Page 113 of Twisted Little Game

I’m so keenly aware of every weapon on my body right now.

I’m aware that Yegor will have just as many.

And if he has company at his house, nothing will be safe.

But Tate’s eyes hold a vast emptiness that nearly breaks my heart.

“You think I’ll never be able to handle seeing the different sides of you, Roman,” he says softly. “But I’ve already seen them. I already know you, even if you think you’re so good at hiding yourself⁠—”

“Beauty,” I whisper, my voice low, “please don’t…”

“And I’m not afraid,” Tate finally says. “I’m scared shitless of the freak who’s threatening me, and my life in general, but I’m not afraid of you. The real you. I haven’t feared you since the moment you told me the truth.”

I shake my head. “You will understand one day why you should be afraid to want me.”

I pull him into a hungry kiss, and something about it feels final.

I may not die tonight.

It’s unlikely, but still. No matter what happens, I know that I can’t pull Tate any deeper into this world.

If he is saying he wants me… not my cock, but me…

And if he is falling for me?

Then I have failed. Failed in my duty to protect him. He can never be truly safe with someone who comes from a family like mine, and I will never put him through that pain.

Because I need to keep you around, beauty.

Living.

A luxury some people I’ve loved didn’t get to keep.

Maks takes out his Makarov in the passenger seat, loading it and stuffing it back into his pocket.

The high-beams of my car illuminate the small portion of the forested road ahead of us, as we soar down the winding lanes toward Yegor.

I know I am driving too fast. But I don’t stop.

The sky is inky black overhead, a moonless night, and every raincloud has passed, leaving the air humid but clear.

“We need to be ready for the worst,” Maks tells me in Russian.

“I always am.”

“Mm. Are you… are you thinking of him?”

I know immediately that Maks means Tate, not Yegor.

“Yes.”

“He is safe, with Hunter. You’ve told me what Hunter is capable of.”

“Safe with Hunter, right now, yes. Safe with how he wants me… no.”

I can feel Maks staring at me from the passenger seat, but I keep my eyes on the road ahead, and I don’t glance over at him.

“You cannot control everything,” Maks eventually says. “Even the things you think you can.”