Chapter 18 - Riley
As I watch Viktor leave, my heart feels like it's breaking. Gwen comes over and puts an arm around my shoulders. “They'll be fine,” she says. “They do this all the time. It isn't the first time one of them has been taken.”
“What if something happens to him?” I ask quietly. 'I don't think I could handle it.”
I breathe hard, remembering what it was like to be taken. My heart starts to race. Gwen hugs me tightly.
“Are you guys together?” she asks. “Why don't you tell us about it?”
She leads me to the sofa and we all sit down. A maid brings some wine through and pours each of us a glass. Fiona, who I haven't met before, smiles softly at me. “Yes, how are things going with Viktor? I would never have pictured him married. Is he being good to you?”
“He's being so good to me,” I gush. “And yes, we are officially together.”
Anya walks in with a sigh and looks around worriedly. “Is there any news?”
Gwen goes to her and guides her to the sofa, where the maid brings her a glass of wine. “They've just left. They'll find him, don't worry.”
“I just don't understand why someone would want to take him.”
“This city is dangerous,” Fiona says with a nod, sipping her wine. “They'll be fine, though. The boys will find Anton, and he'll be home in no time.”
“Riley was just telling us that she and Viktor are officially together,” Gwen says, smiling at me. The smile doesn't reach her eyes. Anya smiles at me warmly.
“I'm so glad that you are. You two suit each other.” She sips her wine. “Is he still making you wear designer clothes?” she says, looking at my dress.
“Oh, I wanted to wear this,” I say with a blush.
“Were you trying to seduce him?” Gwen teases.
“No,” I say defensively.
The girls laugh, and Fiona begins to tell me how she and Rigor got together. I find her engaging and charming. I listen intently, trying not to think about Viktor putting his life in danger to save his brother. But I can't help thinking about it. Time drags on slowly. Fiona arranges some food for us, but I pick at it. I don't want to eat. I want Viktor back safe and in my arms. With him gone, despite all the guards around us, I don't feel safe.
As the hours stretch on, I remember my own trauma. The images of me being taken play in my mind and my heart starts racing. I get up and start pacing. “It's been six hours,” I say. “Something is wrong.”
“Nothing is wrong,” Fiona says. “Just breathe. They'll be back in no time. They probably had to go to multiple locations.”
I shake my head. “I can't stand thinking about what could happen. I don't know how you do it.”
“You get used to it,” Gwen says quietly. “They're in a dangerous game. They make enemies.”
“How were they able to take Anton, though? Doesn't he have his own guards?” I ask. “If he's not safe, are any of us safe?”
Gwen gets up and grabs my shoulders. “Sit and breathe.”
I sit down, putting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. I breathe deeply. I need to calm down.
“Should we call a doctor just in case?” Anya asks.
“Riley knows first aid,” Gwen says. “She could help. That might ease her nerves.”
I look up sharply. “I'm not a doctor.”
“It's probably going to be superficial wounds.” Fiona walks to the door and calls the maid back. “Get us all the first aid stuff from the house that you can find and bring it here.”
“I'm not a doctor,” I repeat.
“But you're good in a crisis.” Gwen smiles softly. “Having a purpose might help ease your nerves.”
I get up and start to pace again.
Gwen gets up. “Riley?”
“I just can't do this.” I feel panicked.
Gwen hugs me tightly. “You're safe.”
“Anton got taken. How safe can we be?” I say. “What if they come for us? What if they take us to get to the men? I don't feel safe, Gwen.”
Anya gets up and takes over from Gwen, hugging me tightly. “We're not going to get taken. Anton was probably surprised and didn't have his guards around.”
“What if the guards are in on it?” I ask. “What if they betray us?”
“You can't think like that. The guards are like family. They are family. They are loyal to our family above everything. We all take care of our guards and their families, we make sure of that. No one is going to betray us.”
Fiona flips the television on and flips through the channels until some CCTV panels show. “This is a channel linked to our CCTV cameras. We can see anyone who comes and goes.”
I sit down and stare at the screen. “How many guards are there?”
“Depending on how many guards Rigor took with him, there's probably about ten or fifteen left on the property, from what I can see scanning through the panels.” Fiona moves her head as she looks from panel to panel.
I nod and hug my knees.
“Think about the good things,” Gwen says, sitting beside me. “Think about how happy you are with Viktor.”
“I can't because all I think about is how he's not going to come back and how I'm never going to see him again.”
I look at Gwen, who looks at Anya and Fiona.
“Let me try to call Rigor,” Fiona says, taking out her phone. She dials a number and puts the phone to her ear. I can hear it ringing from where I'm sitting because the room is so quiet. I hear a voice and Fiona hangs up. “Voicemail. They're probably just busy.”
It doesn't make me feel better.
“Pace, if it makes you calm,” Gwen says.
I get up and start to walk up and down the room.
After two more hours of pacing, panicking, sitting, and trying to breathe, we hear car tires squealing outside. We all look up and rush to the door. The front door opens, and Roman and Viktor bring Anton in, supporting him with his arms around their shoulders. They walk toward the living room. “Move,” Roman says.
We all go back inside and move to the sides. They bring him in and lie him down on the sofa.
