PAVEL'S POV
My phone rings as I'm parking at the end of the long row of vehicles in front of the pakhan's house. The last in line is a big red bike. Something major must be up, Roman's called the top brass, including Sergei. I grab the phone from the passenger seat and answer.
"Doc?"
"I have the girl's results. As far as STDs are concerned, she's clean. Negative on the pregnancy, too. The bloodwork shows she's a bit anaemic, but that's it."
"What about the drugs?"
"Well, that's the interesting part. The substance found in her system isn't listed. It looks like it may be something new, something that hasn't hit the mainstream yet."
"That's strange."
"Wait, there's more. The test came back on the pills Vladimir dropped off the other day. It's the same stuff."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Did you tell Roman?"
"I did. Just got off the call with him."
I stiffen. "So… you told him about the girl?"
"Of course. Why? Should I not have?"
"Nope, just asking," I say, squeezing the steering wheel until my knuckles go white. The fact that he told Roman about the girl doesn't sit well with me. And it doesn't make sense. I've never felt the need to hide anything from the pakhan.
"How is she?" the doc continues. "Did her family come to get her?"
"She's still at my place."
"What? Why didn't you call her parents or someone?"
"She won't talk. In fact, she hasn't said a word."
"Shit. She must be scared shitless. We should have had Varya stay with her until her family could come. You should probably stay away while she's there."
"About that…" I rub my neck. "She doesn't seem scared of me. She's actually been glued to my side since the moment she woke up this morning. Won't let me leave her sight. She even insisted I stay in the bathroom while she took a shower."
"Hmm. This isn't my specialty, but I do know that assault victims can react in multiple ways. Does she flinch when you come close?"
"When I tried to leave the room to get her a glass of water, she screamed and jumped into my arms. Naked," I say. "Do you have any advice on what I should do? How to behave until I can reach her family?"
"No idea. I'm not a psychologist. But I'll make a few calls and let you know what I find out."
"Thanks, Doc."
I put the phone in my jacket and glance at my watch. I shouldn't have left her alone, but all this is new to me. I've never had anyone to worry about. Never had to take care of someone. And no one ever took care of me, so I haven't a clue what I'm doing.