Page 55 of Toxic Salvation (Krayev Bratva #2)

KOVAN

“Vesper?”

She looks at me, but her eyes are vacant. Empty. Like she’s seeing through me to something else entirely. Her eyelashes are dark with tears, clumped together in wet spikes.

“He’s dead,” she says. Not a question—a statement waiting for confirmation.

I glance down at Tikhon’s body. His eyes stare at the ceiling, unseeing. The fluorescent lights reflect off his pupils. I reach down and close his eyelids, then take Vesper’s blood-stained hand in mine.

“He’s not in pain anymore.”

She jerks away from my touch. “There was so much blood, Kovan. So much blood everywhere.”

I scan her body for injuries. Her arms are streaked red, her hands completely covered. But it’s his blood, not hers. She was never hurt. The relief hits me so hard I nearly collapse.

She blinks slowly. A fat tear rolls down her cheek. “I watched him die. I’ve watched so many people die, but this was different. I couldn’t do anything about it. It was too fast. He was too fast.”

“Was it Ihor? Was he here?”

She nods. Her bottom lip won’t stop trembling. “He tried to kill me, too.”

“But he didn’t,” I remind her. “He failed.”

I look around the examination room. Medical supplies are strewn across the floor, a chair is overturned, and blood is splattered on the wall behind the examination table. Everything is ruined. But not her. She’s safe.

“Where is he now?” I ask.

She’s blinking rapidly. The constellation of freckles across her cheek is hidden under flecks of Tikhon’s blood.

“I don’t know. He left. I don’t know where he went.”

I swallow my disappointment. I’d hoped to corner the bastard here. End this once and for all. But maybe it’s better this way. I can focus on Vesper.

“Come with me. I’m taking you home.”

She doesn’t move. “What about Nikolai?”

I consider lying for half a second. “He didn’t make it.”

Her breathing becomes rapid and shallow. “He’s dead?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“I’ll tell you later. Right now?—”

“I want to know.” Life flares in her eyes for the first time since I walked in. “I want to know how he died.”

I sigh. “He was stabbed in the neck. He must have died instantly.”

“Tikhon didn’t.” She looks down at the body beside her. “He was still alive when he came in here. He was trying to—to—to?—”

“It’s okay.” I fold her into my arms as she hiccups and shudders and falls the fuck to pieces. “Just breathe. You don’t have to say anything. I’m taking you home.”

I pull back to meet her gaze. She nods once, and I take that as permission. As gently as I can, I lift her into my arms and carry her out of the room. I position myself so she can’t see Nikolai’s body in the hallway.

Dr. Mann and her security team have gathered outside the examination room. They’re all staring at the carnage across her pristine white floors. When Dr. Mann sees me, her face goes white.

“I have no idea how this happened,” she mumbles. “No unauthorized personnel are supposed to be allowed in this building.”

“There are clearly holes in your system, Doctor.”

Her hands are shaking. “I’ll have them fixed immediately.”

“Fix them or don’t. It doesn’t matter to me now. Vesper will not be coming back here.” I turn to Osip. “Deal with the bodies.”

Aleksei is standing by the entrance doors when I approach. He’s pacing back and forth, his arms rigid at his sides. When he sees me, he snaps to attention. “Boss?—”

“Is Filipp still with Annabelle?” I cut in.

“Yes.”

“Does she know what happened?”

“No, sir. She just thinks the appointment is running late.”

“Good. Keep it that way. I’ll have Pavel talk to her in a moment. Until then, you say nothing to her. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“We will talk later. For now, let Filipp know that both of you are off security detail. Effective immediately.”

His head drops. “Understood, sir.”

I walk past him without another word and place Vesper in the passenger seat of my SUV. I don’t wait for anyone else—I just get behind the wheel and drive.

Vesper sits in complete silence, staring at the windshield. Her hiccups and sobs are mostly gone, though from time to time, one ripples through her like an aftershock. Her hands rest in her lap, still covered in dried blood.

I don’t try to talk to her. I don’t even touch her. I just drive until we’re home.

After I park in the drive and kill the engine, I walk around to her side and lift her into my arms again. She sighs against my chest but doesn’t resist. I can hear Waylen and Luka playing in the garden, but I don’t alert them to our presence as I slip upstairs.

I take Vesper straight to the master bathroom. I place her on the counter and start removing her clothes. She sits there, unresponsive but watchful. At least her breathing has returned to normal. She’s showing some faint signs of life.

