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Vera studies him, then gives a tight nod.

I look at Maksim. “That leaves a gap near the suite.”

“It leaves fewer rifles in the boy’s face.”

She slides a cannula into my arm and secures it, then draws the blood samples before giving the IV medications and connecting a slow bag of saline. Once the line is settled, she turns her attention to wound dressing.

Lidiya appears as Vera finishes the dressing. “Your suite is ready, Doctor.”

Vera ignores her and tapes down the fresh dressing.

“Lie still,” she tells me.

“I can’t. My face has been shot at recently.”

She secures the last strip of tape. “Your face wasn’t hit.”

“No,” I say. “My pride took the bullet.”

Irina returns carrying the operative notes. Vera reads the relevant pages, then gives instructions for monitoring my temperature and blood pressure through the night.

She looks over the equipment, the fresh dressing, and the medical bay someone has built inside a private estate. Her scowl doesn’t improve.

“Call me if the bleeding starts again,” she tells Irina, then follows Lidiya out.

Once Vera leaves, Irina hangs the antibiotic beside the bed. Abramov remains at the foot of it with his tablet, while Maksim keeps the folder on the table and sits beside me.

“Lie back before you tear something.”

“I am lying back.”

“You’re arguing, so you’re not resting.” Maksim hands me the water. “Drink and let Irina finish.”

I take a mouthful. “What do we have?”

“Petrov is checking which captains moved men tonight,” Abramov says. “My teams are matching every vehicle near Vera’s building to their crews.”

“Why captains?”

“The attack on your convoy required your route, guard order, and jammer point,” Maksim says. “Tonight, armed men reached Vera’s home less than an hour after her claim went active. Belov needed help.”

“Or he’s using what remains of Morozov’s network.”

“He is.” Maksim crosses one leg over the other. “The car from your shooting leads to New Harbor. The two men Cara identified were moved through old Sable Crown routes, and Belov reached the hospital before us. Then someone inside the hospital opened Vera’s personnel file.”

“Kirill found the stolen login in the hospital system,” Abramov says. “Yuri is checking it against old New Harbor accounts, staff records, and outside companies.”

I hold out my hand. Abramov gives me the tablet.

Vera’s file was opened twice. Her address, bank details, emergency contacts, and the preschool account linked to her email were exposed. Thirty-seven minutes later, her name appeared on the Blacklist.

“They found her through the hospital.”

“Belov may have noticed her outside surgery,” Maksim says.

“He asked Yegor and Stepan whether I was awake. Yegor is dead, and Stepan is missing because they could place him there.”

“Vera saved you when he wanted you dead.”