I felt horrible.
But Kiril was already pulling me back to the truck. “Come on, Poppy! Doc texted. Ivan’s going into shock.”
I ran.
Chapter 36 – Poppy
When Kiril said doctor, he meant veterinarian.
When he said clinic, he failed to mention it was a rundown hole in the Redwood Plaza that could easily be mistaken for a pet store.
And when he’d read his phone, he mixed up the names.
I burst through the front doors, blinking in the harsh glare.
“Poppy?” Ivan mumbled. “What are you doing here?”
There’d been a motion propelling me forward, a desperate surge making me rush into the building to find the man I needed very much to be alive. At the sound of his voice, my legs locked. The result was that I stumbled.
A tattooed arm snagged out to catch me.
I braced myself on Ivan’s shoulders, only noticing the bandage when he let out a vicious hiss.
“Oh, shit!” I jumped away.
His fingers caught me.
“I’m sorry,” I gasped, reaching for the wound, but just as quickly drawing my hands back.
Ivan sagged against the wall. “You came.”
I nodded. “I dare you to be mad.”
A smirk wobbled on his lip. “Later. I’ll try…later.”
“Wait, if you’re here…” I waved at the cramped waiting area.
An open door led to the space beyond, a desk and front office area stood off to the side, and bays with treatment areas seemed to be what the shabby stalls were beyond.
Made Men milled about in there.
Bandages and blood decorated their bodies. It was something out of a badly staged Halloween horror house.
“Who went into shock?” I shouted in a hoarse whisper. “Kiril said it was you.”
“No,Itexted him that it was Rayko. He’s stable now and getting a blood transfusion.” Ivan pushed off the wall and resumed his seat. He patted the chair next to him.
I sank onto the worn upholstery. “Kiril saidyouwent into shock.”
The idea still bounced through my head. Ivan in danger. Ivan…going into the light. Terror still spiked my veins.
“Speaking of which, where was Kiril?”
“Don’t know.” I shook my head and turned my full attention back to Ivan.
Ivan, who was nursing a bottle of clear liquid. He set the booze down with a grunt.
“Tell me what happened?” I demanded, sliding my hand over his thigh. He didn’t react, didn’t shift under my touch. My fingers were perilously close to his groin, but there was no delicious fizzle of chemistry.
