Page 78 of Unbroken

Rafail stands and opens the door while Vadka escorts him out.

I stare at Vadka’s retreating back just as a woman steps in. She’s tall, broad-shouldered, big-boned, with a presence that commands respect. But her voice is soft, almost gentle.

“Hello,” she says. “And what have we here?”

She doesn’t waste time with niceties. This woman’s been doing this a long time—straightforward, no bullshit, but with kindness beneath the efficiency.

“Definitely bruised and a mild sprain,” she says after examining me. “No signs of a break. I’m going to recommend you stay off your feet, ice, and elevate. Follow that, and you’ll be back to normal in a few days.”

She gives me a professional smile and starts packing up.

The door opens again, and Zoya hurries in—cheeks pink, slightly out of breath, like she ran the whole way.

“Hey, babe. Look at you— What happened?”

“You’re safe here,” Rafail tells me before he and Vadka leave the room.

Zoya settles in beside me as I tell her what happened, leaving out the details. All I say is that I tripped on a tree root.

“Oh, Ruthie.” She winces. “That sucks. Okay, do you have meds? Have you eaten anything?”

I shake my head. “Not since breakfast.”

It makes me think of Luka and the nanny… and the uneasy feeling in my chest returns. He didn’t seem troubled, but I am. It doesn’t feel right, leaving him like that.

“Something you wanna talk about, babe?” Zoya asks gently.

My throat tightens. I open my mouth, but I don’t know what to say. I’m not the type to get all emotional, but here I am.

“I think I’m in love,” I whisper.

Chapter 13

VADKA

“This is not good,”Matvei mutters. His jaw’s tight, the muscles twitching.

Matvei, Rafail’s cousin, is one of the coldest, most brilliant minds in our crew. If you need someone to decode a message, hack a system, or find patterns in chaos—he’s your man.

“Take a look at this.”

He turns the screen toward us.

“Motherfucker.” My voice is low. My hands curl into fists. “They want my son? Over my fucking dead body.”

“I know,” Rafail says, slow and measured. “But we have to be careful. No rash moves.”

“You’ve got bodyguards at your house, right?”

“Of course. Luka’s safe.”

Still, for my own peace of mind, I pull up the app on my phone. The nanny’s washing dishes, and Luka’s at the kitchen table, coloring happily. I see guards stationed at every entry point, cameras everywhere. Nothing’s getting through that perimeter.

Still… that sinking feeling doesn’t leave me. Because only a monster would target a child. And monsters do exist.

“What about Ruthie?” I ask, voice tight. “Do they have anything on her?”

Matvei scrolls. “No. Nothing yet.”