A car passes us and then suddenly stops a little way down the road. Ivan’s leaning against the wall, with his eyes closed, so he probably doesn’t see it, but panic pulses in my veins when the car makes a full U-turn in the middle of the road and starts heading back our way again. It’s a blacked-out SUV, and I can’t see who is inside because of the heavily tinted windows.
Oh, god, more of Rossi’s men.
I’m damn near hyperventilating when the car pulls up right next to us on the curb. I put Ivan’s arm around my shoulder and try to get him to walk away with me, but he just grunts. His eyes are still closed, and he’s not moving. Oh, god... we’re going to die. Ivan’s going to die, and all of this is going to have been for nothing. Air fills my lungs, but I forget to exhale…
The driver’s side door opens a moment later, and Roman’s brooding face appears in front of us.
“Fucking Christ, get in the damn car,” he grumbles, pulling me away from Ivan by the arm. Then he starts to half carry his brother to the back seat, leaving me standing there, still recovering from the panic attack he just gave me.
“Get in or I’ll leave your ass here,” Roman yells, and my heart jumpstarts, pounding furiously against my ribcage. Not wanting to test him, and knowing he most likely will leave me here, I run around the car and get into the back seat on the driver’s side. Ivan is already laying across the bench, and I lift his head, slipping into the seat, resting it against my thigh.
Roman slips into the front seat and turns around in his seat. “Don’t do anything stupid, keep your mouth shut, and don’t ask any questions. You do those things and we won’t have any problems.”
I gulp and nod, running my fingers through Ivan’s thick unruly locks to calm myself. I’ve met a lot of scary men in the last month or so, but Roman is probably the scariest in my book, and all because I don’t know what he will do next. He’s hot and cold. He says one thing and does another. At least with the other bad men, I knew they were mad and always would be.
He’s Ivan’s opposite in every way possible, and I wonder how that happened? Is Ivan really this dark and moody? Or is there something deeper going on inside Roman? When the SUV starts moving, Ivan groans, holding a hand to the wound on his stomach.
I barely look out the window to see where we are driving. Instead, I keep my eyes on Ivan, making sure he is okay. Only when we come to a stop do I look up and realize we are in front of a house. No, not a house, a fucking mansion. Even in the dark, I can see how huge the place is.
“Is this your…” I get out before Roman twists around in his seat, his glare stopping the rest of the words from escaping my lips. I’m reminded of the no question rule then and I squeeze my lips together tightly. I don’t want to find out what he will do if I don’t listen to him. With Ivan injured and barely clinging to life, all I have is Roman and the help he’s offering me.
We get out of the car in silence. Roman helps Ivan out of the car and up the walkway, into the house. I follow behind them like a lost puppy. I can’t stop my eyes taking in the house. It’s simple, but unlike anything I’ve seen before. Sleek and manly.
He takes us down a long hall with numerous doors and stops at one at the very end of the hall. He opens the door with the flick of his wrist and deposits Ivan on the king-sized bed.
Then he turns around to face me. “You can stay here until he is healed up enough to move around on his own but then I want you two out of my house and out of my fucking life. Got it?” The look in Roman’s eyes tells me not to test him. He’s like a feral dog, ready to bite at any given second.
I just respond with a nod, too scared that talking may set him off. A thank you sits on the tip of my tongue, but I keep it there. There isn’t any point in thanking him, not when it’s obvious he doesn’t want us here. He leaves the room a moment later, slamming the door closed behind him.
I slip out of my shoes and then pull Ivan’s boots off of him. Exhausted from everything that has happened today, I lay down on the bed next to him and let my eyes drift closed. I take one of Ivan’s hands into mine and cuddle into his side. I don’t know what we are going to do next but at least we are safe, and at least we have each other.
That’s all that matters now.
18
Ivan
I blink my eyes open slowly. It’s hard, really fucking hard, but I do it. My lungs burn and my body aches like I got hit with a goddamn truck as I try and sit up. Fuck, Luca really got a good shot on me. At least the fucker is dead now. All I need is this fucking bullet wound to heal, and I’ll be back to my normal self and out of my brother’s hair.
A thought slams into my gut and instantly, I’m on high alert.
Violet. Where is my Violet?
Blood pounds in my ears as I sit up faster than necessary. I feel the wound in my side throbbing, but I don’t care. The only thing that matters is my Violet. As my gaze sweeps around the room, I notice the tiny sleeping body next to me, and the even tinier hand in mine. Sleeping. Beside me. She’s sleeping, and she’s safe.
Thank fuck. I stare down at her sleeping form, her beautiful face painted in peace, her soft blond hair half covering her face, hiding her angelic features. She’s so fucking perfect, too perfect even. My cock hardens as I stare at her. Shit, the last thing I need to be doing right now is screwing her.
I sigh, leaning back against the headboard, moving my eyes to anything else in the room to distract myself. This was the last fucking place I wanted to bring her. I shake my head, thinking of the way Roman treated her last night. I can’t imagine what he said to her when I was in and out of consciousness. He’s an asshole, an epic one. His anger and hate for me radiates over into everything in his life.
He’s just never faced the anger, found someone to push him over the edge. Someday, he’ll fall in love and find someone to make all that pain go away. I know it. He’s still worthy of something good in life.
I release Violet’s hand and scoot toward the edge of the bed, hissing through my teeth as pain radiates throughout my body. I’m at the very edge of the bed when the bedroom door bursts open, slamming against the wall behind it.
Roman’s eyes are filled to the brim with fury. Does he eat fucking fire for breakfast or something? Why the hell is he so angry all the time?
You, I remind myself. I am the reason he is angry all the time.
“One fucking time. One fucking time I help you and you pull me into this shit storm of your life.” He clenches his fists at his sides, standing just inside the bedroom. My own anger starts to take root hearing how loud and uncaring he is to Violet, who is still sleeping.
“Can you be quiet? She’s still sleeping.”
Roman’s eyes move to Violet’s sleeping form behind me, a snarl pulling at his lips, his voice still loud and ringing throughout the room.
“You think saving her made up for what you did?”
I roll my eyes, attempting to get out of the bed. This is the last thing I want to be discussing with him right now. When I don’t say anything else, that seems to egg him on more.
He huffs out a laugh, looking as if he’s ready to slug me in the face, “Saving her didn’t fucking bring our sister back. It didn’t make me forget what a piece of shit you were for leaving me behind while you went and did some illegal shit. Not that it matters anyway.” He smiles. “I’ve got my own illegal business going on, all without you. I’ve made a name for myself all on my own.”