Chapter 84

Marek was on edge going back to the penthouse. We didn’t feel anyone following us, or at least I didn’t, but he continued to be in business mode the entire drive back. It made me think something else was going on in the background but Marek would have told me if it was something important. Lec pulled into the underground and up to the elevator. Keenan unbuckled his seatbelt and got out, opening the door for me. I looked from him to Marek.

“Are you…not coming up?”

Marek shook his head. “I’ve got some business to attend to for a bit. I’ll be back later this evening. So don’t worry about dinner or staying up for me.” He reached out and gently pulled me closer, kissing my lips. “Be safe.”

“You too.” I slid out of the car and shut the door behind me. “One piece?”

He smirked, nodding. “One piece.”

I stood there with Keenan as we watched them leave and disappear back on the street. My lips pursed and I sighed.

“You don’t know where they went, do you?”

“No. Lec didn’t say anything but he looked as happy about it as Mr. Baranov did.”

Nodding, I turned back and we go onto the elevator. It was a quiet ride up but I was happy to be home. The house had been a bit chaotic. We’d stayed for a few days for Marek to help sort everything out. No one was happy about it, least of all Bronya. She made that known every moment she thought someone might overhear her.

It only came to a stop when their mother, Nadia Baranov, made a rare appearance. Marek said she lived in the wing on the other side of the house with two full time helpers. She appeared in the kitchen when Bronya was having a particularly loud meltdown. While I didn’t necessarily hate Bronya, it was satisfying to watch Mrs. Baranov slap her across the face. Her mother then proceeded to give her an entire lecture of how she was acting like a spoiled brat. It was almost like she didn’t have dementia at all.

However, it became apparent when Juri stepped in because she called him Ivano. I’d never met Ivano Baranov but apparently Juri looked close enough to him that she mistook him. It was interesting to see how much Marek took after his mother, along with Bronya, than the other siblings. I didn’t get to see Nadia again but Marek said it wouldn’t have mattered either way. She wouldn’t remember me or understand.

“Mrs. Baranov?”

I looked at Keenan who was holding the door open of the elevator. Standing up from my lean, I slipped past him into the hallway. Going to the door, I opened it and pushed the vault door in.

“Are you coming in, Keenan?”

He shook his head. “Not tonight. I am swapping out with Zann. He’ll be taking over for a couple days. Mr. Baranov gave me a little time off.”

Smiling, I tried not to show my disappointment. “Enjoy your time off, Keenan.”

He chuckled. “Zann isn’t that bad.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t even get me started. Goodnight, Keenan.”

“Goodnight, Mrs. Baranov.”

Slowly, I shut the door behind me. The quiet of the penthouse engulfed me and I slipped off my shoes. My feet didn’t make a sound as I padded across the concrete floor. I didn’t go into our shared room but my old one. It was dark outside but the lights from the buildings surrounding us lit up the room.

Falling onto the bed, I curled up into a ball. I was exhausted and as much as the silence was nice, I missed Marek’s presence. My eyes slid shut and I fell asleep without even bothering to take off my clothes.

-

“Ria…”

I opened my eyes to see Marek leaning over me, his hand pressed against my forehead. The bed was dipped where he was sitting on the edge and I curled up against him. My body felt heavy and I was still so tired.

“Did you eat when you came home?”

Shaking my head, I curled up tighter and shivered. I hadn’t covered myself in a blanket and now I was freezing. Marek frowned and lifted me so that I slipped under the blankets. It would take a few minutes to warm myself up but at least my own body heat made the sheets warm.

“Ria, you have a fever. I’m going to grab some medicine.”

Again, I shook my head. It was fine. I just needed to sleep. Sleep fixed everything. Marek got up and the whole room felt like the temperature dipped down. Shivering, I pulled up the covers to my chin. Just as I started to fall asleep again, the bed dipped and warm hand brushed my cheek.

“Ria, sit up for me. Just for a second.”

I nodded and sat up slowly. Marek helped me until he felt I was able to sit up on my own. He handed me a glass of water and two pills. Taking them, I finished off the water. Reaching over, he set it down on the table and then laid me back down.

“Sleep. I’ll check on you a little later.”

