Chapter 29
“ R ise and shine, cupcake.” A light pat on my cheek follows the singsong male voice.
My eyelids are heavy, as is the rest of me. The headache rages back as soon as I open my eyes, and my stomach flips over half a dozen times before it settles into a steady dip and roll of nausea.
When I finally get my vision to focus, Mario’s arrogant face is only an inch or so away from mine.
“Good.” He pats my cheek again and shuffles back a few steps. “So, we have made some progress. I thought you might want to be informed.”
I lick my lips; they’re dry and chapped .
“Can I get some water?” I blink until my eyelids finally cooperate and stay open.
“Water?” He laughs. “Do you think this is some sort of resort?”
“Not a good one,” I mutter, rolling my head to the side. The crick in my neck has gotten worse.
Sleeping in this chair, trussed up like this, has been a nightmare for my muscles.
As I roll my head to the left, I catch his brothers standing behind him, watching me. They’ve changed into all black clothes. Mario has, too.
“What progress have you made? Did you find a few more braincells the three of you can share?” My lip cracks open when I smile.
I lick away the bead of blood that forms.
“Marco is going to love breaking you in. I bet he does it himself.” Mario palms his fist, squeezing until his knuckles crack.
“Maybe he’ll let us have a go.” One of the brothers laughs.
“So, you’re sticking to that plan, huh?” I draw in a long breath.
“I just need a one more pic, for proof of life.” Mario’s camera flashes at me again, stealing what little focus I had.
“Mario.” One of the brothers hisses. “Shh, do you hear that?”
“What? There’s nothing. Calm down.” Mario presses his face against mine so we’re both aimed at the phone and takes another picture. “That one’s for me. ”
I lift my shoulder up as high as I can and wipe my cheek against it. The residue of his face is still on me, though. And the garlic scent lingers.
“No. I heard it, too.” The second brother moves closer to the double doors made of heavy-duty steel.
“For fuck’s sake. There’s nothing out there!” Mario spins around just as the doors fling open.
The container is thrown into darkness when the painter lights my captors used for lighting crash to the ground as men storm inside. When I’m grabbed, I scream.
“Shhh, it’s all right. It’s okay.” A familiar voice grounds me, wiping away any lingering fear. My soul immediately realizes it’s him. He’s here.
“Rurik?” I twist, but I still can’t see.
“Lights!” he bellows, and the container is flooded with it.
I wince and shut my eyes to it. Whatever his men are using is way brighter than the soft yellow illumination Mario used.
“Give it a second.” He’s behind me, working on the handcuffs. It takes him a ridiculously short amount of time to get them off me.
My shoulders scream as my arms roll forward.
“Slow.” He’s rubbing my shoulders my arms. “Fuck.”
I look down and realize my shirt’s still open. He pulls the material back together, but the buttons are all missing.
When Mario’s screams reach Rurik, his face tightens. One of Rurik’s men stands over Mario’s crumbled body on the floor. Blood runs down from his nose as he’s dragged back up to his feet.
“Where else are you hurt?” Rurik moves in front of me, searching for injuries.
“I’m okay,” I try to assure him, but my voice carries no weight.
He works on getting my ankles freed from the chair.
“Fuck.” Kaz steps up behind Rurik, taking a look at me.
“I’m fine.” I close my eyes for a moment. I just need a second to let the reality of the moment seep in.
Rurik’s here.
“No.” Rurik stops me when I try to push out of the chair. “I’m going to carry you.”
“I can walk.” I try to fight him, but the moment I lean forward to put pressure on my feet, I feel it. I’m a spaghetti noodle.
“I’m carrying you.” He scoops me up off the chair and cradles me against him.
My shoulders are too weak and sore for me to lift my arms around his neck, so I just press my face into his chest.
“Find out what the fuck they gave her.” Rurik barks at someone.
There’re so many men here. I don’t know who any of them are.
“Wait.” I lift my head as we get close to the open doors.
The cool early morning air breezes in, and nothing has felt so good in my life. The sun hasn’t broken the horizon just yet, but there’s a soft orange haze starting to spread across the sky.
“What’s wrong?” Rurik looks down at me.
“Where’s Mario?” I try to look around Rurik’s hulking figure, but it’s pretty much impossible. “I need to see him first.”
“Why?”
“Please, Rurik.”
He sighs hard enough that my hair blows away from my face.
“Fine.” He brings me to where my three captors are being detained against the metal wall of the container. Mario already sports a swollen eye and a cut lip.
“Let me down.” I tap Rurik’s arm.
“No.” He squeezes me tighter, letting me know he’s not giving in this time.
“Rurik,” I whisper.
“No, Mira. You’re weak and hurt. I’m not putting you down.”
