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“Turn around,” I mutter.
“What?” Leo snaps from the passenger seat.
“We have to go back.”
“Are you out of your damn mind?”
“I need… I have to know she’s okay.”
“Fuck,” Samuil hisses. “Are you stroking out right now?”
“What the hell’s gotten into you?” Roman demands from behind the wheel. “We can’t go back. The heat’s too high right now!”
Damien is the only one of my brothers who doesn’t raise his voice. Instead, he watches me with pity and understanding. “Are you hurt?” he asks, his tone far gentler than I frankly deserve. I’m more than aware that I’ve mistreated my half-brother over the years. The fact that he is still kind to me when I’m at my weakest is a testament to his character.
“I need to see her.” My voice is broken, shaking so hard I can barely get the syllables out. “I need to know she’s okay.”
“Who?” Leo demands. “Sandra Antonova? Who gives a fuck!”
“Ido!Igive a fuck!”
The silence that follows is deafening but deserved. My brothers may be at a loss for words, but so am I. I’ve never felt more out of control, the world around me spiraling down the drain with every passing second.
“You need to tell us what’s going on,” Leo says gravely. “Now.”
Chapter 34
Sandra
Iawake with a start.
There’s a blinding, throbbing pain in my chest, just below my left shoulder. I can’t make sense of my surroundings. Everything’s too loud, too bright. Confusion makes the room spin and fear makes my blood run cold. What just happened? How did I get here?
“Easy, Sandy,” Aunt Natalya says as she hooks me up to a blood bag. O-positive, according to the sticker slapped on the front. “It was a high caliber round, so the bullet went right through you. You lost a lot of blood, but you’re lucky it missed all your important organs. Four inches lower and it would have pierced your heart.”
Aunt Nat is speaking perfectly clearly, but I don’t understand a word coming out of her mouth. Is it because of the shock? The pain? Probably both.
I groan. “What happened?”
“Relax, sweetheart,” Dad says. He’s at my bedside, his brows steepled together in grave concern.
My uncles are here. So is Mom, Charlotte, and Frederick. It’s a miracle my room is big enough to host us all.
I try to sit up. Big mistake. Pain like a million needles shoots through my entire system, knocking the air from my lungs. Everything burns. I’ve never experienced torture quite like this before. “Where’s—”
“You’re safe,” Uncle Dima says. “We’re all safe.”
My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach. “No… Where’s Andrei?”
Everyone in the room stares at me. It probably wasn’t a question they were expecting me to ask. I don’t know who looks more horrified.
Even though it takes all my strength, I manage to prop myself up on my elbows. Sweat coats my forehead. My lungs ache. “Tell me he’s okay,” I croak. “Is Andrei okay?”
Charlotte takes a step forward. “Sandra, don’t…”
Dad presses his lips into a thin line. “What’s going on here? Why do you want to know about that son of a bitch?”
I’m two seconds away from falling apart. “Why won’t anybody just answer my damn question?”
