Page 74 of The Beast of Moscow

“No, I think he’s coming out of it, actually. Could someone call a cab?” Natan asked no one in particular. “I’m sure he’ll want to go home once he’s up on his feet. You know where he’s going?”

At that question, Vera nodded. “Yeah, we’re staying together. Not far from here.”

She rattled off the address, even though nobody asked.

“Your friend?” she heard Hannah ask.

“Yeah, I guess he was out for a walk.”

She didn’t look at Hannah when she lied.

“Vas?” Vera asked, whispering his name a second time while she drifted her hands over his side to offer him any comfort.

If he knew she was there, would it help?

There were too many questions, and too much happening all at once. Someone in the crowd made a statement in French that was translated by Natan.

“They called a car service,” he said.

She didn’t ask which one.

Who cared?

Vaslav was trying to talk, and though his words were stuttered and forced through his closed teeth, she heard what he tried to say, and understood him perfectly well.

“G-get me—g-go.”

“We’re going to get you up as soon as you feel like you can,” Vera told him, ignoring the worried, but curious, gaze of her friend who had kneeled on her other side.

“He’s okay, right?” Hannah asked.

That time, she did lie. “Yeah, he’ll be fine.”

The truth?

Well, Vera didn’t have a clue.

*

“Call me tomorrow, okay? We have to at least do breakfast before you fly out,” Hannah insisted, holding tight to Vera’s hand on the sidewalk.

It was the only thing keeping her in place when every inch of her screamed to get in the waiting Uber. Her attention wavered between the man hiding his face in his hands, sitting in the back of the blue SUV, and the lights of the tower behind Hannah.

“If I can,” Vera replied.

That seemed to be enough for her friend. Hannah let go of Vera’s hand, and stepped back, finally letting her climb in the back of the car that had been called by an onlooker earlier. As she closed the door, and waved goodbye to Hannah, she was grateful that she’d gotten the chance to thank the man who’d first stepped in to help.

Especially after Vaslav had been worse than just mean to the guy when he’d finally felt good enough to stand. Even going as far as ripping the good Samaritan’s hands off him when Natan had only been trying to help keep Vas steady as they walked to the waiting car. He’d cussed at the man, too, when Natan apologized.

Nothing Vera tried to do calmed Vaslav down until he was hidden in the SUV, away from any onlookers. He crouched at the far door, rocking a bit where he was balled against the seat with his face still tucked into his open palms.

“Madame?”

The man at the front of the vehicle, behind the wheel, glanced at Vera in the rearview mirror as she scooted to the middle of the bench seat to be closer to a closed off Vas. The driver repeated the question she hadn’t heard the first time.

The address.

Vera rattled it off, and figured it was enough for the driver because he pulled out onto the street without another word. She didn’t turn around to see them leave her friend and the tower behind; instead, she scooted even closer to Vas. He hadn’t said more than a handful of words since they got him back on his feet, but his low groans now concerned Vera. Especially when he started massaging his hands rougher into his face like he was trying to relieve pressure.