by Helen Bright
“I think it’s possible that these men found you because they could track the phone through GPS. Which means they know you are here at this very moment.” Kolya stood then swiftly made his way to the door.
I sat up a little too quickly, forgetting the shoulder wound in my panic to leave. Kolya dashed from the open door back to my bed when I cried out in pain, and eased me back down on to the bed gently.
“Tess, milaya moya, what are you doing? You must lie still and allow yourself to heal. You will hurt yourself if you try to get out of bed so quickly.”
“But you don’t understand, Kolya. If they find me I think they would hurt me even more than I’m hurting now. I need to leave and hide somewhere. Please, let me get up,” I begged, while using my legs to push me further up the bed. But Kolya pinned my arms to my sides, halting my movements.
“Listen to me, malyutka. You are not going anywhere until you are well enough. I will keep you safe, you have my word on that. I will never let you come to any harm while you are in my care. Do you understand me, Tess?” He stared into my eyes, still holding my arms, until finally I lay still and compliant.
“Now, little one, will you keep still if I let you go? Two of my guards have just entered the room and I need to speak with them about my suspicions regarding the phone. I want you to know what our plans are so you can stop worrying about hiding yourself away. I need to have your trust and cooperation in this so I can keep you safe. Do I have that, Tess? Do you trust that I will keep you safe?”
I looked at his guards, who were standing at the foot of my bed, then back to those beguiling blue eyes. I could feel the strength and power emanating from him, and not just from his tall, muscular frame. It was like it was built into him. Part of his nature, if you will. His high cheekbones and strong, bearded jaw were set in a way that spoke of determination, and I knew I could do nothing but comply with this man.
I took a deep breath, taking in the scent of his cologne and of…well, him, I suppose, and it soothed me in a way I had never experienced before. I closed my eyes and nodded my head. Seconds later, Kolya let go of my arms then picked up my hand, kissing my fingers before smiling at me.
“Thank you, Tess, for giving me your trust. Know that everyone in this room would give their life for yours without hesitation.” I looked toward the two guards at the end of my bed and saw them both nod. It was a surreal moment.
It’s not every day that complete strangers offer to give up their life to save yours, and if I’m honest, I wasn’t comfortable with it at all. But I kept my mouth shut while Kolya began to explain a little of my past to his guards. Once again, I didn’t see any judgement regarding my background, only blatant contempt for the men who were intent on finding me.
The guards’ names were Franco and Nate, and both had an American accent. Both were tall, around six feet in height, and were quite muscular. Nate’s skin tone was the colour of milk chocolate and he sported a military-style buzz cut. Although his height and stature were imposing, his eyes expressed a kindness that I was sure wasn’t only reserved for injured runaways in their hour of need. Franco, on the other hand, although tall, dark, and handsome with an Italian look about him, had a fire to his chestnut-brown eyes. Like he was ready to fight at a moment’s notice and welcomed danger. Although this may have made others wary of him, I felt an affinity with this man. Maybe he had a similar start in life to me and Danny?
I wondered about Danny. I knew he’d be worried about me. He’d proven to be a good friend in the short time I’d known him, and I wanted to let him know what had happened to me. I’d told Kolya all about Danny, and how he’d kept me safe and warm while sleeping rough on those cold London streets.
“Kolya, I need to get a message to Danny. He’ll be worried about me. I don’t want him to be out there looking for me. He doesn’t need the stress.”
Kolya nodded and got Nate to write down his description, and also a description of Bess and the sleeping bag. I told him where Danny preferred to sleep and on what days, so they could narrow down his whereabouts. After thanking him for his help, I waited to hear what they’d decided to do about the phone, Farid, and the others.
