Chapter 5 #3
Saying something to the others in Russian, he grabs our plates while I grab our two mugs of coffee and then follow him out through a set of French doors onto a gorgeous veranda with an amazing view of the ocean right in front of us.
He sets our plates down at a small table and pulls out a chair for me.
I sit down and look out at the rolling waves, laughing when Ruslan comes barreling over to greet us.
The dog is so huge that he could easily just eat the food off our plates, but he’s too well-trained for that, so he sits and gives me the cutest puppy-dog eyes I’ve ever seen.
I look at Vasily. “Can I?”
He laughs and nods his head while I break off a piece of bacon. Ruslan whines but stops as soon as Vasily says something in Russian.
“What did you say?”
“I told him to stop whining like a big baby.” He watches me toss the bacon in the air and laughs when Ruslan snatches it out of the air with his big jaws.
“I’m going to have to watch you. You’re going to spoil him.
” He says something in Russian, making Ruslan run off like he’s just been called back to duty.
“What was that about?”
“I told him to go walk the perimeter.”
I stare at the dog who’s now fully in guard-dog mode, sniffing the ground and looking around for any sign of a threat as he walks around the spacious yard before disappearing into the woods that butt up against the side of the house.
“Seriously?”
Vasily smiles. “He’s very well-trained.” He raises a dark brow at me. “And usually doesn’t beg for scraps.”
We eat our breakfast with the warm ocean breeze hitting us, and it feels like heaven. Ruby’s seems like a lifetime ago, but it also feels like I just left that damn place. A pang of guilt hits me when I think about Mindy, and I know I won’t get any real peace until I get her out of there.
“Want to talk about it?” Vasily asks. He already reads me so easily, noticing the slightest change in my face or demeanor.
“I was just thinking that I’m going to get Mindy away from that place. I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I can’t just leave her there.”
He scratches at the stubble on his face and stands up, reaching for my hand. “Come on. I want to put some more ointment on your tattoo.”
I take his hand and follow him upstairs to our bathroom.
He opens one of the drawers and gets out a tube of antibiotic ointment.
When I push my sleeve up, he eyes the dark bruises around my wrist but doesn’t comment on them.
While he gently rubs the medicine onto my skin, he says, “I need you to not do anything stupid, Nina. I know you want her out of there, and I’ll do my best to make that happen, but it’s not going to be right away.
You said yourself that Ruby’s waiting for her to turn eighteen, and Mindy had nothing to do with me getting you out of there, so there’s no reason for her to take her anger out on the girl.
If you show up there, it will cause a lot of problems for a lot of people, my Bratva included. ”
“Why? I mean, can’t you guys just go in there and free all of them?”
“Ruby’s Lounge is in what’s considered neutral territory. The Irish run the southern part of the city, and we own the northern part. If I go in there, I will be starting a war, and I refuse to jump into that lightly. My men’s lives are my responsibility, and I take that very seriously.”
His fingers run lightly over my skin, brushing over the bruises in a feather-light touch that has goosebumps rising along my arm.
“Taking you is going to cause enough of a backlash. Let me get this under control before we start making plans for anything else, okay?”
“Okay,” I say, knowing I don’t have much of a choice.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve asked a doctor to come over and examine you.” He notices my body tense and quickly adds, “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“Ruby tested me for everything while I was there,” I say in barely more than a whisper. I keep my eyes down, unable to face him when I say, “They all had to wear condoms. That was pretty much the only rule, and they couldn’t hurt us so badly that we couldn’t be used.”
Vasily mutters something in Russian and throws the tube into the drawer before slamming it shut. The noise makes me jump, and I quickly wrap my arms around myself. His hands are on my shoulders in the next second as he leans down to meet my face.
“Look at me, please.” He waits for my eyes to meet his. “You don’t need to fear me, Nina. I’m pissed, yes, but not at you, and I will never take my anger out on you.”
We both look towards the direction of the stairs when the doorbell rings.
“For my own peace of mind, please let the doctor examine you. I just want to make sure you aren’t hurt.”
I nod my head because I know he’s right. Ski mask guy was so rough I could barely walk afterwards. I don’t even want to think about the possible damage he could’ve done. As much as I don’t want another person touching my body, I know I need to do this.
“I’ll do it.”
“Thank you,” Vasily says. He kisses my forehead, surprising me yet again by how gentle and kind he is with me. I’m beginning to think that all those rumors are a load of bullshit. This can’t be the same man everyone calls a devil.
He grabs my hand as I follow him down the hall to one of the other bedrooms. “I’ll tell her to come up here to examine you.”
“Her?” I ask, looking up at him.
“I thought you might be more comfortable with a female doctor.”
Before I can think better of it, I wrap my arms around him in a hug, resting the side of my face against his hard chest just like I did last night while I slept.
“Thank you,” I whisper. He wraps his arms around me, holding me for a few seconds before kissing my head again and taking a step back.
His fingers graze my cheek in the briefest of touches before he turns and leaves.
I pace the floor nervously, and when there’s a soft knock at the door, I force myself to take a breath before saying, “Come in.”
A woman steps in, giving me a smile as she closes the door behind her.
Her blonde hair is mainly grey and pulled back into a loose bun, and when she walks closer, she makes me think of a ballerina I got to meet when I was a kid and my school took us to see The Nutcracker.
She’s tall and slender, and there’s a gracefulness to her movements that most people don’t possess.
“Hi, Mrs. Medvedev. I’m Dr. Cabrini.”
It takes me a second to realize that Mrs. Medvedev is me, and when I wait a second too long, I let out an awkward laugh and reach out to shake her hand. “Sorry. I’m still getting used to the name.”
“I can imagine. Your husband told me the wedding was very recent.”
I smile at the understatement, and then wince when my lip spreads too far.
Dr. Cabrini notices and sets her large bag down and pulls on a pair of latex gloves before cupping my face gently.
Her fingers work fast, examining my skin with light touches that are meant to cause as little discomfort as possible.
“I’ve been told that you were being held against your will and that you were sexually assaulted.
Usually, I would insist on getting the police involved.
” She gives me another soft smile and lifts a manicured brow at me.
“But your husband is a bit of a special case, so all of this is going to stay off the record. I’m going to examine you, test you for STDs and pregnancy, and make sure you don’t require any sort of treatment. Does that sound okay?”
I nod while she gets the room set up for an exam.
I had no idea doctors made house calls like this, but it makes sense.
The super wealthy don’t have to go to doctor appointments like the rest of us.
The doctors go to them. The exam is uncomfortable and embarrassing, but Dr. Cabrini works fast and soon she’s pulling the blanket back over me to cover my nakedness.
When she’s put everything away, she sits next to me and sighs.
“You have some tearing and bruising, but nothing that won’t heal on its own with a bit of time. I’m very sorry for what’s been done to you.”
“Thank you,” I tell her. “Do you know how long it will be before you get the results of everything?”
“Not long. I’ll call you as soon as I know. I just need you to pee in a cup for me, and then I’ll be done.”
I take the cup she hands me and keep the blanket wrapped around my body as I go into the adjoining bathroom.
Once I’m finished and dressed, she does a quick pregnancy test, declares it negative, and then promises to call as soon as the results are in.
I thank her again and then go back to Vasily’s room while she goes downstairs.
I’m relieved the test is negative, even though I didn’t think there was any way for it to be positive.
Stepping out onto the balcony, I stare at the waves, wondering if my life will ever be normal again.