Chapter 40 #3
“Interesting choice of weapon you’re holding.” Her accent breaks, and the Irish in it becomes more pronounced with every word she speaks.
“Not sure of the relevance.”
“Government issue. Similar to mine,” she says, taking a step closer, but she also holds up a cold box which has a hospital’s name on the side of it. “I’m not able to spill all my secrets, there’s not enough time at the minute. I’d like to say trust me, but I’m only here to drop this off.”
I widen my stance. “Forget you saw me here.”
“No need to threaten me, Mrs. Petrov.” She smiles like a shark before I get a glimpse of fear in her eyes. It disappears as quickly as it appeared. “And if I’m honest, I’m a fair bit done with being threatened today.”
I don’t say anything in return, but my expression is pretty obvious. I'm not following, but I don’t care either. She ignores me and keeps talking.
“Aleksei used some very descriptive language when he went into minute detail as to what he’d do to me if I told anyone about ya.
It was mostly torture focused too. So, I’m paying his threat the attention it’s due, as opposed to yours.
But to reiterate, I will be forgetting I saw you, and I’ll be forgetting this house exists, probably even before I’ve sat back in my car.
Although, I’ve got two things that need saying before I’m off. ”
“Go on, then.”
“You hurt him, and I’ll get every person on my team hunting ya down before I throw any fecking charge your way until something sticks. And my team is the National Crime Authority, which encompasses the UK, Scotland, and Ireland, in case you're wondering.”
She points to the logo on her windbreaker as she explains the NCA. I slam my shields down, but I’m sure my shock is still all over my face. And will be for a while.
“All that aside, Mrs. Petrov, the other thing I wanted to say is, I think the brother who was adamant about breaking every bone in my body if any harm comes to his mate is definitely the better choice out of the Petrovs. That being said, good luck to you both. And keep an eye out for Dmitri, he’s still out there and is a risk.
Oh, and Olga is too. But I’m about to have a wee chat with her about her very poor life choices. ”
She flicks her chin at me, ending our conversation. Without a goodbye, she jogs down the path and out the gate she left open. She shuts it quietly behind her before she climbs into her white sedan and drives off without another glance.
Closing the door behind me, I hear Kade calling out, asking if I’m good.
“Yes! I’m locking up now,” I yell back.
I need a minute, though. I feel sick to my stomach that I never even considered Aleksei could be playing both sides, like Cat suggested he was.
The longer I think about it and the more I focus on the Aleksei I’m starting to know, the less thrown I am by what she said.
He is a good person, a really good person, just caught in a fucking awful situation.
It's another good reminder of how right fate was, bringing us together.
I make my way to my other reminder of fate getting things perfect. Kade, too, is a good person, and his honesty and authenticity was something I was always drawn to. The only reason he lied about his career was to protect me, and I understand that all too well.
The thought of finally sharing with Santiago, Kade, and Aleksei more about Victor and why I’m doing what I am doing is freeing. It’s daunting and terrifying, too, but the knowledge of how much I want to share with them far outweighs the negatives.
Kade is sitting up, using his elbows to support himself. “Who was it?”
“You would not believe it.”
“Try me,” he insists as he tries to sit up further.
I press him back down, sitting next to him and running my fingers over his face a few times. I need his positive energy.
“It was Cat, one of the women from the warehouse.”
“What? That doesn’t make sense.”
“And she said things about Aleksei.”
He clicks his tongue impatiently, making a grab for my hand, “What kind of things, Quinny?”
I run my hand over my face before looking at it from his point of view. “I’m just shocked, Kade. Let me try again. Cat was at the door, and by the looks of it, she works for the National Crime Authority.”
His rising frustration all but disappears when I share with him what has me caught up in knots. “Really?”
Kade grabs my hand, not letting it go.
“Yeah, do you work with them?” I ask him, passing over the water bottle again.
“I mean, not me personally, but Interpol works with agencies all over the world. I worked undercover a lot, but our paths didn’t cross.”
