Chapter 20 #2
Lydia looks up, her eyes lighting up. “Harper said Vera got in last night. My sister will know what to do. Even though she deals with human patients, a lot of her knowledge should transfer to pets.”
“Where is she?”
“At your mom’s.”
“Let’s get her to come to our place. We shouldn’t move Nikita too much. Let’s bring her there.”
She makes a call. “Please, have Vera come to Viktor’s.”
We load Nikita into the back of Aleks's car. I sit beside Aleks while Lydia holds Nikita's head in her lap. She strokes her beautiful black fur and wipes her eyes.
As we drive, Lydia keeps Nikita’s head in her lap, stroking her fur and whispering reassurances. Every so often, she glances at the wound, trying to see if there is more we can do. But the graze, while bloody, seems to be just that—a surface wound that hasn’t penetrated deeply.
I hope.
“I hate him,” Lydia whispers. “This is part of his game, isn’t it?” she says, her voice trembling. “Any new developments, Aleks? Give me something to decipher, for fuck’s sake.”
“This is the first one,” Aleks says. “Aria will send local blueprints. Might be able to find where the sniper was hiding.”
She shakes her head. “Fucking bastard, he’s such a coward. I hate him.”
“Me too.”
By the time we get back to the house, Nikko is on the phone. “We are ten minutes away. Anything else we need to know?”
“Her breathing is shallow,” Aleks says. “I can’t see where she was injured, but there’s blood on the seat. She doesn’t look good.”
Lydia doesn't let go easily. She’s messed up. So am I, but damn it. Was she shot? She had to be.
Back at my house, we get Nikita situated on the couch. Lydia sits with her head in her lap, and Nikko and Vera arrive.
“Vera,” Lydia says. When she blinks, fat tears roll down her cheeks. Poor girl. She’s traumatized by this. And, of course, she gets one look at her sister and her wild emotions surface. Who can blame her?
Vera walks in, all business. Her hair is tied up in a crazy knot on the top of her head.
You can barely tell they’re sisters. Lydia is all curves and feminine allure, while Vera has an intelligent grace about her, different from Lydia.
But Lydia’s eyes are wide and wet, and there’s a little dimple on both their chins.
The intelligence in their eyes and freckled noses tell me they’re sisters.
Vera runs to Lydia, wraps her arms around her, and gives her a fierce hug.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t come sooner.”
“You were in Alaska,” Lydia says, smiling. “I’m just glad you’re here now. This is Nikita.”
When Vera kneels in front of Nikita, Nikita growls at her. She’s afraid, poor thing. I kneel beside her and stroke my thumb over her pretty head. “It’ll be okay, girl. She’s gonna take care of you. It’s gonna be okay.” As I gently stroke her head, Lydia begins to cry.
Vera takes her vitals. “Let’s take a look. You think she was shot?”
She carefully cleans the wound, searching for any sign of a bullet fragment. “It’s tricky,” she says, frowning. “The fur is thick, and the skin is tough. It looks like the bullet just grazed her, but I can’t find an entry point either.”
I watch as she works, my heart still pounding with worry. Nikita lies still, her eyes closing in exhaustion but her breathing steady. The wound, hidden by her thick coat, is minor compared to what it could have been. But the uncertainty, the not knowing, gnaws at me.
“We’ll take her to the vet,” I say firmly. “Make sure there’s nothing we’ve missed.”
Vera frowns. “Agreed. I’m trained in medical science, specifically for trauma response,” she tells me. “I don’t know much about veterinary care, but I’ll do my best to stabilize her. We need to get her to a veterinary hospital immediately.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll call,” Lydia says. “Aria will be able to get us an emergency vet sooner than anyone else could.” She’s reluctant to leave Nikita’s side. I suspect she feels somehow responsible for this. She isn’t, though. I know she isn’t.
A moment later, Lydia looks up. “I’ve got a vet’s name,” she says. “It’s thirty minutes out.”
She looks at me, her eyes wide. “Do you think this is part of the plan, Viktor? Hurt Nikita so we have to take her to the vet, then chase us?”
