“Who did you tell?”
He gulped, and literally pushed a reporter back who got too close, sending the man back on his butt.
“My wife. No one else.”
I glared at the floor. “I appreciate what you did, but your wife has a big mouth.”
He hesitated, shoving another reporter back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think she would tell anyone.”
I kept my head down, pulling the blanket over my face further when more flashes went off. “If there was reward money…” In any high profile kidnapping case, there was always reward money. And pulling this stunt, right now, was not a smart fucking decision.
The truck driver bent down as security raced onto the scene, pushing the ever-growing reporters back. He leaned over, staring up under the blanket. His eyes were honest when he stated, “There is reward money. A lot of damn money. However, that’s not why I’m doing this. My first wife was kidnapped, raped, and then left dead in a field. I would never do this for the money. Never the fucking money. But I am sorry she called the press.” I shut my mouth then, seeing the raw pain in his eyes even though I wasn’t feeling much else other than irritation. The doctor had said it might take some time to ‘feel’ again. And if I couldn’t feel with that type of story, I needed to keep my mouth shut.
I did manage to nod, knowing that I would make Daniil give him whatever he had promised.
He nodded once curtly, then stood back up, still standing over me protectively, along with the doctor, who took up guard on my other side—after he put a hand inside the blanket and checked my pulse. We waited. I had no clue how far away we were from Daniil, but it was taking forever.
So long, in fact, the doctor caught me zoning and singing to myself again.
It was going to take some time…
“You know, maybe you should call the authorities. If the press knows I’m here…” Then the bad guys knew I was here. The cops wouldn’t need to get close, but they could stay back and keep watch over me if it was going to take too long.
“That may be the wisest choice.” Dr. Walker slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, staring at the reporters who were barely being kept at bay at the end of the hallway. “If anyone came looking for you right now that shouldn’t be…” He trailed off with the phone paused halfway to his ear, muttering, “My God.” His expression went from calm to scared shitless in a heartbeat, which had to be hard to accomplish since he was so stone-faced.
Instant. “What?”
The truck driver backed away a few steps, whispering, “He’s here.”
My breath caught as I heard…Daniil…shouting, “Get the fuck out of my way!”
My head snapped toward the reporters. Two of them flew up into the air, one’s head and the other’s back hitting the drop ceiling before they fell back to the ground.
“My God,” Dr. Walker whispered again, also stepping back from me.
I squinted with my working eye and gazed out from under the blanket.
Grigori and Roman were first, slipping through the sides, hugging the wall as Daniil charged through everyone, going straight through them. The security guards had their hands on their guns, but Dr. Walker was with it enough to shout, “Let them through!”
It didn’t matter since Daniil, dressed in a black shirt and dark jeans, sans his normal suit, plowed through them anyway. His hair was tied back, and his expression was so damn fierce that even though I couldn’t see completely down the hallway, I could still make out his sharp features—they were set so hard. Artur and Eva followed behind him as Grigori jerked Ember’s hand, pulling her out of the fray.
Zane, Stash, Brent, and Cole pushed the huge crowd of reporters back as Daniil—and family—stalked toward me. And stalk they did.
I felt that emotion again. Terror.
I knew what bad guys moved like now. And absolutely none of them were good guys.
Daniil, Roman, Grigori, Artur, Eva, and Ember all moved like what they were—killers.
They could kill within a heartbeat with no compunction.
I had known this before, but now, it was different. I knew they were on my side. They were here to protect me.
I loved Daniil. And Daniil loved me. That one emotion, right along with possessiveness, had never gone away. But right now, I didn’t want to see that stalk. The stalk of killers.
I hunkered down further, ducking under the blanket, and rested my head on my knees.
Dr. Walker may have been scared shitless, but he was still my doctor and must have been watching me because I felt him move closer, stating quietly as they got closer, “It will help if you don’t scare her.”
