“I’ll be fine.” He takes a massive scoop of the food, then he digs around in the bowl, making a bigger forkful for me.
“That won’t fit.”
He grins, chewing around talking. “Bullshit, Quinny. I know what fits in your mouth.”
I laugh and open wide, letting him fill my mouth with his offering. And like the saying goes, laughter really is the best medicine. Leaving him still chuckling at his dirty innuendo, I go and get myself prepped for minor surgery, feeling reenergized and rested, like I’d had a nap, but all I’d done is be with him.
It takes a couple of trips bringing everything I need over to him, but Kade is a great nurse and helps me set him up.
“Any allergies?” I ask, just before I use the betadine to wipe him down.
“The only weakness I have is you.” He grins like a lovesick fool.
A knock on the door interrupts our cutesy moment. Kade starts trying to get up, and I push him back down. “It will be the blood. Aleksei wouldn’t send someone he doesn't trust, but I’ll still be very careful and check. I won’t open the door if I don’t feel good. Okay?”
I get a very pissed-off growl from him and Nalla as my answer. It’s almost menacing, until he looks at me with a mix of apology and concession in his eyes.
“Take my gun at least,” he says, passing it over.
I do, and then I race through the house in case the person decides we’re taking too long to answer the door. I use the peephole to check on the delivery person and fling the door open quickly, holding my gun right up in line with her forehead too.
“Why are you here?” I ask, being as intimidating as I can.
“Aleksei sent me,” the woman says simply. Her words aren’t hurried, but they’re undeniably laced with an accent.
I flick off the safety switch on Kade’s gun, holding it aimed still at her forehead. “Odd. Why you?”
“Because he trusts me about as much as I trust him.”
“I’ve got no time for obscure bullshit. Explain yourself,Catalina, nice and slowly so I can understand instead of pulling the trigger.”
Catalina as in Cat, as in Olga’s assistant. As in the Cat who sat around at my wedding reception while the children were set on the tables like fucking decoration.
She doesn’t appear nervous, nor does she look like she’s going to jump me, even when my gaze drops to the windbreaker she’s wearing. Slowly, she steps to the side, her eyes on the gun in my hand.
“Interesting choice of weapon you’re holding.” Her accent breaks, and the Irish in it becomes more pronounced with every word she speaks.
“Not sure of the relevance.”
“Government issue. Similar to mine,” she says, taking a step closer, but she also holds up a cold box which has a hospital’s name on the side of it. “I’m not able to spill all my secrets, there’s not enough time at the minute. I’d like to saytrust me, but I’m only here to drop this off.”
I widen my stance. “Forget you saw me here.”
“No need to threaten me, Mrs. Petrov.” She smiles like a shark before I get a glimpse of fear in her eyes. It disappears as quickly as it appeared. “And if I’m honest, I’m a fair bit done with being threatened today.”
I don’t say anything in return, but my expression is pretty obvious. I'm not following, but I don’t care either. She ignores me and keeps talking.
“Aleksei used some very descriptive language when he went into minute detail as to what he’d do to me if I told anyone about ya. It was mostly torture focused too. So, I’m paying his threat the attention it’s due, as opposed to yours. But to reiterate, I will be forgetting I saw you, and I’ll be forgetting this house exists,probably even before I’ve sat back in my car. Although, I’ve got two things that need saying before I’m off.”
“Go on, then.”
“Youhurthim, and I’ll get every person on my team hunting ya down before I throw any fecking charge your way until something sticks. Andmy teamis the National Crime Authority, which encompasses the UK, Scotland, and Ireland, in case you're wondering.”
She points to the logo on her windbreaker as she explains the NCA. I slam my shields down, but I’m sure my shock is still all over my face. And will be for a while.
“All that aside, Mrs. Petrov, the other thing I wanted to say is, I think the brother who was adamant about breaking every bone in my body if any harm comes to hismateis definitely the better choice out of the Petrovs. That being said, good luck to you both. And keep an eye out for Dmitri, he’s still out there and is a risk. Oh, and Olga is too. But I’m about to have a wee chat with her about her very poor life choices.”
She flicks her chin at me, ending our conversation. Without a goodbye, she jogs down the path and out the gate she left open. She shuts it quietly behind her before she climbs into her white sedan and drives off without another glance.
