Heart of the Devil (The Forge Trilogy #3)(5)

“What’s your angle, Belevich? Who the fuck are you, really?” I ask, wishing we’d had this conversation before I got into a vehicle with him and my very injured bodyguard, who won’t be much help if we’re truly in danger.

“Right now, I’m one of the only friends you have in this country. Like I said, I want to be in your father’s favor. That’s my angle.”

I shrink closer to Goliath’s side of the car. As if he can sense my unease, Goliath reaches out a hand to cover mine, giving it a quick squeeze against the cool black leather.

“Good luck with that, since I don’t even know the man, but suit yourself.”

The Mercedes takes a series of quick turns down the narrow streets, and five minutes later, we park in front of a building that has seen better days. What looks like fresh graffiti marks a side door that is flanked by two barred windows.

If it didn’t say Veteriná? above the doorway in faded red letters on a white sign, I would have thought I’d made a horrible error in judgment. I may not speak Czech, but even I can translate that.

“Come. We will go through the side door. It leads to the treatment rooms. The dogs will not tell on us.” Belevich pushes open his door of the SUV and climbs out.

I turn toward Goliath, letting my indecision and fear show on my face. “Our only other choice is to run. What do you think we should do?”

Belevich’s driver sits ahead of me, listening to every word, but I don’t care. I need to get Goliath’s read on the situation, because right now, I don’t know if my decisions are leading us astray.

“Let’s go inside,” Goliath says as he discreetly lifts the side of his suit jacket to show me a flash of metal.

He has a gun. Thank God. Why didn’t he pull it on Belevich before? Oh, wait, that’s right, he was bleeding out from his shoulder.

“Okay. Then we’ll go,” I say as Belevich opens Goliath’s door.

“Come on. Come on. We don’t want to be seen, even if the people in this neighborhood do not like the police any more than we do.”

I slide across the leather seat, and it only takes a few steps to cross the cracked sidewalk and slip through the open door.

Inside, fluorescent lighting turns the dingy white floor a sickly yellow. Disinfectant mixed with wet-dog scent assails my nostrils as we step inside. Meows and barks and whines come from several directions, and my instincts charge into overdrive as I follow Goliath and Belevich into a room with a stainless-steel table in the center.

“Really, Dmitri?” a feminine voice says. “I don’t hear from you for over a year, and now twice in two days? And you bring me a bleeding man? You are good in bed, but not that good.”

I peer around Goliath’s massive form as a fair-skinned woman in blue scrubs props her hands on her hips and glares at Belevich.

“Marina, please. You are saving this man’s life. And perhaps the life of another. You will be rewarded handsomely, I promise.” Belevich presses a kiss to her cheek just below a lock of dark hair escaping from her surgical cap.

“I do not want your money. You know this.”

Belevich takes her latex-glove-covered hand in his. “You will have my eternal gratitude, and I promise I will show you next time that I am that good in bed.”

Clearly, these two have a close relationship, because Marina yanks her hand from Belevich’s, rolls her eyes, and motions for Goliath to sit down on the metal table.

“Now I must scrub in again before I can touch him. Hands off until we are done, Mitri.”

Marina is all business as she hustles over to the sink and rips off her gloves. She scours her skin roughly with soap and steaming hot water.

I say nothing as I find a place against the wall that allows me to see the door and everyone in the room. Ah, situational awareness, my old friend.

When she has donned new gloves, Marina marches over to Goliath. “What happened to you?”

“Didn’t move quick enough.” Goliath’s voice is strained from the pain.

She reaches for the towel, but pauses, and looks at me and then Belevich. “Both of you, out. Send my assistant. She will know what to do. There are chairs in the break room. Stay out of sight.”

I swallow and meet Goliath’s black gaze.

He inclines his chin. “I’ll be fine, Mrs. Forge.”

Just hearing him call me by my married name sends a stab of urgency through me. I have to find Jericho.

“Okay. I won’t be far,” I tell him before following Belevich out of the room.

In the hallway, he waves over a younger woman in rainbow scrubs. “Your boss needs you. Is there anyone else here?”

She shakes her head at the Russian. “No. We are closed. Dr. Novotny and I were only staying late to look after one of the dogs who had surgery this afternoon.”

“Good. Go help Marina.”

As soon as the girl disappears into the treatment room and closes the door behind her, Belevich eyes me.

“You look like hell.”

I glance down at the dress I’m wearing, now stained with even more blood. “I don’t care what I look like. We need to start calling in your favors.”

He jerks his head toward the door that just closed. “That’s favor number one. Before I call in another, I need to know who the hell has balls big enough to kidnap Jericho Forge. You tell me, and then we can get started.”