“Hold her steady,” I howl.
Kira instantly anchors her, while Lucky’s phone light shines over her back. I dive in with the forceps, as more blood coats my fingers. Stella sobs into me, each sound twisting something sharp and furious inside my chest. And then I feel it… the bullet. I clamp down around its edge and pull. The bullet comes free, blackened and slick. I toss it aside and cup the back of her head, pressing my lips to her hair. “The worst is done. I just have to stitch you up.”
“I’m so tired.” She trembles.
“That’s the blood loss talking,” I explain softly to her, then bark orders at my brother in the same breath. “Kostya. Needle and sutures.”
Ten minutes of stitching follow. And this time my hands don’t shake. Not once. When I finish and wrap the gauze tight,my girl has already slipped under, too exhausted to stay awake any longer. I pull a blanket up to her chin and caress her temple with a gentleness I’d swear I didn’t have before she came into my life.
But she’s safe now. Even if her fire isn’t fully back yet. Stella’s fire isn’t just in her hair. It’s in her eyes, her voice, her bite. And God help me, I’ll kill the fucker who tries to put it out. Pyotr can attest to that.
No one will hurt you, dusha moya. Because I’m taking you home.
I’m used to tense situations. I’m used to blood on my hands. But what I’m not used to is Stella’s silence. Ever since I pulled the bullet from her shoulder, she’s been out cold. She hasn’t talked. Hasn’t even twitched. She just lies there on that godforsaken bed, silent. None of her attitude—none of that sharp, impossible spirit that usually keeps me on my toes. None of it.
The past twenty hours have been the worst in my life. And I know I won’t have a moment’s rest until she’s properly examined by our family’s doctor.
This was my fault. She’s like this because of me. She’ll never forgive me.
These are my thoughts as Stella’s head lies on my lap, my eyes never leaving her face. Lucky keeps glaring daggers at meas I brush my fingers through his sister’s hair on the long drive home to Misha’s. I don’t care that he sees how important she is to me. Not after how close I came to losing her for good.
When we finally reach the compound, I’m out of the car in a flash.
“Dr. Sokolov is waiting for her upstairs,” Misha says in greeting, but I don’t miss how his blue eyes dissect me.
He sees what everyone else sees. He sees what I’ve been trying to ignore. Trying not to admit to myself.
Stella has dug her way beneath my skin and made herself a home there. She’s in me now. She’s part of me. And she almost lost her life because of it.
I shake those thoughts out of my mind, and I climb the stairs to the second floor and find Dr. Sokolov in one of the guest bedrooms waiting for me.
“Just put her down. I’ll take a look.”
I lay her on the bed, press a kiss on her temple, and step back until my shoulders hit the wall.
After what feels like an eternity, Dr. Sokolov looks up at me. “Good job, Kirill. Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
“Will she live?” I ask, the words tasting like poison in my mouth.
His brows pull together. “Of course. You made sure of that by aiding her at her worst. Now all she needs is fluids and antibiotics so the wound doesn’t get infected. The main concern now is preventing any sepsis from occurring.”
“I disinfected my hands with alcohol before I took the bullet out.”
“Good. Though I doubt whoever did this to her had the same care.”
My nostrils flare at the reminder of all the filthy hands that touched her when they shoved Stella into the trunk of a car. “He’s dead now, so I won’t be able to question him either way.”
“I see,” Dr. Sokolov mutters, not the least bit surprised by the casual admission of murder. He’s worked long enough for us to know that being trigger-happy isn’t exactly a new trait for us Petrovs. “I’ll get her on an IV drip and start the process,” he adds, clearly expecting me to leave him to his work.
“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to stay with her.”
“Very well.” He nods and proceeds to get everything ready for Stella’s recovery.
Long after Dr. Sokolov has attended to Stella’s every need, I stay at her side for hours, waiting and watching her breathe, needing to see some trace of life back in her eyes. My eyes remain glued to the gentle rise of her chest when my phone buzzes with an incoming message.
Aleksandr:Bring Elena downstairs. She wants to see Kira.
Since Stella isn’t showing signs of waking up any time soon, I reluctantly leave her side to do as I’m told. I knock on the door of the master suite and wait for my sister-in-law to invite me in.
