Charlee groaned as she shifted in the plush bed that seemed to engulf her and take her hostage. Dr. Romanova had just left a few minutes ago after coming to check in on her and ensuring that she was comfortable. The slight dull pain pulsed in her left bicep, causing her to gasp as she attempted to sit up in the bed.

The worst of the pain seemed to be over. The pain medications Dr. Romanova prescribed appeared to be doing their job. Charlee reached for her pill bottle and glass of water, downing one of the pain pills. If she took two, she was sure to become drowsy. According to the Russian doctor, she was cleared to walk around the sanctuary’s main buildings, but she could not go out into the field yet. She wanted Charlee to rest for a few more days.

This morning, she woke up to find West gone. At some point in the night, Malena must have left. She remembered the feel of his strong arms surrounding her and him placing a kiss at the base of her neck before she drifted off into her medicated slumber. It was his arms that kept the nightmares of the shooting at bay.

“Let me get dressed,” she muttered, standing from the bed. A comfortable outfit was laid out on the chaise in the corner.

Malena.

“That woman knows me,” she laughed, walking over to the bathroom.

She was not allowed a shower yet. Dr. Romanova didn’t want the bandage and wound to get wet. She washed up as best she could at the sink, but her shoulder began to throb from the constant movement. She cursed, knowing that she was supposed to leave it in the sling, but how could she wash her body without moving it? She had to hit certain areas with soap and water!

“Hello!” Malena shouted from the bedroom.

“I’m in here,” she answered with a grimace. She attempted to wrap the towel around her and failed.

“You should have waited until I came back,” Malena scolded.

“You’re not washing me. I love you, but I’m drawing the line at that,” Charlee chuckled through her pain.

“Whatever.” Malena waved her hand as Charlee walked out of the bathroom and over to the chaise. The towel slipped, but Charlee gave up. It wasn’t like Malena hadn’t seen her in the nude before.

“Sorry,” Charlee said, reaching for her clean underwear. She struggled to put them on, but refused Malena’s help again. She slid the leggings on, then looked at the bra.

Malena laughed at her with a pitiful look.

“It’s not funny,” Charlee muttered as her friend came over and assisted her with her bra and shirt. There was no way that she could walk around with no bra. The girls were bountiful, and had to be contained when in public.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m famished,” Malena announced as she adjusted Charlee’s sling.

“Me too. Let’s go downstairs and find food,” Charlee suggested.

She was curious as to where West had disappeared to. She knew that he was pissed about the shooting, and she could tell that he was torn up on the inside about her pain. She didn’t know how or why, but she could feel his emotions. No matter how many times she tried to convince him that it was not his fault that some idiot shot her, he still blamed himself.

Charlee and Malena made their way to the first floor of the building and followed the signs to the dining hall. Charlee’s stomach grumbled with the smell of hot, fresh food. In the few weeks they had been in the wild, they didn’t get this.

“Oh my, what is that smell?” Malena groaned, rubbing her abdomen as their steps quickened.

“I don’t know, but it needs to get in my belly,” Charlee laughed as they reached the dining area. Malena grabbed a tray and pushed Charlee over to the food line. Malena piled food on the tray for both of them. She carried it over to an empty table near a large window that allowed people to enjoy a meal and have a picture perfect view of nature.

Charlee grabbed her fork and took a few bites of her food. It was some native casserole dish, and was amazing. Taking a sip of her drink, she glanced around, and a familiar figure caught her eye out on the terrace. She grabbed her napkin and wiped her mouth.

West.

“I’ll be back,” she said, excusing herself from the table.

She adjusted the sling as she made her way toward him. She walked around a few tables, her eyes never leaving his muscular frame. Her breath caught in her throat as she paused in the doorway. He was speaking in Russian. The tone of his voice was fierce as she listened. It didn’t take all her advanced degrees to sense that something was wrong. She didn’t know what the hell he was saying, but it did something for her. Her core pulsed with his commanding tone.

Down, girl.

He turned, as if sensing someone behind him. His eyes deepened as they met hers. Her heart rate spiked with his one look. Her skin began to tingle as his eyes took their time assessing her. Her nipples pushed painfully against her bra with the memory of their last time together. He motioned for her to come to him. Her body, on autopilot, moved at his command. He brought her to his side as he finished his call.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, placing a kiss on her forehead.

“Better,” she said, feeling comforted by his warm body. Just being around him seemed to brighten her day. But something was wrong. She didn’t know what, but she knew that phone call held the answers to her questions. “What’s wrong?”

