Page 116 of Shutter and Sin
“Yegor had minor surgery on his arm. It was broken in two places, but he’ll be fine. The two girls are sedated in hospital rooms. They have bruises, and they’re in shock, but they’ll recover.”
“And Lev and Grigori, how are they?”
Bohdan hesitates before answering. “Still in surgery. But the doctors say they’ll survive.”
I nod, my mind already moving to the next steps. “Keep guards stationed on all of them. I don’t want anyone getting close to Zoya’s friends. And double the security outside her room.”
Bohdan dips his chin. “Already done, Pakhan.”
“Good.” I glance back at Zoya’s door before continuing. “I need to make some calls. Stay here and don’t let anyone into that room except doctors and nurses. Understood?”
Bohdan nods. “Yes, Pakhan.”
I walk down the hall and pull out my phone. There’s work to be done, but first I need to deal with Kostya. That little shit is going to pay for what he did to my wife.
Chapter 37
Zoya
The living room is quiet except for the clinking of teacups, with pastries laid out on the table between us. My mom is giving me that look - the one that tells me she’s already decided I’m in the wrong about something.
“You look tired,” she says, her eyes scanning my face.
“I’m fine, Mama, really.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Are you sleeping? Are you eating enough?”
I nod, trying to keep my patience. “Yes, I’m sleeping, and yes, I’m eating. I’m fine.”
Yelena shifts and jumps in before my mom can ask another question. “How was your appointment today?”
I feel some of the tension leave my shoulders. “It was good. The baby is healthy, my iron levels are up, and my blood pressure is normal.”
Anya reaches over and squeezes my hand. “That’s great, Zoya.”
“The doctor also cleared me for light activities,” I continue, watching my mom’s face carefully. “So I told Alexei that I want to go back to the university.”
Not a flicker of emotion crosses her face. “So?”
I look down at my hands. “He said no.”
No one says anything for a long moment. Then my mom sets down her teacup. “Well, of course, he refused. You’re carrying his child, and you almost died half a month ago. Why on earth would he agree to that?”
“I’m completely fine now. The doctor signed off on it, and sitting for lectures isn’t going to hurt the baby or me.”
She waves a hand dismissively. “Who cares what that quack says. You’re his wife and carrying his heir, you need to be here where you’re safe.
I feel heat spreading up from my collar. “Those things aren’t mutually exclusive. I can take care of myself and the baby while also continuing my education.”
She picks up her teacup. “If you could manage both, you wouldn’t have gotten yourself shot at and flipped in a car, would you?”
“I didn’t cause that. I wasn’t the one shooting at us or driving the other car.”
My mother sets her teacup down and fixes me with a stare. “Oh, Zoya, even while growing up, you never accepted blame. Not even when you were in the wrong. Did you or did you not insist on going to that neighborhood, hence drawing attention to yourself? And then what happened? You got shot at. You nearly lost your baby. How is that not your fault?”
“Except I didn’t. The baby’s fine and so am I.”
“Sheer dumb luck, nothing else.” She could be discussing the weather for all the emotions on her face. “Luck is finite. Alexei learned that lesson a long time ago, which is exactly why he’s insisting you stay home now.”
