"Oh you've been fine," Ella says approvingly. "You can have all the good drugs."
I move past them, heading for the operating rooms.
"It's going to be another fifteen or so minutes!" She calls after me, but I don't turn my head. I need to see Ava.
The two operating rooms in the clinic face each other across the hall, each with state-of-the-art medical equipment. My Ava is in the room on the left, her head down, eyes intent on the man whose chest is a bloody mess. Her gloved hands are quick and sure, and she speaks calmly to the nurse at her side, who hands her a pair of forceps. My hand is on the glass, heart pounding.
Seeing her in action is arousing. Maybe not for someone who isn't used to the aftereffects of violence, but for me… My dick is already half hard and any blood still struggling to reach my brain is rapidly heading south. I'd underestimated how hot this would be, seeing Ava in her element. Her energy crackles through the room and the rest of the crew is attuned to it. This isn't the broken, fragile girl who ran into my arms that night.
The anesthesiologist murmurs something to Ava and she looks up, eyes crinkling as she smiles behind her mask before returning her attention to her patient.
I force myself away from the window, returning to my mother and the driver.
"Were the dash cams working at the time of the attack?" I ask.
"Mine was, Mr. Morozov," the driver says, "and the rear camera, too. I'm not sure about the other trucks. They hit us behind."
"Dashcam footage goes to a remote server," I say. "I'll have it checked."
"Thank you, sir. I'd sure like a chance to say thank you for the gash on the back of my head," he says with a hopeful grin.
The next hour stretches out into an interminable blur as I wait for Ava. As her patient is wheeled out, she scrubs up and she's back in the operating room again, this time working on Matvey. He's conscious and they're talking, her light, amused tone, and his rumbling answers. He chuckles once, a rusty sound like it's the first time he's attempted a laugh.
The thought of how easily Ava could have been hurt, that she could be the one on the operating table right now, makes my demon press against the walls of my self-control, growling, whispering, demanding to be set free. He's been quiet these last few years, tucked away deep in my consciousness. His sudden re-emergence as Ava was thrown into my life - and my arms - is unexpected, and unwelcome.
Striding down the hall, away from the distraction of Ava, I pull out my phone and start making calls. We will find out who attacked her and they will pay. Knowing Gordi, he managed to get the only survivor downstairs before the police came.
Finally, with everyone's wounds cared for, Rurick and Matvey go over the details of the attack with me. My mother, Ava and her friend Priya are scrubbing up after surgery.
"Six of them," Matvey says, his face pale from blood loss, still sitting straight, like a soldier. "Seamless, too, from the front door and the back. They must've entered through the kitchen. No one else was injured. They weren't wasting time and they didn't give anyone a chance to sound an alarm."
"Were they trying to kill her or take her?" I ask.
"We were lucky," Rurik rumbles. "I believe they wanted to abduct her. If they wanted a quick shot to kill her, they could've gotten off at least one or two."
"The two of you fought off six men," I say. "Well done."
"Don't forget Gordi," Matvey says. A reluctant smile tugs at his thin lips. "He came charging across that shop waving that cleaver, and everyone scattered. The poor bastard he sliced into never knew what hit him. I think he might've decapitated him, in fact." Rurik grunted, nodding approvingly.
"What would be an appropriate thank you?" I muse. "Maybe a chain of sandwich shops. Would Gordi like a beach house? We'll have to talk."
"So you must be the hot Russian boyfriend?" drawls Priya.
I turn to shake her hand. "Dmitri Morozov. Thank you for your assistance today. And yes, Ava is my girlfriend." In the corner of my eye, I see my mother's smug smile.I knew it,she mouths at me.
"My pleasure," Priya says, examining me. "It's been a long time since I've performed emergency surgery. I'd forgotten what it's like, working with that burst of adrenaline. Plus, I got to meet Dr. Morozova, and Ava paid for lunch.The day was a win for me."
She is a strong woman, direct, and looks me right in the eye with no hesitation. "That said, Ava's safety is important to me and to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about her being with you, given that today was thesecondattempt on her life. However, I'm very clear that without you, Ava would most likely be dead by now." Her lips tremble until she firms them angrily. "So, thank you."
"We are in your debt for helping my men," I say. "If you need anything from us, you have only to ask. Demid will drive you back to the hospital or to home. I'm sure Ava will be calling you later."
"Oh yes, that's going to happen." Priya looks at my neck. "You two have matching hickeys. What are you, seventeen? It seems Ava and I have a lot to catch up on."
She marches down the hall, as I watch her, amused. It seems Dr. Singh enjoys having the last word. Stepping closer to a mirror, I angle my jaw.
"Well damn it," I murmur. "She was right."
Ava's in the dressing room and I walk in as she's pulling on her jeans. She looks up, startled, "Are you okay? You look…"
