Ultimate Vengeance (Wanted Men Book 4)(108)

Feeling as if she’d accomplished something, she showered before collecting Lekzi from Yana, who bid them goodnight and went home. Sacha spent a relaxing time feeding and chatting with her daughter before putting her to bed and tiptoeing from the room with the baby monitor in hand.

She went downstairs and spent a few minutes wandering around, looking for Alekzander. When she didn’t find him in the kitchen or living room, she went to the rec room where Vasily had an ornate pool table and a row of dart boards along the far wall. They looked conspicuous amid the stunning landscapes, one of a Russian church in Dunilovo, and another of a gorgeous chapel in Vuoksa.

She turned the large TV on and flipped through the channels as an odd feeling tightened her nape. It was unsettling. And familiar. She remembered this from when Lekzi was very young. Sacha would worry when putting her to bed because she’d made the mistake of reading an article on crib death.

Tapping her foot, still standing, she tried to watch Family Feud, but couldn’t find an interest. She clicked the TV off and went out to linger in the foyer. She looked up the stairs and brought the monitor to her ear. Maybe she would take Vasily up on his offer and put the video system in Lekzi’s room that he’d purchased for Eva’s son.

She chewed on her lip and glanced toward the hallway that led to Alekzander’s office. She could barely hear the rumble of voices, but caught enough to know Vasily and Yuri must still be in there with Alekzander. They’d gone in with a stack of files under the doctor’s arm over an hour ago.

After fighting a chill, and remembering her doctor telling her the best thing she could do when she felt like this was to check on the baby, she gave in and went back upstairs.

Her heart was pounding by the time she rushed into Lekzi’s room, attempting to be quiet as she approached the crib—

“Lekzi!” she screamed, lunging for her daughter. She snatched her up into her arms without hesitation. “Alekzander!”

She raced out the bedroom and down the hall, taking no care on the stairs whatsoever. She screamed for Alekzander again and again.

When she hit the foyer, he, Vasily, and Yuri flew in from one end while Anton, Grigori, and Lucas came from the other.

“The baby,” she panted, going directly to Yuri. English was a thing of the past. It was all in Russian “She’s blue. She’s blue, Yuri!”

Looking at Lekzi, the MD ripped her from Sacha’s arms and brought her to a long padded bench against the wall. He placed her on her back and bent to put his ear to her chest, and then mouth.

“What the hell happened?” Vasily went down with Alekzander, both of them landing on their knees. A tattooed hand touched the baby’s face. Vasily’s.

Yuri cursed and lifted Lekzi again. Sacha had to run to keep up with the men as they aimed for the infirmary.

“What the hell is wrong?” Alekzander demanded as he took hold of Sacha’s arm and helped her along. She couldn’t feel her legs.

“Her heart rate is…weak. Breathing shallow. Where was she?” the MD barked at Sacha. “Was there anything around her face that could have smothered her? Was she lying near a pillow?”

“No, of course, not. She was in her crib. I do not even use a blanket on her. Do something, Yuri. Please…” She tried to slow her breathing because she was seeing fireworks.

They entered the fully equipped rooms, and it was as if they’d been transported to a hospital. Yuri went directly to a stainless steel table and laid the baby down. He immediately pried her tiny mouth open.

Sacha whimpered at the sight of those two white teeth. “Oh, God…what’s happening? Alekzander…please help her. Please. Be careful, Yuri! Her neck! You’re going to hurt her!”

“Get her out of here,” Yuri said in a clinical voice that scared the life out of her. “She doesn’t need this as a memory.”

All Sacha heard was the word he omitted. She doesn’t need this as a final memory.

“No!” She shook her head violently and ripped her arm away when Alekzander grabbed her. “Oh, my God, no! Are you fucking crazy? I am not leaving my daughter!” She jerked away again as she watched Yuri continue his examination. He tipped Lekzi’s little head back and stuck something into her throat. Bile rose in Sacha’s, and she gagged in sympathy.

“Hey.” Alekzander came in front of her, getting in her line of sight. He snagged her chin. She tried to wrench herself away, but he wouldn’t release her.

“Let me go!”

“No.”

She strained to see around him, struggling like mad. “Alekzander!”

“I’m not letting you go no matter what you do, so stop this before you hurt yourself.”