Chapter 12 - A Mother's Vengeance UnmaskedBy 2:00 AM, the Bellagio Grand Ballroom had been cleared of guests and cordoned off by federal investigators.
Harold Sterling, his daughter Victoria, and Dr. Marcus Vance were transported under heavy federal guard to the federal detention facility in Henderson, held without bail on charges carrying mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Nikolai had refused to go to a hospital.
Instead, the convoy returned to the Sovereign Tower, where Dr. Elena Rossi—a trusted private surgeon from the Volkov medical corps—cleaned and dressed the wound on his shoulder under Nina’s strict, watchful supervision.
“The bullet passed cleanly through the deltoid without touching the bone or the axillary artery,” Dr. Rossi reported, taping the sterile gauze in place. “He will need to keep his arm in a sling for two weeks, Miss Belova.”
“He will keep it in a sling for four weeks,” Nina corrected firmly, crossing her arms. “And he will not lift anything heavier than a coffee mug.”
Nikolai sat on the examination table in his private clinic wing, wearing an open black dress shirt, his eyes dancing with amusement as he looked at the young woman who was suddenly dictating his medical regimen.
“Yes, Nurse Belova,” Nikolai murmured with a soft grin. “Whatever you command.”
Dr. Rossi smiled, packed her surgical kit, and quietly slipped out of the room, leaving them alone in the quiet clinic.
Nina walked over to him, picking up a bottle of water and handing it to him.
“You jumped in front of a bullet for me, Nikolai,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly as the full weight of the night’s events finally settled over her. “You could have let the marshals handle her.”
Nikolai set the water down, reached out with his uninjured right hand, and gently pulled her between his knees.
“You gave two pints of your own blood to save my daughter, Nina,” he said softly, his gray eyes searching hers with infinite tenderness. “There is not a bullet in this city that I would not take to keep you safe.”
Tears welled in Nina’s hazel eyes, spilling over her lashes.
“I was so scared, Nikolai. When I saw that gun pointing at me... I thought about Vera. I thought about how close she came to losing everything.”
Nikolai reached up, his warm, calloused fingers gently wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“Vera is safe now,” he whispered. “Because of you. And because of the truth you brought into the light.”
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He pulled her gently against his chest, wrapping his uninjured arm around her waist, burying his face into the crook of her neck.
Nina rested her head against his solid, warm chest, listening to the steady, powerful beat of his heart. For the first time in her life, the exhaustion that had haunted her for years seemed to evaporate, replaced by a profound, breathtaking sense of sanctuary and belonging.
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