I nod. “I do. Or put us off guard. Shake us.”
She gets to her feet, her eyes alight with fire. “No fucking way are we being shaken. No way!”
I can’t help myself. I reach for her, wrap my hand around the back of her neck, and kiss her hard. Vera blinks, watching us with wide eyes.
Aleks stands with his hands on his hips. “I’m on it,” he says. “We’ll go together.”
It takes longer than I’d like, but all of my brothers come in force. Three armored cars line up outside. We move as one. Vera sits with Lydia in the backseat of the car I drive, Nikita between them. She lazily licks Vera’s hand, and Vera bends and kisses her.
“Elevate her head,” Vera says. “Just like that. You’re doing great, Lydia.”
Lydia sniffles, wiping at her cheeks. In the rearview mirror, I see Vera take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “You’re doing great,” she says again, her voice firm, and it hits me that she’s not just talking about this incident.
“Feels like we’re VIPs,” Lydia says with a sad smile. “Like someone’s coming to bring the president to the airport.”
“As it should be, of course,” Vera says with a smile. “Nikita’s invaluable. We need her here with us.”
She leans down and kisses the top of Nikita’s head. Nikita’s eyes close, and my heart thunders in my chest. “Vera,” I say, panic in my voice.
“She’s okay, Viktor. She’s tired.”
“I’ll get your car cleaned,” I tell Aleks.
“I don’t fucking care about the car,” he says. “I’ve got that all under control. You worry about her.” I don’t ask him which her he’s referring to. They are both my world.
We finally get to the emergency vet. When we enter, there are only two other people in the waiting room: a little girl with a sick kitten on her lap and an older woman with a greyhound that looks like it has a broken leg. The staff runs to greet us.
“This way, Mr. Romanov,” one of them says, ushering me, Vera, Lydia, and Nikita into a nearby room. My brothers take over the waiting room.
Vera takes charge. “My name is Vera Romanova. Medical-trained doctor”
“I know who you are,” the vet says, extending her hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, Dr. Romanova.”
There’s pride in Lydia’s eyes as she smiles.
“We suspect a gunshot but have been unable to find an entry point.”
The vet nods as if this were just another day, people bringing in dogs with gunshot wounds. “I see.” She takes Nikita’s vitals. “Her breathing is shallow. I’m going to put her to sleep, Mr. Romanov,” she says.
Panic must show in my eyes because she quickly shakes her head, and Lydia squeezes my hand.
“Temporarily. I’m so sorry; I should have clarified. I’ll give her something to rest and to alleviate the pain.”
I swallow and nod as she slides a needle under Nikita’s skin, and Nikita’s breathing slows. I stare, unblinking, my heart pounding when Lydia’s hand slips into mine with gentle reassurance.
“A graze wound,” she says, examining Nikita. “It can be tricky with animals, especially with thick fur like this. It looks worse than it is, but we’ll clean it thoroughly and keep her overnight for observation.”
“Oh, thank God.” Lydia turns to me and buries her head on my chest, her shoulders shaking. I cup the back of her head, and my heart warms. She loves Nikita, just like I do. Vera watches over us, her own eyes shining.
“I think you should keep her here for the night, just for observation. We will call you if anything changes.”
“We will stay here.” I’m not leaving Nikita, and I suspect Lydia agrees.
Lydia shakes her head, whispering to me. “I don’t trust her apart from us, Viktor,” she says. “This was intentional. We’re playing right into their hands. If we stay here, we’re sitting ducks.”
The vet’s eyes widen, but Vera quickly assures her. “It’s not you they don’t trust. But Lydia is right. I’ll go back with them, and I’ll know what to do if there are any changes with Nikita.”
The vet prescribes some medication, and slowly, one by one, we leave.
As we leave the vet, I feel a wave of relief. Nikita will be fine. She’s been hit but not seriously injured.
We’ve been lucky this time.
But we need to stay vigilant. Our enemies are out there, watching, waiting for their next move.