Chapter 28 Adrian
ADRIAN
The SUV turns onto Strada Mure?enilor and we roll through Old Town. I lean back against the seat as the nurse finishes rubbing some ointment on my shoulder to stop infections.
The pain is dull, with a persistent throb radiating down my left arm, but I've had worse.
Elena sits beside me, her hand still gripping mine. She's staring out the window, her breath fogging the glass slightly.
I turn my head and see the fountain in the square. The one where I kissed her for the first time, where half the town saw us and I didn't give a damn because all I cared about was her lips on mine.
I glance at Elena and she turns at the exact same moment. Her eyes meet mine and she smiles.
I squeeze her hand and she squeezes back.
We keep driving and then turn down a narrower road, climbing upward into the Schei neighborhood.
We turn by the little shop on the ground floor where we'd walk down to get fresh bread sometimes, and take Strada Curcanilor all the way up to the base of the mountain.
Through the trees, the Ionescu estate comes into view.
It's a massive fortified area. Our father bought four homes side by side in a not so friendly manner to build it when we were little.
The iron gates swing open as we approach, and the SUV pulls through and makes its way to the main house.
Lucian already has men stationed at every corner, rifles slung over their shoulders, eyes scanning the perimeter.
The SUV rolls to a stop in front of the main entrance.
One of our men opens my door and helps me out. My legs are steadier than they were on the plane, but the movement sends a sharp spike of pain through my shoulder.
I grit my teeth and ignore it as the nurse helps steady me.
Elena climbs out after me, her presence the only one I want.
Lucian comes over to us.
"We have a room prepared," he says. "Medical supplies. The doctor just arrived."
I nod.
Lucian's eyes shift to Elena.
"You need anything?"
"No," she says. "Just focus on him."
Lucian doesn't argue. He looks at his men and gestures toward the entrance.
"Take him."
We all walk inside and I glance around. I'm instantly reminded of the countless times I've been here, both with my family and the times when it was just with Elena.
If I didn't have two bullet holes in me that needed fixing, reminiscing about those times when it was just us would be making me hard right about now, especially as we pass the love seat in the hall.
We climb a staircase to the second floor, then down another hallway until Lucian gets in front of us and stops in front of a heavy oak door.
He pushes it open and it's the large guest room we have here. The room I snuck into when she was here staying with us.
I turn back and look at Elena. "Remember our favorite room?"
She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "Oh God."
I look and see that a table has been set up near the window, covered with medical supplies: gauze, antiseptic, surgical tools laid out on a sterile cloth.
A man in his fifties stands beside the table, wearing scrubs, looking over everything.
He looks up as we enter, his eyes scanning me briefly before nodding.
"You can have him sit there if he can," he says, gesturing to a chair beside the table.
I cross the room and lower myself into the chair. The nurse from the plane stands beside the doctor, ready to assist.
Elena follows me, stopping just behind the chair.
Lucian lingers in the doorway with Victor.
"I'll be downstairs," Lucian says.
"Me too," Victor says. "Call us if you need anything, and uh…" Victor stops and looks at Elena, who doesn't budge. "Okay, well, good luck."
They leave, pulling the door shut behind them.
The doctor moves closer, gloves on his hands now, and he reaches for the bandages on my shoulder.
"Let me see what we're working with."
He peels them away slowly, revealing the torn, blood crusted skin beneath. The entry wound is jagged, dark red and purple, the edges swollen.
"Bullet fragments still inside, I assume?"
"Probably," I say.
He nods and then looks at my bicep. "Well that's a through and through, so that's good news."
He turns away and grabs a syringe.
"I'll need to dig out the bullet in your shoulder. Stitch it up. Same with the bicep. This is going to hurt, so I'll give you something for the pain."
The doctor slides the needle into my shoulder and I notice Elena looks away.
When it's done she moves slightly closer to me and looks down at me.
"I'm not leaving, you know," she says.
"I know," I say with a small smile. "I wouldn't want you to."
The doctor looks at her and then back at me.
"Try not to move," he says and brings a pair of forceps to my shoulder.
The first probe is like fire but then it slowly dissipates, the anesthesia working.
The forceps slide into the wound, and I only feel pressure now and some discomfort, but damn does the metal scraping the bone not sound pleasant.
The doctor twists the forceps, digging deeper, and I feel that a bit. My breath hisses through my teeth.
"Almost there," the doctor says.
He pulls the forceps out slowly, a small, jagged piece of metal pinched between the tips. Blood wells up from the wound, thick and dark.
