Page 18 of Bratva Wolf

Her body relaxes, and her arms loosen around her cape. “Fine. You’ll need to be quiet while I’m telling my grandmother I’m staying at a friend’s house.”

This little win cracks through my crankiness just a little. I’ll have to handle my family in the morning, but tonight it’s time to focus on doing dirty things to my Red Riding Hood.

Chapter 5

SCARLET

The drive to Thane’s penthouse seems longer. Anticipation prickles in my body as the lights race by my window. He’s a giant ball of stress. Whatever happened tonight must have been bad. He cruised through the shooting at Mrs. Abashin’s house like it was something he did every day. Who knows, maybe it is. But tonight, he oozes anger with a ribbon of sadness wound throughout his being.

“What made you decide to be a nurse?”

His question startles me. We’re sharing now? “Um. My family was killed when I was a baby. The policeman told my grandmother that if help had gotten to them sooner, my brothers might have survived. I’d like to be that for someone.”

“You were good with Mrs. Abashin’s wound.”

“That was simple. I want to be able to handle serious traumas.”

“My brother’s future wife is studying to be a doctor. She saved him tonight.”

My head snaps to him. “What do you mean?”

“He was shot, and she saved him.”

Another shooting, damn. You’re some kind of violence magnet. “You guys don’t do the hospital thing, do you?”

He guffaws. “No. Too many questions.”

I nod. “But he’s okay?”

“Yeah. She had to dig out the bullet, and it nicked his lung so she put a tube in his side. By the time the dentist got there, he wasn’t really needed.”

I mumble under my breath. “I remember the dentist you talked about. You’ve got a weird family.” His phone beeps in the cup holder, and his jaw tightens. Yep, definitely bad tonight. “Was anyone else hurt?”

There’s a pause that answers my question before he shrugs. “Yeah, but none of my family.”

“Well, that’s good anyway. Is there a risk to you or me?”

His face softens. “No, Red. I’d never let anything bad happen to you because of me.”

My heart believes him, but I have to admit I’m a little nervous. “Um. You don’t need to be around to help him?”

“No. I’m kind of in trouble.”

My brow creases. “Why?” I cringe, realizing I shouldn’t ask personal questions, but he shrugs again.

“I was disrespectful to my brother’s girl.”

“How?”

He turns and stares at me until someone behind us honks. “I didn’t think she could handle my brother’s injuries, and I was angry. Well, disappointed in myself for not realizing what was going to happen.”

“So, you have a crystal ball?”

His head pivots to me. “What?”

“A crystal ball. You know a way to see the future.”

“Yeah, I understand what it is. No, I don’t. But I should have known. I was too busy being a bitch and pissed off with the job he gave me to be close enough for him to tell me what he was doing. I would have known it was a setup.”

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