Page 94 of Between Us

It took Roman a second to grasp the enormity of what his brother was telling him. A second of hesitation was all he allowed himself before his body took over, injecting adrenaline into his system and kick-starting his alert mode.

“What hospital, Alek?” He turned to leave the room and took the stairs two at a time as he rushed to the bedroom.

“Weiss Memorial.Fuck, hurry.”

Alek sounded panicked. Scared even. Passing Alessandra in the bedroom, Roman went straight for the walk-in closet for some clothes. “Try to calm down. I'm on my way.”

After hanging up, he quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a lightweight sweater and put them on, not even bothering with socks.

“What's wrong?” Alessandra nearly ran into him as he exited the closet. She frowned when she saw that he'd dressed.

“Vitaly's been shot. I need to get to the hospital.”

She stared at him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. He started to walk out of the room when she called after him.

“Wait, I'm coming with you.”

Roman knew he didn't have time to wait for Vladik and he also didn't want to leave her alone.

“Fine. Get dressed quickly.” He was already in the hallway. “I'll wait for you in the car.”

PART THREE

Between Us

35

With Roman driving well over the speed limit, they made it to the hospital in record time. Holding Alessandra's hand, he pulled her along through the busy corridors, until they reached the waiting room on the third floor, as per the receptionist's instructions.

Stepan was already there, sitting down with Oleg and two other Brigadiers.

“How is he?” Roman asked. At the sound of his voice, the men stood.

Oleg stayed where he was, one ankle casually crossed over the opposite knee.

“Still in surgery,” Stepan said with a grim expression. “One of the bullets went through the back of his head. Honestly, it’s a miracle he didn't die on the spot. They were quick to get him here, too.”

Roman nodded, having expected as much. He’d tried to prepare himself mentally on the way there, knowing people would look at him for answers.

“Alek?”

“He wasn't feeling well. I sent him downstairs to the cafeteria to grab something to drink.”

Roman's eyes moved to Oleg who hadn't even acknowledged him yet. The man just sat there, listening to their conversation and looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He was wearing one of his darker suits, the white shirt underneath freshly ironed and his blood-red tie twisted in a perfect Windsor knot.

A strange feeling of foreboding whispered along Roman’s nape. He didn’t need to guess the reason for the man’s behavior.

Pushing that concern to the side for the time being, he turned to his wife. “Go find my brother.”

Alessandra gave a small nod, looking almost relieved that he’d asked her to leave. He didn’t think she was too comfortable being around a bunch of sour-faced Bratva men.

She disappeared from sight, and Roman pulled Stepan aside. “What the fuck happened?”

His friend dragged a hand across his jaw. “Hard to say. The only people who witnessed the attack were your father and his driver. Since the driver is dead, let's hope your father survives surgery to tell the story.”

“Where was he?”

“He was leavingBeluga1. They shot at him in the parking lot.”

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