The nurse moves in with gauze, pressing it against the bleeding.
The doctor doesn't stop.
He goes back in, probing again, searching for more fragments.
After a few moments the doctor pulls out another fragment.
"You're doing great, Adi," Elena says and rubs the back of my head with her finger nails.
The doctor finally sets the forceps down.
"That's all of them."
The nurse cleans the area as the doctor picks up a long curved needle and thread.
"Now we stitch."
The doctor works on my shoulder. The needle pierces my skin again and again, the thread tugging as he ties off each knot.
Finally, he moves to my bicep.
After what feels like too long, the doctor finally steps back, finished.
The nurse wraps fresh bandages around my shoulder, then my bicep.
"You're lucky," he says. "No major arteries hit. The fragments missed the important parts. You'll heal, but you need to rest. No heavy lifting, no strain on that arm for at least three to six weeks."
I nod.
"Thanks, doc."
The nurse cleans up the blood and tools, packing everything away.
The doctor strips off his gloves.
"I'll check on you tomorrow. Also, you're going to need to wear this," he says and hands me a sling for my arm.
"I'll help him with that, doctor," Elena says.
He nods and then he and the nurse leave and then it's just me and Elena.
She stands in front of me. "Here, let's put your arm in the thing now," she says. "While the pain medicine is working."
I lean forward and she wraps it around my neck and gently puts my arm in the sling.
"There," she says.
I look down and now my left arm is bent at a ninety degree angle across my chest. I do feel some weightlessness on my shoulder area, so I guess that's good.
"So," I say and stand, "How does it feel to be back home?"
She smiles. "Nice. I don't think I could fully take it in because I was so worried about you, but now that you're taken care of," she stops and looks out the window, "Yeah, it's nice."
I walk over to her and stand right next to her and look out the same window.
"I can order from your favorite place," I say.
"Oh God, that would be good. I want papana?i."
"Papana?i?"
"Yes," she laughs. "I missed that dessert so much."
"Okay, I'll order that for you," I say and take a seat on the bed.
"Come sit down. There's something I want to talk to you about."
She comes over and joins me and just looks at me waiting.
"Your parents," I say.
"Yes. My parents. My sister. I want to see them. Tell them I'm alive."
"Leni, how can I say this."
"I'm home, Adi. I'm finally home, and I can't even…" Her voice breaks. "I can't even tell them I'm alive."
"I know, I just…"
"I miss them so much," she says. "I miss Stefania. I just want to walk through the door and see their faces and…" she stops and turns to me. "Please, Adi. Whatever you're going to say, just let me see them. Just for a minute. I won't tell them anything."
I cup her face with my good hand, rubbing her cheek.
"Listen to me. You are legally dead," I say. "Your death certificate was filed. Your parents buried you. If you show up now, it doesn't just raise questions. It raises red flags."
Her face crumples.
"I don't care."
"I know, but look. The Volkov Bratva has a twenty five million dollar bounty on my head and your return. Do you know what that means?"
She shakes her head.
"It means every mercenary, every hired gun, every desperate bastard in Europe is looking for me. For us. And if you walk into your parents' house right now, you'll be putting them in danger."
"I just wanted to see them," she says.
"I know."
I brush a strand of hair away from her face and she leans against my good side, her head resting on my shoulder.
"There's something you should know too," I say.
She tilts her head up, looking at me.
"What?"
I take a breath.
"Months ago, when I thought you were dead, I couldn't stand the thought of your family being unprotected. So I had Lucian place a guard detail on them."
Her eyes widen.
"What?"
"Twenty four seven surveillance. Your parents' house. Stefania's apartment. They don't know, but there are men watching them at all times."
Her breath catches.
"You've been protecting them?"
"I couldn't protect you," I say. "But I could protect them."
Her eyes fill with tears.
"Adi…"
I lean down and kiss her.
"The second the Volkovs are dead," I say. "The second Cornel Lupu is neutralized and the threat is gone, I will personally walk you through your parents' front door."
She nods, her hand gripping my shirt.
"I promise you," I say. "You'll see them again. But until then, we stay here. We lock ourselves in this fortress. And we prepare for what's next."
She doesn't say anything, she just rests her head back on my shoulder.
As I hold her, my mind is already calculating the moves we need to make.
The Volkovs think they can hunt us.
They're wrong.
We're going to burn them to the ground. And now that we're back in Romania, I'm starting with this Cornel motherfucker.