I want to say I know him, but the truth is, we hardly know each other. “I want us to tell each other everything.”
“Me too, Quinny. I’ll happily answer any questions you have. I’m sorry I lied to you.”
I shush him up with a lingering kiss. I stay so close, my nose is nearly pressed to his. I can see all the color in his eyes and only breathe his scent.
“Please don’t apologize anymore. I know you’re sorry. I want to tell you a few things, too, but I need to put everything aside to fix your wound, give you some blood, and get you back to being yourself as soon as possible.”
He stays lying down, his fingers trailing over my cheek as he does. “You do that. But I need to tell you something.”
I follow him down. “Yeah? What?”
“I’m pretty sure I started falling for you before the end of our first date.”
“You’re not worried we happened too fast?”
He stares at me for a long time. “Quinny, I know you’re not worried about that.
Trust that what your beautiful heart is telling you is real, for the simple fact it is.
Everything you are feeling, I am too. I’m not the only one who's already in deep, either. And yes, we’re finding each other and making promises to each other quickly.
To outsiders, it won’t make a lot of sense, but it doesn’t involve them at all.
This is us, and right now is the start of our future.
And in case no one has been obvious enough, Aleksei, Santiago, and I are packing you, along with all your secrets, the first chance we get. ”
He pulls me back down close so he can use his kisses as confirmation of the sweet promises he made. He’s right—I know we’re meant to be together. And it’s not overwhelming or hard to explain. It's simple—we found each other right when we were meant to, which is how life goes sometimes.
And then I really do have to “swap hats” and shut him down and out of my thoughts. Which is harder said than done, though the incentive of him getting better is a strong motivator.
After a few very loud and colorful swear words when I administer the local anesthetic in and around his leg wound, he stays quiet.
While I wait for the numbing agent to work, I move over and go through the same process with Nalla.
I return to Kade to do the next action, treating one then the other, until they’re both stitched up and high as kites, in a pain-free cloud, thanks to the pain meds.
I leave them recovering under a pile of blankets while I clean up the room.
And then, since they’re both out of it, I go looking for the bathroom, but instead I find Aleksei’s room.
It’s easy to tell it’s his; the strong agarwood scent is everywhere.
Honestly, it’s like someone left a diffuser running constantly.
On top of that, there are photos of the dogs on the wall, along with photos of him with two women who are obviously his mother and grandmother.
After taking my time and looking at every photo, I use his bathroom to have a long, hot shower.
Afterward, I raid his wardrobe, finding a scent-soaked hoodie that is so big it feels like an Oodie, along with a pair of athletic shorts with a drawstring and a long pair of socks.
And then I lay out another set of clothes for Kade to change into later.
But I need comfort tonight, so without any regret, I fold up Aleksei’s thick bedding, steal his pillow, then drag it back to the utility room, making a bed in the middle of Kade and Nalla.
While switching the lights off in the main house, I try to call Santiago and Aleksei, but I get a message in Russian. Using the translator, it’s like I suggested to Kade in the car—they’re out of range or their phones are switched off.
I shoot off a message to each of them, letting them know everyone here is fine.
Returning to the patients, I check Nalla first. She’s awake and uncomfortable, but together, we manage to get her up, and she goes to the bathroom in the corner of the room on a puppy pad.
Once she’s had a drink, I help her get resettled, piling on blankets to keep her warm.
By the time I’m sliding into bed next to Kade, I’m beat. Happy but exhausted.
Checking the time, I’m relieved to see a few hours have passed since we split up.
Hopefully, Aleksei and Santiago will be back sooner rather than later.
Wiggling as close as I can to Kade without waking him up, I snuggle right into his space.
His warmth is better than any blanket, and his scent is the balm I was looking for.
I’m so sleepy, I’m almost ready to pass out for days, but before I do, I reach out for the tether I share with Aleksei while thinking of Santiago, hoping they can feel how eager I am for them to finish what they’re doing and come here.