A woman steps in, giving me a smile as she closes the door behind her. Her blonde hair is mainly grey and pulled back into a loose bun, and when she walks closer, she makes me think of a ballerina I got to meet when I was a kid and my school took us to seeThe Nutcracker. She’s tall and slender, and there’s a gracefulness to her movements that most people don’t possess.
“Hi, Mrs. Medvedev. I’m Dr. Cabrini.”
It takes me a second to realize that Mrs. Medvedev is me, and when I wait a second too long, I let out an awkward laugh and reach out to shake her hand. “Sorry. I’m still getting used to the name.”
“I can imagine. Your husband told me the wedding was very recent.”
I smile at the understatement, and then wince when my lip spreads too far. Dr. Cabrini notices and sets her large bag down and pulls on a pair of latex gloves before cupping my face gently. Her fingers work fast, examining my skin with light touches that are meant to cause as little discomfort as possible.
“I’ve been told that you were being held against your will and that you were sexually assaulted. Usually, I would insist on getting the police involved.” She gives me another soft smile and lifts a manicured brow at me. “But your husband is a bit of a special case, so all of this is going to stay off the record. I’m going to examine you, test you for STDs and pregnancy, and make sure you don’t require any sort of treatment. Does that sound okay?”
I nod while she gets the room set up for an exam. I had no idea doctors made house calls like this, but it makes sense. The super wealthy don’t have to go to doctor appointments like the rest of us. The doctors go to them. The exam is uncomfortable and embarrassing, but Dr. Cabrini works fast and soon she’s pulling the blanket back over me to cover my nakedness. When she’s put everything away, she sits next to me and sighs.
“You have some tearing and bruising, but nothing that won’t heal on its own with a bit of time. I’m very sorry for what’s been done to you.”
“Thank you,” I tell her. “Do you know how long it will be before you get the results of everything?”
“Not long. I’ll call you as soon as I know. I just need you to pee in a cup for me, and then I’ll be done.”
I take the cup she hands me and keep the blanket wrapped around my body as I go into the adjoining bathroom. Once I’m finished and dressed, she does a quick pregnancy test, declares it negative, and then promises to call as soon as the results are in. I thank her again and then go back to Vasily’s room while she goes downstairs. I’m relieved the test is negative, even though I didn’t think there was any way for it to be positive. Stepping out onto the balcony, I stare at the waves, wondering if my life will ever be normal again.
Chapter 6
Vasily
After speaking to the doctor, I’m both relieved and pissed. It kills me to think about someone hurting Nina, but I’m also fully aware that it could’ve been a lot worse. Before I can get back upstairs to her, my phone rings, and when I see my brother’s name, I sigh and answer it. Vladimir immediately starts asking me questions in fast Russian.
“Volodya, calm down,” I say, using the shortened form of his name like I have since we were kids. “I can’t answer a million questions all at once.”
“You didn’t call me back,” he says, and I smile because it sounds like my thirty-year-old brother is pouting. As the middle child, he’s always been the balance between the three of us. He helps me keep an eye on our younger brother, Valeri, but he’s also always had my back without trying to challenge my role as oldest. He’s the peacekeeper, always has been, even if he does come off as being standoffish to the extreme to everyone else.
“I’m sorry. Last night was hectic to say the least.”
“Tell me what happened.”
I walk up the stairs, wanting to check on Nina and knowing it won’t matter if she hears me talking to my brother since it will all be in Russian. I explain everything to Volodya, who interrupts me every thirty seconds with a new question, so the story ends up taking four times as long as it should.
“So you’re married?”
“I am,” I tell him, finding Nina on the balcony. I give her an apologetic shrug and point to my phone. She gives me a soft smile and then looks back out at the ocean. I watch the dark strands of her hair blowing in the breeze and resist the urge to run my hands through it again.
“Fuck,” Volodya mutters in my ear. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You always did like to rescue things. I mean, look at Ruslan.”
I smile at the memory. We’d found some asshole who’d been running dog fights, and when I’d seen this big fur ball of a puppy with droopy eyes, pleading with me to get him out of there, I’d shot the man and taken the puppy home. It was a sound decision. He’s a great dog.
“He’s really liking America, by the way. I can barely keep him inside. He always wants to splash around in the ocean.”
Volodya laughs. “Yeah, from what I hear everyone is liking America. Ilya says the women are keeping him very busy. I may have to visit soon.”
“How are things in Moscow?”
“The usual. Mom’s the same, no better, no worse, and Valeri and I had to deal with a few issues, but everything is fine. The casino is bringing in a ton this month, and the last arms deal went through as planned.”
“Good to hear. Is Valeri keeping out of trouble?”
Volodya laughs. “Never, you know him, but he’s not getting into too much, at least not more than he can handle.”
I laugh thinking about our youngest brother, and after a few seconds, Volodya says, “I can’t believe you’re married. What are you going to do when they’re no longer looking for her?”