“We can take the phone to my hotel and wait for them to arrive. Of course, they are probably already in the vicinity of this building as the phone has been here unmoving for a while. I propose we keep a guard here in your room and one outside the door. I will circulate the photographs from the phone to everyone on my staff, and post a guard at the front entrance of the hospital so we can intercept them before they make contact. Hopefully they will follow me back to the hotel, then I can deal with them in familiar surroundings. Our priority is to stop them getting to you, Tess, but I would like to question them with regards to your friend’s disappearance.” I could see in Kolya’s eyes he didn’t think they’d find Sarah, but I appreciated him trying.
He decided that Nate would stay with me in my room, and someone called Ivan would stand guard outside my door. A man named Jonesy would keep watch at the hospital entrance and Franco and someone called Lucas would go back to Kolya’s hotel with him. Kolya circulated the photographs from Sarah’s phone, then went to speak with the doctor before he left the building.
8
Tess
When Kolya and Franco left the room, Nate came over to the chair at the side of the bed and asked if I minded if he sat for a while. I shook my head and watched as he sat down and made himself comfortable. He looked at me and smiled, and although I was a little wary of being this close to a stranger, I smiled back at him. Neither of us spoke for a while, we just stared at each other—both of us assessing one another in a way. Then Nate broke the silence by saying, “You are one special young lady, Tess, to be willing to take a bullet for a stranger. A real hero.”
“I’m not a hero,” I told him, truthfully. “I only went to push Kolya to safety, not to take a bullet as you just said.”
“But you must have considered the risk?” he questioned.
“It was over in seconds, Nate, there wasn’t time to consider anything.” I wasn’t lying. It had happened so fast, and all I could think of at the time was to push Kolya out of the way, not for the guy to shoot me instead.
“I can’t believe he kept us at the rear when he left the building. We would never normally do that, but the boss—Mr Barinov, allowed Mr Markos’s guards to go out front and give lead protection detail. It’s fu… I mean, it shouldn’t have happened. I assume Mr Markos will fire whoever went out first to secure the area, and I know Mr Barinov will never put himself in that situation again.”
“Who’s Mr Markos?” I asked.
“He’s a very close friend of Mr Barinov. They often do business together, as well as spend time together socially—holidays and that kind of thing. So I know Mr Barinov trusts Mr Markos’s usual guards. Hell, we all know his usual team pretty well after all this time. But honestly, Tess, I just keep thinking if one of us had taken lead protection, then you wouldn’t be lying hurt in that bed right now.”
“Don’t feel guilty, Nate,” I told him. “At least I’m still here, and I honestly don’t know what would have happened if Tariq had caught up with me. They say things happen for a reason, so maybe this was a divine intervention, albeit a painful one,” I said, wincing as I tried to make myself more comfortable.
“Hey, Tess, are you in pain? Do you want me to get the nurse for you?” Nate asked as he came over to the bed. I shook my head, but that only made the pain worse.
“Keep still, girl, just until the nurse arrives,” Nate ordered, taking the buzzer out of my hand and pressing it firmly. About a minute later, Nurse Maria came through the door and Nate explained that I was in pain. She set the blood pressure machine going, took my temperature, then clipped something on the end of my finger before saying she’d be back in a moment. Nate pulled the chair nearer to the bed and placed my hand in his until the nurse came back.
“Miss Robertson, the doctor has prescribed morphine and something to prevent naus
ea which I am going to administer through your cannula. You may start to feel sleepy, so try and get some rest while you can.”
I felt the effects of the drugs straight away, as a kind of detached feeling came over me. I let my eyes wander over to Nate and the concerned look on his face had me reaching for his hand again. I don’t know if my hand made contact, though, because a strange calmness pulled me under and my eyes closed.
* * *
I awoke sometime later to find Nate gone and Kolya once again sitting in the chair at the side of my bed. The clock on the wall told me it was just after two. As the curtains were closed and the room was in semi darkness—other than a nightlight above my bed—I assumed it was two in the morning.
Kolya’s eyes were closed and his head was tilted back. I took a moment to look at him while he slept, taking in his appearance.
