Vadim
A beeping sound is the first thing I hear.
It's dull and muffled, like I'm wearing headphones or something.
Slowly, the sound begins to grow in volume. The low-level murmur eventually becomes a continuous, present force that is close by. Fragmented pieces of a yellow color begin to appear at the periphery of my vision and then, as I bring them into focus, they fade.
I blink my eyes open, and a bright light enters. I feel like lead, my body heavy and sluggish. My thoughts are slower than normal, a fraction of their usual pace.
Someone is standing by the window.
My throat is dry, but I manage a weak, "Preston."
He turns around and comes flying toward me. "Ohmygosh, Vadim. You're okay. Oh, thank god. Hi. Hi, hi."
He leans over me and starts kissing my face all over.
I can think of worse ways of waking up, but what's going on? Why is he so happy to see me, and…where the fuck am I?
"What's happened?" I croak.
He almost knocks over a bottle of water on the side table in his haste to give it to me. I take a couple of sips through the straw and nod once I've had enough.
He drops onto a chair by the table but keeps hold of my hand. "It's a long story, but basically, someone tried to poison you."
"What?"
I close my eyes, trying to cast my mind back to the last thing I remember.
Preston and I, we'd made love. I cleaned him up. We snuggled for a bit. He fell asleep quickly, but my mind wouldn't stop racing.
After almost an hour of unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep, I climbed out of bed to get some water. I just so happened to check my phone and saw a message from W?adek asking me to come into the casino, saying that they'd just received a lead.
I scribbled a note to Preston, left it in the kitchen, and then…then that's it. I don't remember anything after that.
"How?"
Preston opens his mouth to answer when the door swings open, and Marek strides in.
"You're awake."
I nod.
"He just woke up," Preston tells him.
"How are you feeling?" he asks, standing beside Preston, his eyes filled with concern, which I can't help being moved by.
"I'm alive, aren't I?"
Preston's lips twitch. "I can't tell if that's one of your horrible jokes, or if you're seriously asking?"
"Joke."
I barely get the word out before falling into a coughing fit.
Preston attends to me perfectly, patting my back to help it pass then handing me the bottle of water.
I take a few sips. "What the hell happened to me?"
Preston perches himself on the bed in close proximity as Marek explains, "You were poisoned. Strychnine in your coffee. High dose. If Preston hadn't found you when he did, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"What's strychnine?" I ask, having never heard of it.
"It's a plant-based toxin. Highly lethal in the right amount." Marek shifts his weight. "The hospital ran a full toxicology panel when you came in. The results came back a few hours ago."
"It smelled putrid, like acid," Preston adds.
"Wait. You found me?" I ask, it suddenly registering even though Marek mentioned it before.
Preston's eyes slide sideways.
"I did. You left me a note. I found it when I woke up and you weren't there. I got Malik to drive me to the casino."
"Right, okay." I turn my attention back to Marek. "Do we know who did it?"
He gives one firm nod, jaw tight.
"The footage showed W?adek accessing your office fifteen minutes before you arrived.
He had the clearance, so it didn't flag automatically.
We only went back to look because of the smell Preston described.
He went straight to your coffee station.
You always made your own whenever you worked nights.
He knew that. He also knew you'd never taste or smell anything wrong. "
"Motherfucker," I grit out.
Marek pauses. "You were right. He's been working with Farkas. That's why every time you got close, Farkas disappeared. W?adek has been tipping him off."
"How do you know?"
"His phone. We pulled it when we brought him in. Messages going back eight months, all through an encrypted app we hadn't flagged. Locations, schedules, your movements. Every lead you chased, W?adek sent Farkas a message within the hour. Every single time."
White-hot fury pulses through me.
If I could, I'd break out of here and tear him apart with my bare hands. But as it goes, I don't think I'm even capable of getting up on my own at the moment. Pain settles over my body, like a cold, heavy, painful blanket.
"Where is he now?"
"We have him secured at the Summerlin property. Two of our best men are on him. He's not going anywhere." Marek meets my eyes. "I called Dad. He, Iza, and Kamil are in the air, on their way back from Warszawa. He made it very clear he wants to deal with W?adek personally when he lands."
"He'll have to get in line," I grumble even though I know Dad will handle it.
W?adek has been his right-hand man, his most trusted person outside of immediate family for decades. If there's one person this revelation will hurt even more than me, it's him.
"How long have I been here?"
"A day and a half," Preston says, squeezing my hand.
Marek notices then clasps his hand on Preston's shoulder. "He hasn't left the room the entire time."
I glance over to a makeshift bed in the corner of the room. "You shouldn't have done that."
"Yes, I should have."
Sensing we may need a private moment, Marek excuses himself, saying he'll be out in the hallway if I need him.
Once the door closes, I frame Preston's face in my hands. "Why did you stay with me?"
"Why do you think?"
I swallow down the lump in my throat. "I'm so sorry I've pulled you into all of this."
"Hey, if you want me to stop thanking you, then I'm going to need you to stop blaming yourself. In case you forgot, I'm the one who approached you."
"You had no idea what you were getting yourself into."
"You're right, I didn't. I never expected to meet someone as incredible and kind and strong and captivating as you, Vadim."
"What about my looks?" I nudge my chin out. "Not to mention my sense of humor."
Preston chuckles. "I'll concede on the looks, but no way am I admitting you're funny."
"I'll take it."
I pull him in for a kiss.
My hands find his hair despite every muscle in my body protesting, the strychnine kicking my ass.
Preston kisses me back carefully, like I might break, making a small, cute sound against my mouth that reverberates in my chest. When we separate, neither of us moves very far.
"Thank you for saving me."
"You're just lucky I got angry enough to storm into your office in the middle of the night."
"Who were you angry with?"
"You." He jabs my chest lightly. "I read the note you'd left, saying you had a lead and had come into the office to work on it.
I was so mad that you'd left me that I got Malik to drive me in.
I was going to confront you, but when I stepped into the control room, you were slumped over in your seat and—Never mind.
" He exhales loudly, shaking his head. "I don't want to think about that moment ever again. You're safe, that's all that matters."
"It's not the only thing that matters." I thread my fingers through his. "Are you still mad at me?"
"No. And sitting here with you this past day and a half, I've come to realize something."
"What's that?"
"That I've been wrong, telling you to drop this whole thing. I honestly believed that the threat was over and that you were wrong for continuing to pursue it. But this, obviously, isn't my area of expertise. You knew we were still in danger, and that's why you kept pursuing it. Isn't it? You knew."
I nod glumly. "I did, yeah."
"I'm sorry for doubting you…" He pauses. "And I'm sorry for telling you not to do anything bad."
I stare at him for a long beat.
Is this his way of saying what I think he's saying?
"From now on, I'm leaving all of that to you," he continues. "I trust you, and I know that whatever measures you take, they're for our safety."
"They are, mój kochany. They are. I promise."
We kiss again, deeper this time, until a wave of pain moves through every muscle simultaneously, sharp enough that I can't keep it off my face, wincing as I pull away from Preston.
"What's wrong?" he asks.
"The poison is kicking my ass."
"Can I do anything?"
"You're doing everything just by being here."
He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.
I reach out for his hand and tug on his fingertips. "What is it? What's wrong?"
He sinks into the chair by my bed, whooshes out a long breath, and slowly turns to face me.
"There's something I've been meaning to tell you." He sighs. "Something I should have told you a while ago."