Page 79 of Eternal
Silence fell between us, but he was the first to break it. “Whatever you’re doing with that phone better be worth it,” he said, eyes fixed on the road.
“It will be,” I said, holding up the phone.
Coordinates, a delivery route, someone in the Zennites gave them this, we’ve got a mole in our ranks.
And the fact that this man was way too stupid to orchestrate that makes it even more interesting.
An enemy of the Zennites, but only the Don and the Pakhan are working on it?
Weird.
“The Don asked me to be careful about who the thief was in contact with, that’s why I needed the phone.”
A lie, it wasn’t completely false, but it wasn’t the whole truth either, I had to hide the rest, what I knew, what I didn’t know.
“You’re gonna stain the whole car with that bloody finger in your pocket.”
A laugh escaped me, but that fucking injury on my stomach reminded me of its existence.
I felt the pressure building in my gut, my hands still pressing tightly against the wound.
If I stopped holding it, if I let go, he’d see, and I couldn’t afford that now. I hated how this felt, having to keep everything under wraps. It would’ve been easier working alone, where I didn’t have to pretend everything was fine.
He glanced at me, his eyes scrutinizing me. “You should’ve told me.”
“I just did,” I shot back, my voice tighter than I meant it to be, I settled back in my seat, hands pressing harder against my stomach, trying to ignore the sharp ache creeping up as the blood kept flowing.
I had to keep it that way a little longer. Once we were safe, I could clean the wound and rest. But not yet, not now.
He shook his head, muttering something barely audible.
I leaned my head back against the seat, staring at the ceiling waiting for the adrenaline to slowly drain from my system.
I let my mind wander, Rafe’s last words echoed in my head. “They warned me about you, Voron.” Who exactly had warned him? The Bratva? The Cosa Nostra? No... it didn’t make sense. They wouldn’t warn him about one of their soldiers. Someone else, then. But who?
I rubbed my temple, trying to clear my mind and stop thinking about this situation, the dots didn’t connect, not yet, and I hated that.
Damir’s voice brought me back to reality. “You’re quiet.”
I glanced over at him, catching his eyes briefly before returning to the window.
“Voron,” he said again, this time firmer. “Talk to your partner,” he added with that fake trustworthy look in his eyes.
I met his gaze, and his eyes flicked to my cheek. They narrowed, and a frown twisted his features when he noticed the bloodstained cut I hadn’t even realized was on my face. Without a word, he reached across the seat, his fingers brushing over the wound with a tenderness that made my breath catch.
Why is he so gentle with me?
I knew that he was going to lose it if he saw the one on my abdomen.
I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t, I was losing too much blood, and my vision was starting to blur at the edges.
“What are you doing, Damir?”
“Fucking hell, Voron,” he said, his fingers brushing against my cheek back and forth, like he'd heal it if he continued. “You’ve got a nasty cut here.”
I froze, caught in the moment. For a maddening second, it felt like the world had stopped around us.
His touch was gentle, almost too much so, as though he was trying to hold me together without breaking anything. But I couldn’t ignore the strange warmth that spread through my skin, the weird feeling of comfort rushing through my veins, as if my body recognized his touch. My pulse spiked, and I turned my head away quickly.
