Page 168 of Bratva's Vow
“What did he want?”
“He told me the truth,” Leo said, voice smaller now, trembling. “About Bradley. About how he really died.”
I didn’t loosen my grip, but I stilled.
“Did you really force him to jump?” he asked.
I looked him straight in the eyes.
“Yes, and I hope he broke every single fucking bone in his body.”
He sobbed. Not the loud kind. The broken kind. His knees buckled a little under him, and for a second, I thought he might collapse entirely.
“What kind of monsters are you?” he whispered, eyes drifting from me to Sergei, then back to me.
I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t care what he thought of me. Wren’s life was the only thing that mattered.
“Is that why you came here?” I asked coldly. “You finally got angry enough to follow Archie’s orders? You want to carry out your little revenge by taking Wren from me?”
“No.” He shook his head frantically. “I packed a suitcase and left my house because I was scared. I didn’t want to be home if Archie came back. I thought if I hid at a hotel, maybe I could avoid—everything. But then I came here because… I had to find you. I needed to tell you the truth.”
I let him go, and he slid down the wall like a marionette with its strings cut.
“You expect me to believe after learning I killed your husband, you came here to warn me?”
“He hired the housekeeper,” he said, still breathing in ragged gulps. “He said nothing else he’d done to drive a wedge between you and Wren worked, so you pushed him to do it.”
I clenched my fists.
“He was upset that it took so long for the poison to work, but the housekeeper said when he started feeling sick, Wren stopped drinking the tea because he didn’t have any appetite.” He pulled his knees up to his chest. “That’s probably the only reason he didn’t suffer worse.”
“You think telling me this now because we found out about your working with Archie will save you?”
He lifted his head, a hard glint in his eyes. “You don’t haveto believe me. But it’s why I’m here. I didn’t want this. I didn’t ask to be involved in any of it. But you didn’t see him tonight. He has no intention of stopping until Wren’s dead. Even if I didn’t do it, he’ll find someone who will. That’s why I came here. To warn you.”
I studied him, the way his shoulders hunched, the whiteness of his face. He always walked around the hospital with such confidence, but now he looked fragile, defeated.
“I’ve taken care of Wren since you brought him here,” he said softly. “Because I see myself in him. He didn’t sign up for any of this. He was pulled into a twisted game because of the man he loves. Just as I was.”
I locked my jaw and shifted my gaze to Sergei, who was frowning. I raised my eyebrows. Did he believe what the doctor said? He shrugged, looking hesitant for the first time since I knew him. Sergei was one who preferred to err on the side of caution. The Sergei I knew would have said, “Let’s get rid of him anyway. He knows too much. He’s a liability.”
“If everything you say is true,” I said, voice flat, “then prove it.”
Leo looked up at me. “What?”
“Help me get Wren out of this hospital. I want him at the best hospital where he can continue his treatment. Where do I start?”
He nodded slowly. “I have a friend who handles private medical evacuations. Elite-level. ICU-grade care onboard, full flight staff, complete discretion.”
“Get him on the line.”
“It won’t be cheap,” he added.
“Money’s not an object. Make the call.”
He stepped into the corner and fished his phone out of his pocket, his hand shaking. I watched him carefully, but something in his expression—tired, hollowed out—told me he wasn’t bluffing.
I turned toward Sergei and jerked my head, leading him a few paces away. We kept our voices low.
