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I nod, exhaustion suddenly making my eyelids heavy. “I’m glad.”
“Who did this to you, Natalya? Did you get a good look at them?”
I nod again, but my tongue is tied up in knots. What am I supposed to say? I could give him Edvard’s name, but then I’d have to explain how I know him. I’m being strangled by my own web of lies and I don’t know how to free myself from the mess. Iwantto tell him, but I’m scared of how everything will unravel. Not to mention I still have to tell him about the baby.Ourbaby.
“It’s okay,” he says when I don’t answer. “Just rest now.”
“Dimitri, I—”
“Rest,” he urges. “I’ll take care of you. I promise.”
I lean my head against his shoulder, soothed by his warmth and the smell of pines. I’m still in shock and barely keeping it together, but I know he’ll make good on his word. As long as I’m with Dimitri, I know nothing bad will happen to me.
I close my eyes and fall asleep.
Chapter 24
Dimitri
Mikhail is already there with his army of men by the time I arrive with Natalya. She’s fast asleep when I carry her up to what will now become her new room. I’m extra careful when it comes to tucking her in, silently appreciating her sweet face. The color has returned to her cheeks, but she’s still incredibly weak. A couple days’ rest will undoubtedly improve her condition.
“You shouldn’t have taken her to the hospital,” Mikhail grumbles. “My sources tell me they’ve got security footage of you.”
“What the fuck was I supposed to do? Let her bleed out in my foyer?” I snap. “I did what I had to.”
My brother and I are outside, standing in the privacy of the gardens in the backyard. It’s his summer home, though he hasn’t used it in recent years, so it’s in desperate need of a paint job. But as long as my family and I can lay low for a bit while we get this ugly business sorted, then it’s fine by me.
“How is she?” Mikhail asks.
“Alive. That’s all that matters.”
“Okay. Second question:whois she?”
I frown at him. “What?”
“Boris tells me you lost your fucking mind when you found her. I thought she was just a nanny.”
“She’s—” I grit my teeth. “She’s notjusta nanny.”
Mikhail regards me with an unwavering gaze. I can sense a lecture on the tip of his tongue, but thankfully, my brother’s too smart to run his mouth. “I’m going to need the security footage from your house’s surveillance cameras. If Levitsky did this, we’ll have it on tape. You’ve got cameras inside, too, don’t you?”
I nod. “A whole Google network, courtesy of Luka. I’ve already asked him to pull the footage and send it to you.”
Mikhail nods. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise.”
It’s hard for me to even breathe at this point. My lungs burn, my throat is torn to shreds. I can’t believe how close I was to losing her.
“I need our family doctor sent here to check up on her,” I tell him. “I’ll pay him extra for no questions asked.”
“Heneverasks questions. That’swhyhe’s the family doctor.”
“You know what I mean. I can’t let anything happen to her, Misha.”
My brother pats me on the shoulder. “Here’s what we’re going to do, okay? I’m leaving my best men here to guard you. I’m going back to Moscow to move my family as well. Once we have the security footage and can properly ID Edvard Levitsky, I’ll have every mobster in Moscow on the lookout for him. He’ll be dead within the week. For now, keep a low profile. Take care of your son and your woman.”
“I don’t want to sit around and hide, Misha.” I clench my fists and grind my teeth. “I want that fucker dead in the ground for what he’s done. Enough is enough.”
“I know. I do, too. An attack on one is an attack on all, but you can’t let your emotions get the better of you, little brother. This isn’t a defeat or a punishment, Dimitri. This is us biding our time. When we finally go after that bastard, there will be nowhere for him to run.”