“He's been sliced up, possibly stabbed. We can't reach the doctor to help him,” Viktor says, glancing at the first aid supplies.
“Riley can help. She did a first aid course.” Gwen nudges me forward.
I shake my head. “I can't.” I take a step back.
Viktor walks to me and takes my face in his hands. “Riley, he needs your help. You need to at least look at him.”
“I can't. I can't,” I say as tears start dripping down my face. “I can't breathe.” I try to pull away, but Viktor pulls me into his arms.
“It's okay, you're safe.” I shake my head. All I can think about is the men storming the casino and taking me away.
“Riley, you're okay.” Viktor kisses me softly. “I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Please. Come back to me. You've got this. You can beat this.”
I take a few shaky breaths and close my eyes.
“You can do this,” Viktor whispers. “It's just like skydiving. You just have to take a chance and jump out there.”
I open my eyes and look up at him. He wipes my tears away. I nod slowly.
I go over to Anton and say, “Get him undressed.”
Viktor and Roman undress him to his boxers and lay him back down. Anton groans softly. “It' hurts,” he moans.
“I'm sorry,” I say softly. I rummage through the medical supplies Fiona provided and pull on a pair of gloves. First, I check the deeper wounds. Once I'm sure they don't need stitches and nothing important looks cut, I clean the wounds with disinfectant. Fiona brings me a suture kit and opens it up. I take it and glance at Anton. “I don't have anything to numb you with.”
“It's okay. Viktor will cry for me,” he jokes. “It's a twin thing. I get hurt, and he cries.”
I give him a hesitant smile and begin stitching his cuts closed. I go through two suture kits, then clean the more superficial cuts with disinfectant and apply band-aids. I check him for broken ribs and ask Gwen to get an ice pack for his black eye. I sit back and breathe heavily.
“He should be fine. Though a doctor should go over him,” I sigh.
Everyone except Viktor fawns over Anton. Viktor comes to me and starts to pick me up in his arms.
“Viktor,” I protest. “I'm fine.”
Despite my protests, he carries me out of the room and upstairs, into what I assume is a guest room. “What are you doing?” I ask.
He puts me down on the counter in the en-suite bathroom. He turns and starts the shower. “Get undressed,” he says quietly. “Let's wash that blood off of you.”
I look at him gratefully. He helps me stand and undresses me slowly. “You really weren't wearing anything else,” he tries to tease me. I nod, but I don't say anything.
“Oh, Love,” he says quietly, kissing my shoulder. “Everything is okay now. You helped Anton, and we're all back in one piece. Rigor is already working on upping security for everyone.”
I nod and step under the shower with his guidance. He leaves me standing under the water. “I'll be back. I'm going to get you something to wear.”
“Don't leave,” I say softly.
“I'll be right back,” he promises. Kissing my head.
He leaves, and I start to cry. Tears stream down my face, and my body shakes. I don't know how much longer I can stand on my own, but soon, he comes back. “Riley?”
“I was so scared. I thought something happened to you,” I admit.
He takes off his clothes and steps into the shower with me. He pulls me close and holds me tight. I lean my head against his chest and start to cry. He gently strokes my hair. He's practically holding me up while my legs tremble. After a few minutes, he whispers, “Can you stand so I can wash you?”
I stand straight and wipe my eyes. He kisses my forehead and grabs a sponge. He pours some shower gel on me and starts to slowly wipe me down. He's so gentle. More gentle than even our first proper night together. I let him wash me, spreading my legs. Nothing sexual. Just an intimate wash.
He gently pulls me under the water and starts to rinse me off. “Do you want me to wash your hair? It seems to have some blood in it.”
“Yes, please,” I murmur. He gets out and takes some shampoo and conditioner from under the basin before getting back in. He lathers up my hair and massages my scalp before running the soap through it and scrubbing it clean. We rinse it off, and he applies the conditioner. When he's done, I pick up the sponge, squeeze more soap onto it, and start to wash him.
He tries to stop me, but I shake my head and say, “Please, I want to.”
I wash his body just as gently before focusing on his hair. He turns off the water and gets out first, grabbing a towel. He wraps it around me and secures one around his waist before guiding me to the bedroom. He's still gentle while drying my body and my hair. He's brought a shirt and a pair of shorts that are lying on the bed. They must be from Fiona. He dresses me before drying himself and putting on a pair of briefs. He pulls back the duvet and helps me lie down. He climbs in on the opposite side, and I turn to cuddle up to him. He wraps his arms around me while I rest my head against his chest. He kisses my hair and whispers, “I'm so sorry you had to wait for me for so long. I'm sorry I couldn't call and let you know I was fine.”
“Where was he?” I ask croakily.
“Marina,” I say.
“Did you have to kill people?” I ask.
“Yes. I will never lie to you, Riley, but if you don't want to know about it, then don't ask me any questions. I won't volunteer the information unless you ask.”
I nod slowly and sigh. “I'm so exhausted.”
“Why don't you go to sleep? I'm here. You're safe. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here when you wake up.” He strokes my arm.
I sniff and nod again, holding onto him tightly. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. I am exhausted and I soon fall asleep.