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Suddenly, visions of him cornering the review board members and threatening them about my residency pop into my head. I’m not thinking straight, that’s not even possible.
“I’ve worked so hard for it. I’ll be crushed if I don’t get it.”
The corner of his mouth hitches up. “You have to learn to trust me, Mads. You’re worked up over nothing.”
I lean my head against his chest. “You’re probably right. Surely, Emma can overlook one sick day out of an entire year.”
“Come on, put on your pajamas. I’ve lit the fireplace, let’s sit there and talk.”
I agree and pull on one of his Cornell t-shirts and some comfy sweatpants. Still feeling a bit chilled, I slip my feet into some thick socks and throw on my bathrobe.
We go down to the living room. There’s a roaring fire casting a warm glow across the room. We curl up on the sofa, he wraps his arms around me.
“What you did to Sergei,” I shake my head. “I’m not going to lie, after what he did to me, I wanted that animal dead.” I study his response, is he surprised to hear me say that? His expression is unchanged. “But watching you butcher him like that.” I hold my hands out in a helpless gesture. “It was like you zoned out, went to a different place. What were you thinking, Bash?”
He draws in a deep breath, stares at the ceiling a moment. “When I saw you lying there.” He squeezes his eyes shut. “When I saw him touch you like that. I saw red and lost my shit. I’m sorry it happened, I’m sorry you had to see that side of me.”
I touch his hand. “I was just thankful, you got there, Bash. I thought I was dead or was about to be praying for death.”
“Don’t say that, baby.”
“But somehow, I knew this horrible thing wasn’t going to happen because you’d save me.”
He gives me a sad smile. “I’d move heaven and earth for you.”
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was pissed as hell at you for robbing Sergei, but…”
“I know, I’m sorry about all of it.” But then a smirk crept across his face. “And you, hacking Boba’s junk off like that.”
“He put that nasty shit near me, the asshole.”
He’s laughing. “That was epic. Nobody’ll dare fuck with you again.”
“What happened to him? Was he bitten or stung?”
“Scorpion sting. It was in the diamond bag.”
“What? You just keep pet scorpions handy for such occasions.”
“You never know.”
“Did he die? There is an antidote.”
He shakes his head no. “He’s dead.”
I feel myself drifting even further across the line. “Have you…killed many people?”
His eyebrows hike up in mild surprise, “It depends on how you define many,” he hesitates, then adds, “I do what’s necessary to protect my own, nothing more.”
I nod thoughtfully, contemplating what this means. Visions of him laying waste to Sergei fill my mind. He was protecting me, I’m now part of what he calls his own.
“Are you ok?” he asks.
“What do you mean?”
“I just thought you’d be a little more…I don’t know, upset or traumatized by the ordeal.”
“They attacked me, but you took care of it. You did what was necessary to get me out of there.”
