“Yeah.”
Roman holds my stare a moment longer. “That’s how you got out, isn’t it? He helped you?”
I swallow over the lump in my throat and nod. “He was put in charge of training me, and he slipped me a set of keys when we were sparring. The last thing he said to me was that if I were to return, it better be to put a bullet between Gia’s eyes. That night, Gia had business to attend to and the front gates were left open. All I had to do was find a way from my room and to the front gate and I was free.”
Marcus laughs, shaking his head. “Fucking knew that asshole was with the feds.”
“The feds?” I ask. “You think he’s undercover, working with the FBI?”
“We always had our suspicions,” Roman says. “But helping you escape … no real member of Gia’s family would ever risk such a betrayal. He’s walking on eggshells. But that doesn’t mean that we can trust him. Just because he’d rather see us live than her, doesn’t mean that he still won’t lock our asses up.”
“Shit,” I sigh. “So, what do we do? We have to get in there somehow.”
Roman shakes his head. “For now, you tell us everything you remember from her home. The cameras, levels, where the rooms are. Do you think you could draw up some kind of blueprint?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I mean, I didn’t see it all. I don’t know what was hidden behind even half of the doors, but I can draw up the bits that I remember. I don’t know where she keeps her prisoners though, or if she even has them at her home.”
Marcus nods. “She will. Her number one priority is getting my father’s sticky fingers away from her empire, meaning that Levi just became her most important prisoner ever. She won’t let him out of her sight. Our only saving grace is that she can’t kill him until she draws out my father, and my father isn’t the kind to just show up when being called. We have time.”
“But how much time does Levi have? He’s already weak, he’s still trying to heal. There’s only so much torture one man can go through before he gives up.”
“Levi is strong,” Roman reminds me. “He’s been trained for this. We just need to be prepared for the fact that he might not be the same man who walked away from us tonight.”
My heart shatters into a million pieces, and I try to hold back the tears, taking slow, deep breaths before finally meeting Roman’s gaze again. “Okay,” I finally say, the lump growing in my throat. “So, we plan for a raid. We do our homework and figure out the best time to go in. But what happens if that doesn’t work?”
He shakes his head, and I hate that he doesn’t have the answers I need. I have to remind myself that just because he doesn’t have the answers now, doesn’t mean that we’re screwed, it just means we have to think harder, we need to play our pieces and figure it out. “We’ll figure it out, Empress. No matter how hard it is, or how long it takes. I won’t let him down. I won’t let you down.”
He kisses me again, his lips so damn soft against mine it’s almost criminal, and I don’t know what kind of voodoo bullshit he’s pouring into this kiss, but he has the ability to calm me, even during the most torrential storm. He holds my lips hostage, giving me a moment to breathe before pulling away just a fraction, barely a breath between us. “I love you, Empress. You are my fucking rock. I live to please you,” he says, his fingers gently brushing over the side of my face. “Yes, Levi is my brother, and I’d do everything in my power to get him home safe. But knowing that his absence kills you just as much as yours killed me, it pushes me to try harder. I can’t stand seeing your heart broken like this. Hear me, Shayne. Really fucking hear me when I tell you that no matter what it takes to bring him home, I’ll do it. He’s my baby brother. You, Marcus, and Levi—you’re all I have in this world, and I’m not about to let some two-faced bitch take that away. And you can bet your fucking sweet ass that Marc feels the same way.”
My gaze falls to Marc, and he nods, squeezing my hand in his before bringing it to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to the tops of my knuckles. He lets it fall, landing against Roman’s thigh as he meets my teary eyes. “Whatever it takes,” Marc promises me, his heart on his sleeve, looking just as broken as mine. He gives me a tight smile. It’s one thing for Marc to express his feelings for me, but when it’s one of his brothers, it hits differently. He goes to get up and holds my stare. “I need a drink,” he says. “I’ll give you guys a minute.”
I watch him make his way out of the big living room, wishing that I could do something for him, but as much as it kills me, he wants to be alone. He’s going to find a bottle of the most expensive whiskey, drain it, and once the effects wear off, he’ll be ready.
My gaze falls back to Roman’s to find his eyes haven’t left my face the whole time, and I can’t resist throwing my arms around his neck and folding into him just as I was before. “I trust you, Roman,” I tell him, my words a breathy whisper brushing against his warm skin. “I know you’ll bring him home. I’ve known it since the moment I met you. You’re their protector, both Levi and Marcus. You’ve always shielded them from the worst your father had to offer, and a part of me wonders if they’re even aware of just how bad it really got.”
His arms tighten around me, pulling my body in flush against his. “You’re too observant for your own good.”
“And you’re too loyal for yours,” I tell him.
“Not possible,” he murmurs, brushing his fingers through my hair.
Silence falls between us as I rest my head against his chest, soft tears still falling down my face thinking about the hell Levi is going to endure at the expense of saving me from harm. It’s barely been ten minutes, and I already fear what Gia’s men could have done to him. He’s still healing, still hurting, despite the brave face he wears every time he meets my eyes.
Fuck, I love him so bad it hurts.
“I love you, Roman,” I whisper. “I know I’ve told you that before, but I need you to know just how much I mean it. I was so stubborn for so long, and I refused to admit it, even to myself, but the thought of Levi being taken like this and not knowing just how much I love him … I swear. Every chance I get … I need you to know.”
Roman’s embrace seems to soften around me as he lets out a gentle breath. “Even if you hadn’t said the words, Levi knows. We all know because we can see it in your eyes every time you look at us. It’s part of the reason I’m not beating them black and blue and demanding that you’ll be only mine. I wouldn’t take that kind of love away from them, and I sure as fuck wouldn’t take it from you.”
I pull up from his chest, looking into his dark eyes, listening intently as he continues. “The way you screamed those words, despite your fear and the desperation in your voice, I can guarantee that those words are repeating over and over in his mind. Your words are what’s going to get him through this.”
My lips press into a tight line, the smallest spark of hope rising deep in my chest. “I can only hope,” I tell him before falling back into his arms and watching as the sun slowly rises, casting long shadows across the big living room and reminding me that today is a new day—a new day to survive, a new day to thrive, and a new fucking day to take what’s ours.
22
Days. It’s fucking days before the call we’ve been desperate for finally comes through to Roman’s phone. He jumps on it, scooping it up off the kitchen counter and immediately taking the call. He hits the speakerphone, and his voice booms through the big kitchen.
“Mick. Where are we at?”