“Fine.” I pat his chest. He’s in his caveman mode, and I’m too tired to fight him on it. “Turn a little at least so I can really see him.”
He grunts but does what I ask.
“Mario. Hey, Mario.” I snap my fingers until he turns his swollen eye up at me. His nose bleed hasn’t stopped; the front of his shirt is covered with it. “I told you so.”
He opens his mouth like he’s going to say something back, but Kaz sticks his foot into his ribs, and he shuts it.
“Thank you.” I touch Rurik’s face. “I’m really sleepy.”
“Go to sleep. You’re safe now.” He hugs me tightly as he carries me out of the container.
“Of course, I am. You’re here.”
The sun is in full force when I wake up. Blinding rays shine through the opening in the thick curtains framing the window.
I hold still after opening my eyes, waiting for the headache to make its appearance.
Nothing.
A soft beeping sound pulls my attention, and I look around the room.
It’s Rurik’s bedroom.
And he’s turned it into a hospital room. Monitors and IV stands are on the side of the bed. I lift my right arm and find an IV stuck into my hand.
“You’re up.” Rurik bounds from the chair he pulled up to my side of the bed.
“Rurik. What’s beeping?” I try to sit up to look, but his big paws push me back onto the pillows.
“The IV bag needs to be changed. The nurse is on her way up.” He leans over me, checking me over.
“I’m fine.” I try to brush his hands away as he grabs my face, but he’s determined.
“Oh, she’s up. Good.” The nurse, a middle-aged woman wearing a pair of black scrubs, smiles as she hurries to the bedside and starts changing the IV bag.
“How long have I been asleep?” I ask, pushing Rurik’s hand away when he reaches for my chin again .
“A full day.” He lifts his brows. “So let me look you over.”
“Maybe the nurse should do that, you know, because she’s the medical professional?”
“She’s fine,” he announces. “Her attitude is back to a hundred percent.”
The nurse laughs. “That’s a good sign, but let me just check a few things, and I’ll let the doctor know. He’s on his way over.”
“The doctor? Why? I’m fine. I mean my shoulders were tight, but they’re better now.”
The nurse wiggles her way in front of Rurik, nudging him out of her way, and brings a pen light out from her pocket.
“He’s just going to double check everything, and I have the last blood tests back, so he’ll go over all that with you.” She puts the pen light in front of my face. “This is going to be a little bright, sorry about that, hun.”
Rurik peeks over her shoulder at me, concern pulling his eyebrows together.
“Good.” She clicks off the pen and picks up my hand, checking the IV. “I’m sure the doctor will say we can remove this, but let’s just wait until he gives the order.”
“He shouldn’t have left in the first place,” Rurik grumbles.
“He was checking on your friend.” The gentle chastisement in her voice is impressive.
“Max. Max?” I sit up too fast at the memory of him falling on me. And the blood, so much blood. “Is he okay?”
“He’s doing better.” Rurik pushes me back down. “Tell her to lie down. ”
“She has no broken bones, no internal injuries, the bruise on her cheek is getting better…I’d say sitting is fine.” She winks at me, then goes back to checking monitors. “Okay, we can take most of this off now.”
Watching this woman maneuver Rurik around the bed while she removes a blood pressure cuff from my left arm and electrode patches from my chest puts me in awe.
She has no fear of him, and he knows it.
The little twitch of his left eye is getting faster the longer she takes to fuss over me and not let him at me.
“All done.” She closes a drawer in the medical cart positioned next to the bed.
“Ah, our patient is awake.” The doctor—at least, I assume he’s the doctor, as he’s not wearing a lab coat or anything—says.
His silvery hair is slicked back in place, and he’s wearing a long-sleeved sweater and a pair of dark pants. His wired-rimmed glasses sit, perfectly perched on his nose while he listens to the nurse rattle off a bunch of things.
My mind, while more focused than the last time I was awake, is still having trouble staying crystal clear.
“I have her blood results.” The nurse hands him an iPad then opens drawers on the cart. “I’ll take her IV out if you’re good with it?”
“Doesn’t she need it to keep flushing the toxins out?” Rurik moves to stop her.
“These results look good. All levels are back within normal range. The IV won’t help much at this point; her body can do the rest,” the doctor says .
“Fine.” Rurik sits on the bed near my knees, giving her enough room to do her work but still staying at my side. His hand rests on my thigh.
I wince slightly when she pulls the IV out, and Rurik tenses, his fingers digging into my leg.
“I’m okay,” I say when I catch his gaze. “I promise. I’m fine.”
“All right. All done here.” The nurse shuts the last drawer of the cart. “I’ll just get all this mess out of your way so you can rest.”