She looked at him and saw hope that this might actually work.
"Do you really believe that we can do this?" she asked.
"I think we have to try." He took her good hand again, holding it between both of his. "I'm not going to let you rot on this island, Mattie. I'm not going to let either of us spend our lives as prisoners. There has to be a way out, and we're going to find it.
“But first, I’m going to help you out of those clothes so you’ll be able to sleep more comfortably. I think we can improvise a nightgown with one of my t-shirts.”
It was obvious that she was not going to be able to manage the buttons on her blouse and that it would take two hands to work her pants down over her hips. Once Dimitri had taken care of that, he removed her underwear and then carefully eased one sleeve of the t-shirt over her bandaged hand and the neck opening over her head. Then she was able to push her good arm through the other sleeve.
Now that the pain pills were dulling the sharp edges of her agony into something more manageable, her eyelids were growing heavy as exhaustion pulled at her, but underneath all that, there was a tiny spark of hope.
They had a plan. Or the beginning of one, at least. It was crazy and dangerous and had a thousand ways to go wrong. But it was something to anchor herself to, and it was infinitely better than nothing.
26
DIMITRI
The painkillers had done their work, pulling Mattie into a deep sleep, and Dimitri was grateful for it. After all the trauma and the pain, she needed rest more than anything else right now.
Watching her sleep, he thought about the attack, the fight, the calm and brutal efficiency with which Dave had eliminated the threat. How close he and Mattie had come to losing their lives. Or rather, how close Mattie had come.
He was immortal now, and he doubted the four who had attacked them would have bothered tearing his heart from his chest. They would have left him for dead, and his body would have healed the damage.
But that was assuming that they hadn't realized he was one of them.
Dave knew.
The Eight had seen him fight and witnessed his unnatural strength, speed, and healing rate. They'd already started asking questions, and he'd promised them answers, but he'd beenhiding up here in his and Mattie's bedroom the entire afternoon, hoping Dave would leave.
But the Eight would be back, and they wouldn't accept Dimitri's deflections and half-truths.
A soft knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts, and as he rose to his feet and opened the door, he found Petrov standing in the hallway, looking concerned.
"How is she doing?"
"She's asleep. The pain meds kicked in."
"Good." Petrov nodded. "You should eat. Dinner was delivered a while ago."
"I can't leave her."
"She's fine. She's asleep. Come downstairs."
Dimitri shook his head. "I'm not leaving her."
"Don't be ridiculous?—"
"I said I'm not leaving her," he barked, then forced himself to take a breath. "I'm sorry. It's been a long day. I just don't want her to wake up alone after what she's been through. She's traumatized."
Petrov studied him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. I'll bring everything up here. We can eat together, and Mattie can have hers when she wakes."
"Thank you."
When Petrov went down the stairs, Dimitri retrieved the single chair from their room and carried it into the hallway, positioningit next to the dresser, designating it as their impromptu dining table.
Petrov returned carrying three wrapped trays stacked in his arms, set them down on the dresser's scarred surface, went into his room, and returned with a chair.
They sat across from each other, the dresser between them, and unwrapped their meals in silence. Standard fare of grilled fish, rice, and steamed vegetables. Dimitri had thought he wasn't hungry, but as he began eating he realized he was ravenous, and he finished his meal long before his dinner companion.
