Moving makes it easier to stave off the shock and anxiety. I pace as I call Andrey, desperate to hear his deep, calm voice.
“They tried to strangle her. She could have died! Where are you?”
“My father is back.” His voice is neither gentle nor reassuring. He’s speaking to me like I’m one of the men he commands. “I have to contain the situation before it gets out of hand.”
“Before it gets out of hand?” I cry. “He tried to kill my aunt! I’d say it’s already out of hand, Andrey!”
He refuses to reveal even a hint of what he’s thinking when he asks, “How is she?”
“Hurt and terrified!” I screech, earning me a reproachful look from the woman behind the nurse’s station.
“This is my fault.” It sounds far too cold to count as an apology. “I should have had a team on her. I didn’t think she was
