Page 20 of Prey of the Bratva

Kliment’s gaze shifted to me, sharp and unimpressed.

“I’ve noticed you walking around, and I can assure you it is anything but fine,” he said.

I met his gaze sharply. “And yet I’m still standing.”

“For now.”

Something in his tone made my pulse shift slightly. I wasn’t afraid of him challenging me, but something about him was so silently assessing and measuring that I couldn't wrap my head around it. The doctor rewrapped the bandage along my side, movements precise and efficient.

“Please remember to not put any unnecessary strain,” he said. “No sudden movement and no physical exertion until it heals fully.”

“That’s not realistic, doc,” I replied. “I have work to do.”

“And you will do it,” he said calmly, “once your body is capable of supporting it.”

I didn’t answer because we both knew I would not wait that long. Even Kliment knew that. The doctor finished securing the final bandage before stepping back.

“She is recovering well,” he said to Kliment. “But she needs time.”

Time. The one thing I did not have. I had already wasted nine days, and I did not know how many more I could waste before it got too much. I was already beginning to get restless.

Kliment nodded once. “That will be all.”

The doctor gathered his things without another word. He did not ask questions and did not linger. He left the room as quietly as he had entered, and the door closed behind him, leaving silence to settle around me again. I adjusted slightly on the edge of the bed, ignoring the pull along my side.

“You’re improving,” Kliment said.

“I know.”

“But you’re still not ready to leave and get back to everything.”

“I disagree.”

“You’re not in a position to disagree.”

I looked at him fully then. “I am always in a position to disagree.”

Something flickered in his expression. It was not irritation but something closer to interest.

“You push me too far,” he said.

“I push exactly where I need to.”

His gaze dropped briefly to the bandage along my side and the brace on my foot before returning to my face.

“The only reason you are not dead today is pure luck,” he said quietly. “But in our world, we shouldn’t test our luck too much. Remember that.”

“It wasn’t luck,” I said. “It was a calculation that didn’t account for numbers.”

His jaw tightened slightly. “And if I hadn’t been there?”

I held his gaze. “But you were.”

He turned and walked out of the room without another word, the door closing behind him with a soft, controlled click. And just like that, the room was mine again. I waited until a full minute passed by, quietly listening to the sounds around me. There was nothing. No footsteps outside the door and no guards shifting position. There was no indication that anyone was stationed directly outside. Kliment wasn’t keeping me prisoner here, and I knew that, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t being watched. It just meant the surveillance was better hidden.

I slid off the bed slowly, careful of my side, and adjusted my weight onto my uninjured leg before reaching for the crutches leaning against the wall. Movement still hurt, but the pain was manageable. I crossed the room deliberately, each step measured, until I reached the chair near the window where my jacket had been left. It was untouched and exactly where I had placed it days ago when I had first entered this room.

I knew no one had searched it. I slipped my hand into the inner lining, fingers brushing along the seam until I felt it. A thin, concealed slit. I pressed lightly, and the stitching gave way just enough. With one final tug, the device slid into my palm. My second burner. I turned it on, and the screen flickered to life silently. There was no signal at first, but I waited patiently until a connection was finally made. I opened the encrypted interface and selected the first contact.