I wipe the blood off her first. Each time the towel comes away red, but reveals only unbroken skin beneath, I feel a little more relief.

He didn’t hurt her in any way that matters.

Not physically, at least. The damage Ihor did to her mind is yet to be determined.

Once she’s naked and clean, I place her in the bathtub. The warm water is still filling from the faucet. The gentle trickle catches her attention. She lifts her hand and runs her fingers through the stream like she’s never seen falling water before.

I sit on the edge of the tub and comb my fingers through her hair. The blonde strands are soft and clean now.

“Kovan?”

Her voice nearly undoes me. So timid and afraid. “What do you need?”

“I need you to hold me.”

I stand and strip off my clothes. Then I climb into the tub behind her, pulling her between my legs. Her head rests against my chest and she lets out a deep sigh.

“You probably want to know what happened,” she mumbles.

“Not if you don’t want to talk about it.”

She turns slightly so I can see half of her face. A weak smile, a tear-filled eye. “Thank you for being patient with me. I know it’s hard for you.”

“I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

She bites her lip. “Nikolai and Tikhon?—”

“—knew the risks of their job. They’re Bratva men, Vesper.”

“They died for me.”

“If they had done their job properly,” I growl, “Ihor would never have gotten within a quarter fucking mile of you.”

She pushes off my chest and turns around to face me. She pulls her knees up and leans on them. “They saved my life, Kovan. Please don’t be angry with them.”

I decide not to tell her that I’ve already fired Aleksei and Filipp. She doesn’t need that added guilt right now.

“What happened?” I ask instead.

She’s quiet for a while, just breathing, gathering herself, before she begins.

“I had just finished my examination with Dr. Mann. She left me alone to change. I was talking to Charity on the phone when I noticed a shadow behind the door. Something felt wrong. I knew Nikolai and Tikhon were out there, but this was different.”

She pauses, adjusts, continues.

“I told Charity to call Osip and Pavel. Then I tried calling Nikolai. I could hear his phone ringing on the other side of the door, but he wasn’t answering.”

“Ihor had already gotten to him.”

She nods. “He walked in and started threatening me. He told me that if I didn’t come with him, he would kill me like he killed Nikolai and Tikhon.”

Her whole body shudders.

“When I refused, he came at me with his knife.”

I clench my fists under the suds where she can’t see them. The sinew cracks and pops, but it’s only lifeless bathwater I’m throttling to death. Not what I wish it was: Ihor’s fucking throat.

“So I did the only thing I could do,” says Vesper. “I fought.”

“Fought?” I can’t hide my surprise. “You fought Ihor?”

“Well, I tried to. There was a painting on the wall. I grabbed it and smashed him over the head with it.”

“Did you knock him out?”

“I wish. The man’s head must be made of concrete because I only managed to slow him down.

But at least he dropped his knife. It gave me time to try and hit him again.

” She hugs herself, arms dripping water and bubbles of soap.

“He was so furious that his eyes were red. They were— He was— like some kind of devil.”

I have the urge to punch something, but I force myself to stay calm. This is about her, not me. My rage will have to wait. She needs my understanding first.

“What happened next?”

“He grabbed me by the hair and knocked the painting out of my hand. He had me bent over the examination table.” Her eyes brighten as she continues. “I did everything I could, everything you taught me. I scratched and kicked. I fought, Kovan, I swear I did.”

“You did amazingly well, Vesper. You were incredible.”

“Not incredible enough. No matter what I did, he wouldn’t stop. At one point, he slapped me—” She presses her hand to her cheek like she’s reliving the blow. “—and my vision went hazy. I thought that was it for me. But I heard the door open. Someone came in.”

Her hand falls to the water in slow motion, like a dying butterfly.

“Ihor was so focused on trying to knock me out that he didn’t notice.”

“Who was it?”

“Tikhon. He had a stab wound in his side. He could barely walk, but he dragged himself in there and threw himself at Ihor. He had his gun out, was about to shoot, but Ihor ran. Just bolted out of that room and disappeared.”

A sob breaks through her lips.

“Tikhon collapsed. I did everything I could to stop the bleeding. But he’d lost too much already. All I could do was hold his hand while he died.”

“Come here, krasivyy .” I pull Vesper into my arms as the shudders start to rip through her again.

