Dinastiya Tested // 3rd Book of the Takaryev Trilogy

Chapter 49

Thaddeus awoke with a terrible pain in his chest and a slight desire for death. 

He groaned. A hand met his mouth in a precautionary gesture.

"Shh!" 

Thaddeus immediately had some questions that he would've asked, if only he wasn't in so much freaking pain. He kept them in mind in case he'd get the opportunity. 

1. Why wasn't he dead?

2. Who had saved him?

3. Why had they saved him? 

4. Where was he?

5. Who had just told him to be quiet?

The fifth question was answered when a man with slightly graying brown hair sat him up. His blue eyes were cold, possessing no emotion whatsoever. 

"Who are you?" Thaddeus forced the words from his mouth with a bit of conscious effort. 

"Just call me Hilarion," the man answered. "Although that won't be my name for long. Do you know your name?" 

"Th...Thaddeus," Thaddeus mustered up a reply. "Thaddeus Azarov." 

"Good." Hilarion peered at him almost curiously. Then he snapped his fingers. "I assume you have other questions. Next one." 

"Where am I?" Thaddeus queried. 

"A hotel in Moscow," Hilarion's gaze drifted to Thaddeus's bandaged chest. "Would've taken you to a hospital, but the circumstances didn't exactly...allow for that." 

"Why not?" Thaddeus asked before briefly coughing up a mouthful of blood. "What's going on?" 

"Thaddeus, my dear, dear boy," Hilarion said with a bittersweet grin, "you tried to kill the president."

Thaddeus was speechless, and not just because of the pain. Hilarion offered him a bowl, and Thaddeus spat blood into it until his mouth was dry. When he was done, he sat up again. "The president...?"

"President Ravil Myronovich Takaryev himself," Hilarion crooned, cringing slightly upon the last name that he shared. 

"Is he..." Thaddeus began, "is he dead?" 

Hilarion shook his head. "Only severely psychologically damaged. And you, my boy, you've got a gunshot wound in your chest. Frankly, it's a miracle you even survived." 

"What are we gonna do?" Thaddeus asked. "I'm scared." 

Hilarion blinked, a knowing gleam in his gaze. "No need to worry. We'll flee the country."