Part of me wanted to reach out but I didn’t want to get him to get a fever. Closing my eyes, I fell asleep again quickly.

-

My eyes fluttered open but I immediately regretted waking up at all. My head was pounding and my chest felt like someone was sitting on it. The curtains were closed now and there was an unfamiliar hum. Sitting up, I pressed my fingers into my right eye, trying to make the pain from my head less severe.

The humming was coming from a soft light, that also looked like it was doubling as a humidifier, on the dresser. Slipping out of the sheets, I nearly collapsed when I tried to stand up. My whole body felt ten times heavier than it normally did. I was happy that Marek changed me into one of his shirts since it was so soft but still warm.

Stumbling into the bathroom, I made the mistake of looking in the mirror. I was definitely sick, my eyes showing the dark circles while my cheeks were flushed red. It had been a while since I felt this sick; at least three years. I’d been really sick and unable to get out of bed. Father sent Ferrari to get me and I couldn’t even explain how sick I was. Ferrari promised to tell Father that I was sick if I let him have me once I got better. Otherwise, he would tell Father I was just being lazy and wouldn’t get up.

That day I almost died. Father beat me so badly and with the combined fever, I ended up bedridden for two weeks. At the very least, I wouldn’t have to worry about Father yelling at me. Or Enzo. A smile came to my face. I was free of all of them.

Stripping down, I stepped into a warm shower. I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall. The water raining down from above felt good against my head and I felt like I could easily fall asleep like this.

“Ria, why are you awake?”

My eyes opened to see Marek, dressed down in a shirt and jeans, looking at me through the glass. The frown on his face really didn’t suit him. It made him look more like Juri. Shaking my head, I leaned back into the water and closed my eyes.

There was a moment of silence before the door opened in the shower and cool hands touched my skin. It made me shiver but I took them and placed them on my temples.

“I have a headache.”

Marek huffed. “You have more than a headache but is that what hurts the most?”

I nodded and he pressed his palms harder against my head. The pressure made me sigh and it felt so good mixed with the water raining down. After a couple of seconds, Marek let off the pressure and I squeezed my eyes as the pounding came back fully. Resting my head on his chest, I curled up against him. His arms wrapped around me and held me close.

“Come on, you need to go back to bed.” His tone sounded so worried.

“I didn’t soap up yet. Or anything…”

Sighing, one of his arms moved and then the other. Suddenly, I felt his hands glide over my skin, the soap bubbling as he rubbed. He let me lean against him for a long as he could reach but had to prop me up against the wall in order to get everything else. It was when his hands started to massage the conditioner into my head did I start to fall back asleep.

Marek rinsed me off and then picked me up, turning off the shower just before. He stepped out and I was set down on the counter before wrapped tightly in a fluffy towel. I would have opened my eyes to watch him but they felt as weighed down as my body had been earlier. Drying me off with the towel, he also pulled out the hair dryer.

“Marek…it’s okay…”

“You’re not going to bed with wet hair and a fever, Ria.”

I shut up and let him continue to dry my hair as I pulled the towel tighter. Marek was meticulous as he dried every millimeter of my hair. Once he was done, I was picked up again and set down on the bed. As I started to crawl in under the covers, Marek stopped me.

“Nice try. Not naked. You’ll be too cold. Here.”

He pulled a shirt over my head and I lifted up the fabric to my nose. His scent lingered on it, just barely coming through over the scent of the laundry detergent. Marek also helped me into some underwear before helping me back into bed.

“A little more water and some medicine. See if we can’t break that fever, okay?”

He was speaking so gently and his voice low that it didn’t make my head feel worse. I finished off the medicine and the water before Marek finally let me slip all the way down in bed. This time though, as he started to get up, I grabbed his shirt.

“Stay…please.”

He brushed my cheek with the back of his hand before sitting back down on the edge of the bed. “Of course, búsinka. I’ll be right here.”

I nodded and curled up on my side. Marek slipped his fingers between mine. Pulling his hand to me, I held it to my chest. Whether or not this was comfortable for him, Marek didn’t say anything. He just let me hold his hand to me. My head started to feel heavy and eventually I fell asleep, not feeling Marek move from my side the entire time.