Page 85 of Betrayed in the Dark
He rubs a hand up and down my arm. “They got a call. I don’t know who it was, but after that call, I was freed. Dropped off at a local hospital where I was treated and eventually reunited with my commanding officer.”
I know who it was,I think as my heart pounds painfully beneath my chest.
“That was my last day in the military. I was honorably discharged afterward. They claimed my back injuries were too severe for me to perform my job satisfactorily any longer.” He shrugs, pretending it isn’t a big deal.
But I know how much being in the military meant to Eli.
I know how much it pained him to lose what he loved doing so deeply.
He brushes his hand over my hair, then pulls up the blanket. “Will you stay with me tonight?” he asks, his voice tinged with vulnerability.
I nod, peering up at him. “I’ll keep the nightmares away. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”
He kisses me one last time before sliding down the bed and tugging me against his chest. His arms wrap around me as I settle my head on his bicep, inhaling his comforting scent and wishing every night could be spent like this—safe in Eli’s arms.
Chapter eighteen
Eli
“Ireally fucking hate coming here,” Vin gripes, gripping the steering wheel of the SUV with white knuckles.
“Stay calm,” Leo advises him.
“I’m always calm,” he responds as he approaches a roundabout.
Leo scoffs. “You remember how things went last time we were here, right?”
“Yes, I ensured the old bastard knew who he was dealing with.”
Leo shakes his head, laughing. “Just remember, Mikhail and his brothers are bigger and stronger than their father was. If you piss them off, we might not make it out of here alive.”
“Stop worrying,” Vin remarks, peering in the rearview mirror at me and Mauro. “We have more muscle with us this time.”
Mauro grunts, rolling his eyes.
As we navigate the city streets of Chicago, approaching the Vasiliev building, I can’t help but recall what Madeleine told me the night before.
When I came in here tonight, you mumbled something against your pillow. It sounded like szhech’ yego, but my Russian is a little rusty, so I’m not positive … It means burn him.
Could my subconscious have remembered hearing those words from the people who tortured me?
“Everything okay?” Leo asks, eyeing me in the rearview mirror.
I lean forward. “What are the chances that the Vasilievs were involved in my kidnapping last year? Or, at least, that their men had something to do with it?”
Vin and Leo exchange glances.
“What makes you think they were involved?” Vin asks.
I drag my hand through my hair. “I had a nightmare last night. Always the same one.” I stare out the window, watching people pass by while they gaze at their phones. “But apparently, I was speaking Russian in my sleep.”
“How do you know you were speaking Russian in your sleep?” Vin asks, his voice suddenly turning a little colder.
Shit.
“I…” I clear my throat. “I guess I screamed out, waking Madeleine, who was sound asleep in her room.” I shrug, trying to appear casual. “She came in to check on me, and that’s when she heard me say, ‘szhech’ yego.’”
The vehicle comes to a stop, and Vin turns to face me, narrowing his eyes. “Which means?”
