Page 126 of Twisted Little Game

“But I’ve just caused more chaos in his life.”

“No. Roman cares about you more than I’ve seen him care about anyone in a very, very long time. I know him, Tate. I can promise you this.”

Maks sits beside me for at least another hour.

We don’t say anything more, and eventually we get up and join the other guys in the waiting room.

My exhaustion has been catching up to me for hours at this point, but I’m so wired, and there’s not a chance I’m going to get a moment of rest.

When a nurse finally comes down the hall and looks at me, I stand up immediately.

“How is he?”

“Roman is now coming out of surgery. We were able to remove all of the debris and he should be able to make a full recovery. He is a very lucky man.”

Tears stream down my face before she even finishes a single sentence, and soon, I’m sobbing in front of her.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

When I look over at Maks, he is wiping away his own tears, too, and he gives me a quick hug, squeezing me tight.

The nurse goes over Roman’s healing plan.

When I ask when we can see him, she says that we can visit his room in half an hour, but that he won’t be awake until morning at least.

The moment he is back in his room, all of us go inside.

The Onyx guys all hug him as he sleeps, then say their goodbyes to me and Maks. We stay there all night. Maks gets some sleep sitting up in his chair on one side of Roman, but I don’t sleep a wink.

19

Roman

Mama,

Life has been good.

Not all good. Not all parts. But one thing in particular has been the best thing. I met someone.

Not the person I would have ever expected.

A person who probably deserves better than me, but still stays by me, anyway.

Things went wrong… so wrong.

When I’m hurt, I still think of you. I probably always will. It was a lot of pain, hours and hours ago. So much blood. You would have been worried, but now there is no pain.

I don’t think that I can do this anymore. What I’ve done for years. What I’ve been, for my whole life. Am I someone, without the Bratva? And if I’m not, does it matter, if I can’t let myself fall into what I know is real love?

I feel weightless, thinking of him.

It’s a new feeling.

His name is Tate. I call him Blondin… or sweet… or my beauty. He is all of those things.

I let him make me so crazy.

He makes me feel like a person, again. I haven’t felt like that since you were taken from me. Can you believe it, Mama? I still have a heart.