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“She is not a coward.” Viktor’s voice was closer than Britney’s, a deep growl that would have scared me senseless if he had been talking to me like that. Heck, it scared me even though he didn’t even know I was awake.
Yuri scoffed. “I didn't mean it that way. I only meant–”
“Enough, Yuri. You will stay away from Rosie. We owe her a debt, and your actions have caused her more injury. Go downstairs. I will deal with you in a moment,” a familiar voice snapped.
The way he said ‘deal with’ made my whole body tense. It was a threat. Yuri must’ve heard it too, because he started to argue, only to be silenced by a scuffle. I assumed he was forced from the room because it went quiet for a moment.
“How is she?”
Britney sighed. “I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. I can’t read her mind, either. I assume the pain from running into you was what caused her to pass out. It’d be like running into a wall. I swear, all you Russians are made of stone.”
Someone snorted, but no one argued with her. She wasn’t wrong. What little I’d seen of the men, they were all big and muscly. Her own husband looked like a wrecking ball, and the size difference between Gabi and her husband was insane.
“Did you call O’Connor?” Viktor asked.
“He is on his way.” It was Dmitriy’s voice I recognized from the few times he’d shown up to bring Gabi home. I thought it was cute how he didn’t even want her to walk down the hallway by herself. I liked him a little less when he spoke again. “She is awake.”
I could almost feel all eyes swinging in my direction. I tried holding my breath, but my ribs protested and I had to release it pretty quickly. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to fall back asleep. Anything so that I wouldn’t have to face the group in front of me.
“I think we should give her a minute. Her run-in with Yuri must have been scary. We’ll come back later when Sean gets here,” Gabi urged.
I heard them shuffling out of the room and I waited just long enough for the apartment door to close in the next room before I sprang into action. I tossed the blankets off, gasping against the pain as my ribs screamed from the abrupt movement. I didn’t care, though. I didn’t know how long it would take the doctor to get here and I didn't trust him not to give me medicine that would make me sleepy. It was all part of their plan to keep me here, and I couldn’t stay. It wasn’t safe.
Using the walls and the furniture, I made it to the apartment door on my own. I was breathing too hard, and it hurt so much I wanted to cry, but I held back my tears, cracking the door open to peek out.
“Where are you going?”
Viktor’s quiet voice came from behind me and I yelped, spinning around too fast. I would’ve fallen over if he didn’t catch me, his hands cradling my elbows to keep me upright. I whimpered, leaning away from him, my head shaking side to side.
“Rosie… You cannot leave. It’s not safe.”
It wasn’t safe here either. The bedroom door was broken after he crashed through it, and I didn’t trust Yuri not to come back. They all knew where I was. It was only a matter of time before someone lost patience with me, like Yuri did.
What little struggling I could manage did absolutely nothing against Viktor. He pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me, and that warm, safe feeling I craved surrounded me. I fought against it. I was still too panicked to trust it, but he was patient and gentle, holding me only tight enough to keep me from running without doing me any more harm. When I finally ran out of strength and sagged against him, he dipped down and scooped me off my feet, bringing me back to bed. He sat down without releasing me, smart enough to know that the minute he did, I’d try to run again.
“Yuri will pay for scaring you like this.”
He said it in Russian, but I understood him anyway and my whole body stiffened at the threat. While it wasn’t directed at me, it was still terrifying to think about.
Viktor must’ve felt the change in my posture because he leaned around me and tipped his head, his eyebrows furrowed. “Can you understand me?”
Biting my lip, I considered lying. It didn’t feel safe to admit I could understand some of what he was saying. But when he guided my face up with a knuckle under my chin and I locked eyes with him, I saw no anger. Only curiosity. I nodded once and a ghost of a smile crossed his face, stealing my breath away.
“How?”
“M-My grandmother was Russian. She… She only spoke in Russian to me. I-I can’t speak it, but I could understand her.”
He looked thoughtful as he listened, and not once did he comment on the fact that I kept it from him until now. He rubbed his thumb on my arm as he held me, keeping me calm.
“Did your parents speak it too?”
We were edging towards too personal questions, but I didn’t see the harm in answering that one. They weren’t even alive, which made it harder to track me through them.
“I think… I think my mother could, but she only did while talking to my grandmother.”
He pursed his lips with a frown. “Could?”
I sucked in a breath. I didn’t think he would be that observant that he’d pick up on the fact that I used past tense. Knowing that my grandmother spoke Russian was one thing, lots of people had immigrant grandparents. Letting it slip that I had no parents was a big indicator of who I really was, and I couldn’t risk him finding out.
