Page 54 of Bratva Bastard

I glanced around for a stool, but there was none. Maybe in the recovery room or the broom closet, but it was too risky to check, so I had to work with what I had. The toilet was on the opposite wall from the window, as was the sink, so I couldn’t climb on that.

The trash can.

I took the lid off, gently placing it on the floor so the ting from the metal clanking on tiles wouldn’t rouse suspicion. I pulled out the bag and flipped the can, hoisting myself up as I stood on the overturned can, opening the latch to the window.

Thank god I did yoga. It allowed me to move my body in ways that I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. The drugs from the car ride still affected me, and I was a little dizzy when I looked down to the ground—an eight foot drop.

I took a deep breath and pushed off the edge of the window, falling to the ground below. Fortunately, there were bushes—albeit spikey, branchy bushes—but they busted my fall.

Landing hard, my side hurt when I stood. But there was no time to waste, so I forced myself with gritted teeth to limp away to the treeline, wincing with every step. It took a bit, but eventually I was able to regain my footing, and ran off into the landscape that surrounded the clinic. The dark landscape that had no moonlight to guide my path.

24

Maxim

Ihadn’t even waited to get home from Sorokin’s place before I called Andrei, putting him on speaker so I wouldn’t have to relay the information to my brothers. Besides, anything he said to me, he could say to them.

He didn’t answer on the first try, so I dialed again, and again, until on the fourth try he said hello.

“Andrei! Four fucking calls before you answer? What kind of shitty bodyguard are you?”

Dimitry raised his eyebrows at my tone, but I didn’t give a fuck. In his position, he needed to be ready and alert at all times.

“What, I can’t take a shit now? Fuck you,” he said.

“Then you answer on the toilet,” Dimitry said, frowning from Andrei’s response. “You’re on duty, meaning you answer your fucking phone when we call. I don’t give a shit if you’re beating off—you answer.”

He didn’t realize that Dimitry was listening, considering I gave him no warning—but fuck him! He shouldn’t have acted like such a cocky prick.

“Yes, sir,” he said, addressing Dimitry with more respect thanI’dever received.

“Andrei,” I said, my tone less enraged than earlier, though it was still pretty damn bitter. “Where is Crissy? Have you seen her?”

He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. I saw her earlier.”

I waited for him to say more, and when he didn’t, I asked, “Where?”

“Out in town, by the pharmacy. I believe she was getting her mother’s medication, though I did not go inside. I waited outside until she was finished, and watched from afar.”

That didn’t make any sense. Why would Crissy disappear for days, not saying a word to her mother, but be just a few streets down, getting her medication?

“What time was that?” Dimitry asked, his eyebrows pulled into a crease, a look of concentration in his eyes.

“I don’t know, a few hours ago, I guess.”

“And where did she go after?” I asked.

“I don’t know. When she came out, a woman came up to me asking for help to carry something, and when I came back, she was gone.”

“You’re paid to guard her at all times. Why the fuck did you not guard her?”

“I did!” he shouted defensively, but I wasn’t having his bullshit.

“No, you fucking didn’t. If you were doing your job, you’d know where the fuck she is right now. So, fuck off, Andrei. You’re a total shit bodyguard.”

I hung up the phone, slamming it against the leather seat. Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I took a deep breath, trying to control my irritation. I’d gotten nowhere with that call. Truth be told, I wasn’t even sure I believed him. But he was Dimitry’s man, so he must be good. Still, something about the guy just plucked my nerves like a fiddle. Seriously, I would knock the fuck out of him the next time I saw him.

“So, what do you think?” I asked, my voice weary. “Do we believe him?”

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