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“What?” Dimitri snaps. He sounds stressed. I don’t blame him.
“Dima,” I whisper. Without the constant source of diluted morphine running through my veins, I’m starting to feel the pain. “Dima, you have to get me out of here.”
“Nat?” he breathes. “Where are you? I’m coming to get you.”
“I’m still at the hospital.”
“Have you been cleared?”
“No, I… I can’t stay here. Will you come and get me?”
“Hang tight, angel. I’m on my way. Can you get to a service exit?”
“I’ll try.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Simon,” I say around a gasp. “Is he okay? What about Dahlia?”
“They’re fine. Thanks to you, I hear.”
I sigh in relief. “Thank God.”
“Hold on tight, okay? I’m just around the corner. I didn’t go far.”
I hang up and shove the stranger’s phone in my pocket, feeling only a little bit guilty about stealing his things. Desperate times call for desperate measures. As casually as possible, I start down the hall, doing my best to keep the pain from morphing my face. I pass by nurses and doctors, none of whom seem to realize I’m a patient on the lam. I keep my eyes forward and my head down, heading straight for the nearest exit.
It’s the middle of the night. The air is cold and the wind unforgiving. I shiver uncontrollably, teeth chattering as the chill works its way through me. I hate how exposed I feel. Paranoia gnaws at the edges of my brain. I can’t stop thinking about Edvard and how he managed to take the household by storm. Had he been watching me? Is that why he kept texting me about updates—because it was really just some vile test of loyalty?
A black SUV careens around the corner, stopping abruptly in front of me. Even though it’s dark, I can clearly see Boris behind the wheel. The back passenger door flies open. Dimitri steps out, quickly throwing his jacket over my shoulders before gingerly cupping my face.
“Fuck,” he hisses, his face twisted in anguish. He kisses me tenderly. “Let’s get you out of here.”
I move a little too quickly and wince. “Easy,” I murmur. “Easy, I’m very sore.”
“Shit, sorry.”
“Where is everyone? Where are we going to go?”
“We’ll talk once we’re on the road. It’s not safe out here.”
Dimitri helps me climb into the backseat. The air inside the car is a lot warmer. I relax once he takes the spot beside me, the door slamming closed just as Boris hits the gas. I don’t think I take a breath until we’re on the road again, the noise of traffic and the roar of the car’s engine filling my ear.
The entire time, Dimitri holds my hand.
“I wanted to be there when you woke up,” he says, pain etching every inch of his face. “I couldn’t—”
“It’s okay,” I say quickly. “We need to get you out of here. There’s cops everywhere. They’ve been trying to talk to me for hours.”
He gives me a strange look, but it’s fleeting. “Are you alright? Are you in pain?”
I groan. “Lotsof pain, but I had to see you.”
Dimitri presses his forehead to mine. We linger together, breathing each other in. He tucks a few strands of my hair behind my ear. “Everything’s going to be alright now.”
“Where are we going?”
“A safehouse. My brother’s summer home. It’s out of the way and secluded. We’ll be safe there.”
