Page 88 of Cruel Russian Monster
“She’s been sleeping a lot. I know she hasn’t been feeling well, but she didn’t tell me exactly what was wrong. Is she going to be okay?”
I watched as the nurse drew blood from her arm. Blood had never bothered me before, but watching hers made me sick to my stomach.
“Her heart rate’s a little irregular, and her blood pressure is extremely high. We’re going to give her a mild sedative in herIV to help bring both down. We’ll rush the blood work, but it could still take one to two hours for results.”
I nodded.
“If you notice any changes, press the call button. Someone will come right away.”
I gave another nod. Dr. Decker offered a small smile, then left the room.
I sank into the chair beside Vera’s bed and took her hand in mine.
About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Not wanting to let Vera’s hand go for a single second, I called out hoarsely, “Come in.”
My brothers walked through the door. Lev took the seat on the other side of Vera, while the others leaned against the walls.
“What did the doctor say?” Lev asked.
“They’re running tests. They’ll know more in a few hours. They gave her a sedative because her blood pressure is high and her heart rate is irregular.”
Lev nodded. “The clinic is surrounded by guards. I’m not taking any chances after what happened to Katya. And if Artyom took Vera once, he’ll try again. Timur’s watching him. If he makes a move, we’ll know. We’ve also ramped up security around the family mansion. Ninel and Mariya are safe.”
If Artyom showed his face, I’d kill him with my bare hands and deal with the consequences later.
I rubbed my thumb along the back of Vera’s hand and spoke softly. “Lev…did it feel like this with Katya?”
I looked up slowly to meet his gaze.
“Like what?” he asked, leaning forward slightly.
“Like you’d burn the world down just to keep her safe. Like you’d go to the farthest edge of the earth to get the rarest gem if she asked for it…” My voice dropped. “Like if you lost her, nothing else would make sense because a part of you would be gone, and without her…you couldn’t go on.”
“It was. And it still is.” A small smile curved Lev’s lips. “I’m sorry to tell you, but the feeling doesn’t fade. It just gets stronger every day.”
“I’m sorry.” I looked around the room at my brothers. “I'm sorry I didn’t tell any of you about marrying Vera. Yeah, I wanted to end the war, but I also wanted to make her pay. For starting it…and for leaving me all those years ago.”
Nobody said a word, but I saw the confusion on Lev’s face.
“What do you mean…she left you all those years ago?”
“Vera was my ex before I forced her to marry me.”
A low whistle, then a quiet “well, shit,” echoed in the room.
“When we dated, we didn’t talk much about who we really were. I didn’t want to lose her, and she felt the same. But then she saw me in Philly, found out who I was…and dumped me. She told me she was using me to get back at an ex.”
“Damn,” Lev whispered.
“All of that was a lie. She knew if Artyom found out about us, about me, he’d have me killed.”
“And now, three years later, nothing’s changed,” Marten muttered.
I nodded.
“I never stopped loving her, even though she hurt me. And now that I’ve got her back, I’m not letting her go.”
“Jay.” Avit stepped forward, and I turned my gaze to him. “I’m sorry for how I reacted at your place and at Lev’s. I shouldn’t have disrespected you the way I did.”