“He saved my life, Kovan. If it weren’t for Tikhon, I’d be dead. I’d be— I’d be— And then Luka, and our baby, and you, you’d be…”

Even the possibility of what she cannot say is enough to paralyze me with fear. I wasn’t lying earlier—there’s no point to my life without her in it.

“It’s okay, my love. You’re okay. You’re safe now.”

She swallows down the sobs so she can speak. “All I could think was that I had to see you again. There was a moment when Ihor had his hands around my neck, just before Tikhon showed up, and I thought I was going to die. I didn’t want to die before I saw you again.”

“You’re not going to die at all, Vesper. You’re not going to die for a very long time. When it is your time to go, you’re going to be a hundred and five and surrounded by our great-grandchildren.”

She smiles through her tears. “That sounds nice.”

I carry her out of the tub and into our bedroom. I alternate between toweling the water off her skin and kissing it away. She lets me, naked and vulnerable but not self-conscious anymore.

Once she’s dry, I pull her into my arms and hold her tightly, savoring her warmth and undeniable presence.

She’s here. She’s alive.

“I was so fucking scared,” I rasp, maybe the first time I’ve ever said those words out loud. “I’ve never been scared like that in my life. When you called?—”

“I’m sorry. I replayed that call later, after we hung up. I know what it must have sounded like. I should have been clearer.”

I cup her face and turn it up to mine. “I can’t lose you, Vesper.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

I pull her lips to mine and kiss her hungrily, pouring all my relief into that kiss. She tastes salty from her tears. My hands slip down her back. I’ve missed this—her silky skin, her perfect shape, the softness of her breasts. Touching her has become my favorite addiction.

I should stop. She’s not in the right headspace for this.

But the moment I try to pull away, she catches my lips with hers again. She pushes her body against mine as her hand palms my cock.

“Are you sure?” I whisper as she kisses my chest.

“Yes. I want you, Kovan. I want you so badly. I need you to make me forget.”

I grab her ass and lift her around my hips. She straddles me as I walk her back against the wall, my cock pushing against her. I can feel how wet she already is. She’s been longing for this as much as I have.

I kiss her breasts, my tongue circling her nipples. Vesper’s fingers twist into my hair as she pushes her hips toward me. One thrust and I’m deep inside her, feeling whole in a way I’ve never felt before. She’s tight and wet and beautiful around me.

We fuck for a while, a blur of limbs and positions, of mingled breaths. I can’t stop touching her and she can’t stop touching me. Because I’m alive. She’s alive. For as long as this lasts, we’ll both stay that way.

At some point, though, she clamps my face between her palms and draws my forehead to touch hers. “Kovan.” She gasps my name, her eyes drunk but focused on me. “I?—”

“Marry me.”

Her eyebrows pull together in confusion. “You already asked me, and I already said yes.”

“I’m asking you to marry me tonight,” I say, as words pour out of me, unplanned and reckless. “Not just tonight—right fucking now. Just you and me. The stars can be our witnesses.”

“Kovan—”

“We can do the big wedding later,” I continue. “We can do all the paperwork later, too. But I want to exchange vows with you right now. I want to call you my wife. I want to make my commitment to you right now. I can’t wait any longer.”

Her walls clench tight around me. “This is insane.”

“Yes, it is. But it feels right. Tell me you love me, Vesper.”

“I love you.”

“Then marry me.”

“Okay.” She laughs, her eyes flooding with happy tears. “Let’s give the stars a show.”

Still buried inside her, I carry her to the French doors that lead to our bedroom balcony. I throw them open and a breeze rushes in. The night air is cool against our heated skin. Above us, the sky is clear and full of stars.

“I, Kovan Krayev, take you, Vesper Fairfax, to be my wife. In sickness and in health, in danger and in safety, in this life and whatever comes after.”

She’s crying now, but smiling, too. “I, Vesper Fairfax, take you, Kovan Krayev, to be my husband. Through everything that comes our way, good and bad. I choose you, always.”

I kiss her under the stars. When we break apart, we’re both breathless.

“I love you,” I tell her.

“I love you, too.”

Then I drag her to the ground because there can be no more waiting. We make love under the open sky, with the stars as our witnesses and the night as our cathedral. And for the first time since that phone call this afternoon, I feel like everything is going to be okay.

Because she’s here. She’s alive. She’s mine.

And I’m never letting her go.