His lip curls up in a crooked smile as he slides in behind me, curling his long legs up behind my much shorter ones. His thick arm bands across me, his hand resting on Kit’s little back.
“Sleep, Reid. We’re safe.”
Marx
I can feel that I’m being watched. I don’t know how long he’s been here for, the painkillers I’m on keep making me doze off so he could have been here twenty minutes, could have been two hours.
“I know you’re awake,brat.”
I let out a huff. I’ve been ignoring his presence. I don’t know what to say to him. Thank you for saving my life? Fuck you for inserting yourself in my life? He lets out a long sigh, and I know that he’ll be doing that thing where he straightens his collar and then smooths down the lapel of his crisp suit jacket. Fucking trust my piece of shit mother to not only ditch me, but ditch her first son to a fucking Russian Mafia boss.
Blinking my eyes open I stare at Roman, standing at the foot of my bed. Gone is his usual cold, aloof expression. Instead it’s been replaced by something akin to concern. Care.
“You look like shit.”
Roman huffs out a laugh. “So do you.”
Swallowing thickly he rushes to my bedside, picking up the paper cup and straw my Ol Lady had been using earlier. Earlier when she cried on my chest as she lay across me. When she told me Roman saved my life. And when she told me he was my brother.
“Here, drink.”
I want to refuse, it’s my first instinct when it comes to Roman, but I guess there's more to his story than I can ever imagine. I take the straw between my lips and suck, revelling the cool slide of the water down my throat.
“Were you ever going to tell me?”
Roman swallows, his eyes darting to the foot of my bed, avoiding my gaze. “I’m not sure. Sasha and Dima have pushed for this, but, well,” he shrugs.
“So, everything we’ve been through, every time we’ve needed help and you’ve assisted, was that a set up by you to insert yourself into my life?”
Roman’s eyes dart to mine, fire burning bright. “Nyet. Never. It was a stroke of luck the day Tuesday Tombs found Katya. When I found out who you were locking down in your clubhouse felt like a gift. I could get to know you. Your people.”
I let my head roll on the pillow, looking at the door. Roman has always played a role between ally and enemy. Good and evil and for the life of me I could never quite figure out where he fit. Looking back on our interactions, he was always there. In the shadows. Every time there was trouble his nameless, faceless men would show up and take care of anything my men couldn't handle. Cleaners, assassins, border patrol, anything we needed he was there.
Swallowing thickly I chance looking at him. “What do you want?”
“I don’t want anything.”
“Let me rephrase that. What do you want fromme?”
He stares at me, eyes like mine, like our mother’s. “I want brotherhood. A family outside the Bratva. I want what you have achieved so easily. Camaraderie, people to rely on to have your back.”
“You’re the fucking Pakhan of the Russian Mafia! You have men at your beck and call. Try again,” I growl.
Roman scowls, the fire in his eyes again. “That is what I crave. Yes I have men, but they are only loyal as long as I am paying them. Any one of them can rise up and take my head. Then what happens to Sasha? To Lexi? To Ana?”
I stare at him as he lets his pretenses all drop. I should have seen it on Valentine's Day. Roman is a man that has been forced to live a life in the shadows. To love in the shadows.
“I always thought you were an asshole. But you’re not so different to us.” Rhodie says in his rough voice. Fuck. I didn’t even hear him come in.
Roman gives Rhodie a tired smile. “Thank you, Rhodie.”
“I still don’t really like you.” Rhodie huffs, before blowing out a breath. “But your relationship to Marx saved my brother's life. And for that, I thank you.”
“I would imagine yourbratis a very hard man to kill.” Roman replies.
“Must take after his older brother then,” Rhodie quips, looking between me and Roman. “I hear you’re hard to kill too, Roman.”
“I could take him out if I wanted to,” Chewy’s voice calls from god knows where.
