“I’ll call Wolf and have him bring Kira here.” Roman exhaled a heavy breath.
I understood where he was coming from. He couldn’t imagine handing over one of his brothers to a crime boss, knowing full well they would be killed. Brothers in our world had a special bond. We’d die for each other.
But it appeared Wolf didn’t have the same kind of relationship with his brother as I had with mine. Not my problem, though.
If Zotov wanted Kira in exchange for my baby, he’d get him.
Whether Wolf liked it or not.
43
ISLA
I feltsomething on my leg, followed by a throat clearing. I blinked my eyes open and saw a white-haired man at the foot of my bed.
“Isla, I’m Dr. Palmer.” He patted my leg. “We’re just doing our rounds. How are you feeling?”
“Uh…” My brain was a clouded haze of confusion. I remembered being in the hospital. Everything else was static like on that television in the movie with a possessed house built on a graveyard and the little blonde-haired girl, Carol Anne.
Static. My brain was nothing but static.
“He was the attending physician when you came in last night,” Jon said from the other side of my bed. “Do you remember him?”
“I’m sorry. I’m fuzzy on the details.” I relaxed upon seeing a familiar face. Strangely, I trusted Jon.
“No worries.” Dr. Palmer moved in next to Jon and gripped his bicep. “When I work with this handsome guy, I’m invisible. Can we examine you?”
“But Dr. Jon is my friend.” I wasn’t sure why I said that.
“I’m her Jedi in training,” Jon teased. “We work together at West End.”
“Oh… I love the tomato bisque,” Dr. Palmer said.
“That’s Isla’s specialty. She makes all the soups at West End.”
“Well, I’m impressed. I can’t boil water.” The doctor laughed while putting his stethoscope on my chest. Once done, he moved back.
Jon repeated the action and listened to my heart. He gave me a friendly wink as he stepped back.
“How are your ribs feeling?” Dr. Palmer pulled the blanket down and fumbled with my gown.
My heart rate spiked. All my doctors were women. I wasn’t used to being touched by men other than…Ciro. His handsome face flashed in my head. Why hadn’t I thought of him since this ordeal? Until this moment, I’d forgotten him.
“Isla, did you hear, Dr. Palmer?” Jon asked.
“Hmm? What?”
“It’s stuck. Your gown. Can you lift a bit?” Dr. Palmer asked.
“Oh.” I tried to raise my bottom, but it hurt, causing me to wince in pain.
“Hold still.” Jon placed his hand on my thigh. “The strings are probably tied in the back.”
I blushed. “They are. I tied them when I went to the bathroom a little while ago.” My brain was such a jumbled mess. It was hit or miss what I remembered, like Ciro. He’d been the love of my life until we broke up.
Wait. Our breakup was a while ago. Gosh, something felt off. I seemed to recall having seen Ciro somewhat recently. But why?
“I need to untie them so we can get a better look. Okay?”