He was gorgeous, there was no getting away from that. He must be about forty years old, from what he’d told me earlier. But apart from a little bit of grey hair appearing through the light brown at his temples, you really couldn’t tell. He had a short, neatly trimmed beard that suited his strong jawline and added to his blatant masculinity.
I felt bad that he wasn’t sleeping in a comfortable bed, but I was also glad he was here—like he cared about me or something. It wasn’t what I was used to and I appreciated his presence in what would otherwise have been a very lonely experience for me.
The door to my room opened and in walked a different nurse. This woke Kolya, and I looked over at him as he stretched and yawned. I glanced back at the nurse and caught her giving Kolya a very appreciative look. I couldn’t blame her, but I was uncomfortable with it, too.
“I’m sorry to wake you, Miss Robertson, but I need to check your vitals. I’ll be as quick as I can then I’ll leave you alone to rest. My name is Julie, by the way, and if you need anything through the night, don’t hesitate to use your buzzer.”
“Um, Julie, do you think I could have a wash and move position? I feel a bit hot and sticky and a little uncomfortable,” I told her as I tried to alter my position.
“Of course, Miss Robertson. I’ll just finish getting your stats together, then I’ll sit you up and bring a bowl of water.”
“Could I go to a bathroom instead, please?” I asked, but she shook her head.
“I’m afraid the surgeon said bed rest for twenty-four hours, but he’ll be back to review you in the morning. You have a catheter fitted so you don’t have to get up and use the toilet, and I can bring you a bedpan if you need one.”
“No, it’s not that,” I said quickly, trying to hide my embarrassment from Kolya. “I just want to feel clean. And I haven’t got any soap or anything with me.”
“I asked the spa staff at my hotel to put together a few essentials for you, malyutka, and my assistant organised some nightwear and other items of clothing to be delivered earlier this evening. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find your shoe size from the ones you wore, so the ladies at the spa sent their usual towelling slippers until you were able to tell us what you need.” Kolya gestured toward some bags next to the wall. “We didn’t want to disturb you while you were sleeping, so we left the clothes in the bags.”
I glanced over and spotted the name on six of the bags. Harvey Nichols. Looking back at Kolya I shook my head.
“I appreciate you getting me some clothing, but honestly, I don’t have any money to pay you for these things. I understand the reasons why you brought me to this hospital, and paying for private treatment, but buying me clothes from Harvey Nichols is way too over the top. So I’m sorry if it’s messing you and your assistant around, but I just can’t accept them, Kolya.”
“Nonsense, malyutka. This small amount of clothing is nothing to me. You can and will accept them. You needed clothes, and now you have some. They had to cut away the clothing from your upper body when you were brought in and there was blood on your other clothes so they were disposed of. Now if you wish, I can help you with your bathing, or I can leave the room while the nurse helps you,” Kolya stated as he brought over the biggest wash bag I had ever seen.
I could tell from looking in his eyes that his offer was sincere. That he would help me wash myself if I wanted. But I shook my head and told him that I would be happier if the nurse would do it.
“Very well, malyutka. I will go for a coffee and wait outside until you are decent. Lucas, my driver, and a guard are outside the door if you need anything while I am gone,” Kolya informed me as he made his way over to the door. He turned to face me as he closed the door behind him and I saw so much concern in his eyes—but I didn’t know how to deal with it. After all, there had been few people in my life that had ever shown any concern or regard for my welfare. So I gave him a wary smile and watched as he closed the door.
* * *
Nurse Julie went to a door that was hidden away behind a screen, and for the first time I realised that the room I was in had an en-suite bathroom. I heard her opening and closing cupboard doors then turning on taps. Moments later she came out of the bathroom with a bowl filled with warm water.
I unzipped the wash bag and carefully took out its contents. Nurse Julie gave a surprised gasp when I placed a few of the items on the wheeled side table. There was face wash, shower cream, a wash cloth, toner, moisturiser, and eye cream, and all by Elemis. Next came Philip Kingsley shampoo and conditioner, along with a brush and comb. I knew these were expensive brands, as I had seen them when Jean took me and Sarah out window shopping in Leeds.
