” His voice was rough.
“Five days,” Olga provided as she took out some underwear and pj’s from my closet.
Five days? I couldn’t believe it. My brain was still fuzzy. Then, suddenly, all of it came back. Kolev’s attack, Baldy, Anna, and the other girls.
Oh, God. “Yuri! Please tell me he’s okay.”
A muscle ticked in Kristoff’s jaw. “He’s in the hospital. The doctor says he’ll be out in a week. He took out six men.” There was pride mixed with a hint of sadness in his voice.
“I can’t believe it.” Yuri was like an annoying little brother to me, despite him being a few years older. He was my biggest ally in this house, and I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it.
“He will be fine. You just concentrate on getting better.”
The distance was back in his voice. A hurt worse than the pain radiating from my mangled ribs coursed through me. He was pulling up a wall between us again. I wanted to reach out and take his hand but knew he wouldn’t appreciate it. Kristoff never touched me if he didn’t have to.
Olga disappeared into the bathroom and I heard water running.
Kristoff went for the door, rubbing the back of his neck. “I shouldn’t have sent you away.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
“It won’t happen again.”
“It better not. This is my home.” When the words left my mouth I realized they were more true than ever.
“You blame me.”
I did, but not for the reason he believed. “I blame you for forcing me to leave every year around this time. You can send me to all the five-star resorts you like, dress me up in expensive clothes, and give me the best fine dining experiences, but it still doesn’t make up for the fact of how awful it makes me feel. By sending me away, you’re basically telling me I’m merely a guest.” And that hurt on a whole different level.
