Chiara
Machines bleep, each ping a reminder Luka is alive, while the scent of pine disinfectant seeps into every pore of my body. I must doze off eventually, my head resting on the crumpled blanket covering Luka, because when I next wake, night has turned to day.
I open my crusty eyes to find Angelo slumped in a chair across from me, fast asleep. His face is softer when he’s asleep, although there are still deep furrows between his eyes. Every few minutes, he frowns as if thinking about something unpleasant.
Luka hasn’t moved as far as I can tell, but the machine he’s hooked up to beeps reassuringly.
“What happened?” I whisper to Luka, hoping that he can hear me on some level. At least this wasn’t a deliberate act on his part, although I’d like to know why Kane and Angelo assumed it was.
Something must have happened in Luka’s past. Something that meant the two of them defaulted to the worst possible scenario.
There’s a jug of tepid water on the table by the window, so I drag myself from the chair and stretch to relieve the aches andpains in my body. I’m still wearing the sweats and tee I had on when we drove to the motel.
Knowing what I do now, I’m glad I didn’t bother wasting time changing first. Another thirty minutes and it might have been too late. The thought of losing Luka causes a sob to break free, but before I can wipe my eyes, Angelo is out of his chair and his arms are around me.
The old me would have shoved him away and accused him of taking advantage, but I need the comfort.
“Luka will wake up soon, princess.”
Tears stream down my face as I sob quietly. It’s too hard to keep a lid on my emotions, and I’m so very tired. First the kidnapping, and now this.
I’m not sure I can handle much more.
Angelo’s hand rubs my back as I cry. When my tears finally dry up, he leads me back to my chair and pushes me down.
“Wait here while I fetch us both a coffee. Kane’s on his way with an update.” I bristle at his bossy tone, but then he leans in and brushes his lips across mine. “Luka will be okay, princess. I promise.”
I’m not sure he’s qualified to promise that, but I pray with everything I am that he’s right.
Angelo and I are drinking foul hospital coffee that tastes like it’s made from ground cigarette butts when Kane arrives with Fina in tow. Her face is whiter than curdled milk, and there are purple shadows beneath her bloodshot, makeup-free eyes. I suspect she’s spent the last two hours vomiting but stop myself from asking.
She rushes over to the bed and takes Luka’s hand.
“Don’t you dare die,” she tells him, the wobble in her voice betraying how upset she is. “I’ll never forgive you if you die.”
Kane strides over and pulls me into his arms. “You doing okay, kitten?” he murmurs in my ear. Fina’s eyes widen at our blatant display of affection but now is not the time for a catch-up. It would take way too long, and Luka is my priority.
“No, but I’ll survive,” I reply.
“Good girl.” He drops a kiss on my forehead and steps back. “I’ve spent the last few hours going through all the camera footage I could get from the scene, as well as analyzing the data from Luka’s phone to track his movements.”
“Got anything useful?” Angelo reverts to his usual businesslike demeanor.
Kane nods. “Yeah. He spent the evening with Vasily Antonov and Marie, Vasily’s girlfriend. They hung out at a cellar bar downtown. From what the security staff told me, Luka was out of it very early on. One of them suspected he’d been slipped something, but when he tried to intervene, the bar manager told him his job was at risk if he got involved.”
“So this was a setup. Do you think Vasily got paid off?”
“Not sure. I went to his apartment and found nothing. No sign of him and none of the neighbors would answer their doors.”
“Who’s Vasily?” I don’t remember Luka ever mentioning him.
“A guy Luka hangs out with sometimes. I think they met in high school, but not one hundred percent sure.”
“What about the motel?”
Kane grimaces at Angelo’s question. “The motel didn’t have cameras, probably to hide the illicit things that happen there, which is hardly a surprise.”
“Traffic cams in the area?”