Julie said briskly, “Let’s remove this hospital gown first, then I’ll leave you to wash where you can while I go and take a look in the bags for a nighty or pyjamas. If you want, I can bring you a cup of Horlicks or hot chocolate. Later, if you manage to keep the Horlicks down, I can send off to the restaurant to see if they can bring you some food. How does that sound?”
It all sounded good, until she began to remove my gown and the pain hit. But I got through it, and after Julie had pumped a bit of the face wash onto the wet washcloth, I began to clean my face, neck and upper body. Although doing this was exhausting, I immediately felt the benefit, and my mood lifted a little. A fresh bowl of water later and I was able to clean the rest of my body. Julie helped me wash my back, legs, and feet.
Although I’d tried to keep as clean as I could while living on the streets, it’s just not the same when you’re strip washing at a sink in the disabled toilets at McDonald’s, instead of getting a proper bath or shower.
I was so grateful to feel fresher than before. Julie took a roll-on deodorant, tooth brush, and toothpaste out of the wash bag, and after bringing me two cups of water I began to brush my teeth. She looked through yet another bag, then brought a button-down satin nightshirt over to the bed. After removing the tags and the IV tubes for a moment, she helped me put it on. It looked expensive and felt amazingly soft against my skin. Julie took the water into the bathroom and came back with a mirror. My shoulder-length, copper-coloured curly hair was untamed and frizzy, but without shampooing and conditioning it there really wasn’t anything I could do about it.
Julie suggested mixing a small amount of conditioner with water and running that through it, and as there was nothing else to be done I reluctantly agreed. Surprisingly, this did help a little, and at least it stopped me looking like I had stuck my fingers into a live plug socket. Why I cared about my appearance so much just now, I couldn’t say. I think mind over matter played a big part. Kind of, if I look better I will feel better, and for the most part, I felt that it was working.
Looking once more in the mirror I couldn’t help but notice how pale my lips were. Usually they were a dusky rose colour, but just now they matched my pale skin. I looked tired, and even the freckles across my nose and cheeks seemed to have less colour. My amber eyes looked slightly bloodshot and held no sparkle. This is what being shot does for you, I thought to myself, and I laughed a little despite the seriousness of the situation.
Julie looked at me like I’d
grown another head, but that only made me laugh more. Without warning, the laughter suddenly turned to tears, and try as I might, I couldn’t seem to stop. Julie tried to sooth me, but it didn’t help.
I didn’t hear the door opening, but I recognised the familiar manly scent of Kolya as he kissed the top of my head, rested his forehead against my own and took hold of both my hands. He sat on the edge of the bed and began to say something in what I assumed to be Russian. I couldn’t understand it, of course, but I listened to the words all the same, and pretty soon my sobs began to subside. Kolya kissed my fingers once again before letting go of my hands, grabbing some tissues from a box at the side of my bed. I took them gratefully, wiped the tears from my eyes then blew my nose.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, not meeting his eyes. “I’m not usually a crier. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Hush, malyutka. The last twenty-four hours have been very traumatic for you. In fact, the last few years of your life have been very traumatic from what you have told me. It is understandable that you broke down for a moment. And often, it is good to do that. It’s how we let things go and move on. If we keep these emotions locked away, eventually we break, and that is much harder to fix. So cry all you want when you need to, little one. There will be no judgement from me or mine when you do.”
I looked up at his beautiful, sculpted features. His eyes showed genuine care and concern, and I became lost in their depths. Something seemed to hit me deep in my chest: a sensation so strong it took my breath away. It was an odd feeling—as if something was pulling me towards him, yet it was also sinking low into my belly at the same time. But it didn’t cause me any physical pain, just a strong feeling of having butterflies. I couldn’t seem to tear my gaze away from him, and stayed that way until his hand cupped the side of my face. I leaned into it and closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his thumb as it skimmed my cheek with a featherlight touch.