CHAPTER TEN

    NIKOLAI 

I stared at them in amusement, a laugh escaped my lips. They stared at me in horror as I laughed so hard and doubled over on the sofa. 

   When I finally straightened up, I looked them dead in the eye,

     “Bold of you to assume you are in the position to give me an ultimatum, you lots seem to have forgotten there is no Markov family without me, I am The Markov and you all are accessories to the name,

        My accessories. Now get out of my house and do not return.”

    After freshening up, I took the supplies with me to the hospital. She was sleeping so hard when i got there so I dropped the supplies and sat on the chair provided.

   In a million years, I never would have thought I'd care for this girl. But here I am now, my heart breaking watching her go through such pain…

   My phone ringing interrupted my thoughts, it was Lev.

       “Sir, Oleg says he has something to say, but he can only say it in your presence”

    “Yeah I would be right there”.

This motherfucker's information better be worth leaving my wife's side. On getting to the warehouse, he was in a really bad state, his nose was broken and blood ran out of it like tap, his face was filler with severe bruises and there was a deep cut on his upper arm but this was no where close to what my wife was suffering.

   He's going to have it in the closest possible way as my wife but first let me hear what he has to say. Before I even opened my mouth to speak he was already whimpering,

  

     “Oh my s..sir you're here,”

He looked pathetic, 

      “You had something to tell me?”

     “Ye..yes something you'd like, but you're going to do something for me in return,

         Please leave my family out of this, they had nothing to do with this, please I beg you”

   “Boy, you're in no position to be giving terms and conditions,” I said scoffing,

   

    “Now spill out the information and i’d decide if its worth my while.”

    “I didn't do it myself, someone sent me. They promised me they'd take my family to greater heights and relieve us from our debts”

    “Who sent you?”

   “I..I don't know the person's identity..

       Sighing I turned my back to leave till his voice interrupted my steps,

     “But I suspect a person sir, or rather people. T..the person communicating with me sounds like they were your council or someone working for them”

    “So what makes you think I don't already know that?”

     “Sir, the person knew a lot about her whereabouts, almost like he or she was there when the arrangements were being discussed and that gave me the impression that it must be someone close your house”

    “Okay”

    “Sir I told you what I know, please let my family go,”

I turned back abruptly and grabbed him by the collar so tight, he was already gasping for air,

     “Don't think for a second that I'd ever let you or your people go over one measly information not when my wife is still in there fighting for her life.”

   “Lev, donate all that he owns to different orphanages and make sure not one cent remains in his account. I do not ever want to see or hear of a Baranov in Kazan, make that happen,”

      “Sir what should happen to Vanny?”

    “Make sure he never drives again and for each pair of organs take away one. The strongest one.”

    I left, I had to find out who the council had left by my side to spy on me but I need to see my wife first.

   

  TATYANA 

My eyelids felt heavy and my eyes groggy when I opened them again. The room was clean and no one was there. I tried saying something but only a faint whisper came out. 

   I heard the door open and I saw Nikolai come in and I was happy. He looked tired and I saw blood on his shirt. 

     “Hey!! How are you, are you okay? Can you see me? Can you hear me?”

    He just kept fussing over me with a barrage of questions I didn't know which to answer first. Seeing as I could not speak I could only just keep nodding like a lizard. 

     He smiled widely I thought his chin was going to fall off, he just kept planting multiple kisses on the little part of my head that was free from bandage. 

     “Let me get the doctor, baby.”

He just called me baby! Though I am on a hospital bed whatever it is in my stomach was still able to flutter. It sounded so nice.

    He came in with my doctors a moment later, and only after they assured him I was healing properly did he let them leave. One of my hands was still mobile so I gestured for him to get me a writing pad and pen.

    “How are you?”I asked him,

  He laughed, “I am okay”

     “Why's there blood on your shirt?”

He hurriedly looked around himself,

    “Oh sorry for this sight darling, just dealing with some bad guys”

    That's the second endearment in less than an hour, I don't know if it's the pain killers or tge fact i almost died today but I'm really emotional right now that I start to cry.

     “Oh baby is it the blood? 

     He's still calling me baby, and the tears doubled.

Let me change my shirt okay” and he dashed off to the bathroom.

  He came back in a grey singlet,

     “Uhmm there was no extra shirt, so.. I hope you don't mind”

      He wiped the tears from my eyes and when I had calmed down, I asked him,

     “Did you find who did this to me, are they related to your people that want me dead?”

   “Oh don't bother yourself with that darling, it's being handled.”

     “Is that why there was blood on your shirt?”

    “No need to get into the details, darling.”

     “Seems like they are never going to give up,”

     “Yeah well they'd keep trying and I'd keep teaching them lessons,”

  “What happens if they succeed one day?”

    “They will not, I promise”

Sighing I wrote, “I don't think I can keep living like this, Nikolai.”