His deep sigh confirmed her suspicions. He reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face as she waited for him to answer.

“I need to leave the sanctuary…” he began, but paused.

“Okay.” She nodded, waiting for him to continue.

“There’s someone that I need to meet with.” He looked over her shoulder and motioned for someone to come over.

A large familiar man stepped out onto the terrace, shutting the door. She remembered seeing him the at the small hotel back in Lyrino.

“What’s going on?” she asked, looking from the newcomer back to West.

“This is Drago. He’s my top security specialist. While I’m gone, he’s going to assign someone to protect you.”

“Protect me?” she gasped. “From what?”

“We have reason to believe that you getting shot in the rainforest was no accident. They were aiming for you,” Drago announced.

“What? Who would want me dead?” she cried out, her free hand covering her mouth. Fear took hold of her as she thought back to the shooting. Had she not jumped when she did, the bullet that pierced her left arm could have easily pierced the left side of her chest, hitting her square in the heart.

“Don’t worry about—”

“No, you don’t get to tell me that someone wants me dead and then keep secrets. This is my life. Who the hell would want me dead?” she demanded, putting her hand on her waist.

“I’m trying to protect you,” he snapped, frustration lining his face.

“Who?” she backed away from him, needing to put space between them. Hurt flashed in his eyes as she distanced herself from him. Her fear slowly morphed to anger at the thought of someone trying to kill her because of her life’s mission to save entire animal species’.

He cursed and took a few steps away from her. She stared at his back until he turned back to her.

“She deserves to know, West,” Drago spoke from behind Charlee. She nodded her head in agreement. It was her right to know who wanted her dead.

She held her breath as he stalked back to her with a dangerous gleam in his eye that she had never seen before. At least, not in a human. The same look in his eyes was that of a tiger on the hunt. She swallowed hard as he stopped in front of her, causing her to tilt her head back.

“The Ruslanovich Bratva have put a hit out on you,” he announced, causing a gasp to escape her.

Her knees drew weak. The Russian Mafia? That anger she was experiencing immediately dissipated and fear slammed back into her chest. She swallowed a few times, trying to get words to form, but she couldn’t. What the hell had she done to have a hit put out on her?

“I’m going to leave, and Drago’s man will protect you,” he instructed.

“Don’t leave me,” she cried out, panic filling her chest. She had watched enough mafia movies to know that having a hit out on a person was a death warrant already signed. He couldn’t leave her. Not now. She wasn’t expecting his announcement to take this route.

“You’ll be fine,” he stated, grabbing her by the shoulders as she shook her head. “I want you to carry a weapon on you. Do you think you can fire a handgun with only one hand?”

She jerked her head in a nod. Hell yeah, she would be able to shoot a gun. She didn’t care what type of pain it caused. If it came down to it, she’d rip the damn sling off to be able to protect herself.

“Charlee,” he snapped, gaining her attention as her imagination ran wild.

“Are they all like you?” she asked, waving a hand toward Drago.

“Yes, we are,” Drago spoke up. She was slightly comforted, knowing that these men that would be protecting her were like West.

“Where are you going?” she asked, feeling the warm trail of tears along her cheeks. She blinked her eyes a few times to try to clear her vision.

She had never been so frightened in her life. She had been in the depths of dangerous jungles all over the world, and that was nothing compared to knowing that people were going to be hunting her down for the money.

“I’m going to go talk to the Ruslanovich pakhan.” West rubbed her arms as he looked down at her.

“You know him?” She sniffed, leaning into his chest. This was turning into the worst nightmare of all. Never in a million years would she have ever believed that her life would be the backdrop of a real life movie.

“Unfortunately, I do,” he answered as he rubbed her back. “My secretary has set up a meeting with him. A helicopter will be here shortly to pick me up.”

“Don’t worry, West. Ivan will guard her with his life while we’re gone. Let’s move to a more secured area where we can talk more,” Drago suggested. “We need to discuss the plan, and out here is not the place to do so.”

“I have the utmost confidence in Ivan.” West’s chest rumbled as he spoke. “But you’re right. Let’s go up to our suite to discuss details.”

West guided her off the terrace and through the dining room with Drago leading the way. His hand at the small of her back provided reassurance. She caught Malena’s curious eyes and motioned for her to follow them. Malena would never believe what she had to tell her.

Charlee briefly closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer that Ivan would be as good as Drago was suggesting. She didn’t need anyone dying for her. All she needed was for him to keep her alive and in one piece so that West could come back to her.