“You have a boyfriend?” Mikhail asks, his voice sharp with disbelief. “You’re …” He clears his throat. “What the fuck.”
I point my finger at him. “If you say anything I don’t like, I swear to God, I?—”
He interrupts me, “Fuck. Relax. Just processing this. I mean, I’ve never seen you with anyone ever, so I figured no one liked you because you’re the biggest asshole on the planet besides Yulian.”
I click my tongue and lunge for him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt. “Are you two going to help me or not?”
Mikhail rolls his eyes. “Only if you let go of my shirt before I drop you, motherfucker. And is that a rabbit over there?”
I shove him back, breathing hard.
“Yes, that’s a fucking rabbit, and no you can’t pet her, bitch.” I point a finger at him.
“Can you please just explain what’s happening because I’m confused as hell. I just learned my brother has a boyfriend. Are you insane, by the way? Do you remember what happened to our mother’s brother?”
“Don’t mention him,” I snap. “I need help. He didn’t come home last night and something’s wrong. I’ve been calling him and there’s nothing. I think someone might’ve taken him.”
I turn to Daniil, desperate. “Can you do your thing and find something online? I can’t think straight.”
Nodding, he walks over to the corner and sits on the floor, opening his laptop immediately.
“Wait, how does Danya know you have a boyfriend? How does he even know his name? Can someone explain this to me?”
“He figured it out on his own because I’ve been asking him for help trying to make sense of this situation. Something is happening to Kelly, someone is hurting him, and he’s protecting them. It’s driving me fucking insane,” I say, pointing at the side of my temple.
“His name is Kelly? Isn’t that a girl’s name?”
“I’m going to stab you in the neck, then enjoy watching you die.”
He lifts his hands up in the air. “Fuck, will you calm down? Hats off to Kelly for putting up with your cranky, murder-happy ass, you drama queen.”
I open my mouth to snap back, but Daniil carries his laptop over, setting it in front of us. He taps the screen where it shows Brookvale Medical Center.
My body kicks into overdrive, and I bolt to the door, running down the stairs before my brain catches up.
“Wait,” Mikhail shouts behind me.
I hear them scrambling after me, their footsteps heavy on the stairs, but I’m already two flights down and moving faster than I’ve ever moved in my life.
I couldn’t thinkthe entire ride here because my head was completely useless. My stomach hasn’t stopped turning since I found out where he is. I’m going to be sick.
Daniil couldn’t find any details, nothing about what happened, no condition update and no police report. So now I’m bracing for the absolute worst.
I’m out of the car before Mikhail even parks it and sprint across the parking lot. Heading straight for the sliding doors of the hospital. Everyone in the lobby turns to look at me, but I don’t give a fuck. I walk past the line of people waiting to the front desk and slap my hand on the counter.
“Kelly Francis Mackey. What room?”
The woman—probably in her mid-fifties—looks up at me slowly. “There’s a line, sir. You can’t just cut in front of everyone. And only family can visit patients. Are you family?”
“Da, I’m his family. And if you don’t tell me right fucking now, lady, I?—”
I move my hand toward my pocket.
“Alexei,” Mikhail says sharply, grabbing my wrist and yanking it back before I can pull the knife. “He’s just exhausted. It’s been a long night. Could you please just give us the room number so we can get him out of here before this becomes a bigger scene?”
She sighs, glares at both of us, then types something into her computer. She gives us a room number and points down the hallway.
I’m already running before she finishes talking.
