“Don’t ever do it again, got it?”
“I’ll always save you, monster.” Her stare was hard, unmoving.
“Save my baby and yourself first, Cleo.”
“My blood is your blood, monster. I bleed, you bleed. You bleed, I do too. We need you.”
“Well, you got me, I guess. The queen reigns, huh?”
“The bratva took down Ivan for me. They drove you here.”
“No shit?” I said, surprised. I knew she could do it. I just didn’t know when or if it’d be before I died. Ivan wanted my head. I thought for sure he’d get it after that injection and being shot.
“Yeah, no shit. Next time you decide to bleed out, I need you to make sure you do it slower.”
I laughed at her order and then wheezed when the pain hit me like a freight train.
“Jesus Christ. You need pain meds.”
I grabbed her and pulled her mouth down on mine. “I need you.”
“You got me. Forever and ever.”
“You did it, Cleo,” I whispered as I stared into her silver eyes. “You won their trust.”
She shook her head, her mess of curls weaving back and forth. “No, Rome. We earned it.”
Epilogue
Katie
“I’m not watching her for another hour,” Bastian screamed into the phone.
“Another hour?” I heard Dante sound off from afar.
I winced. “Might be two hours.”
“What the fuck, Katalina?” Bastian roared into the phone. I heard my little girl giggling in the background. He murmured something to her and then roared again. She squealed in delight.
“You’ll be fine,” I said with a smile.
“Put Rome on the phone. He’ll listen.”
“You’re right. He will. Which is why he’s not getting on the phone.” I eyed the man sitting next to me at Heathen’s Bar, his very first bar down the street from where I’d gotten a tattoo not too long ago. He was all broody male and sitting with his brow completely furrowed. Those dark eyes held worry and fear and dread all wrapped into one big daddy package.
“Do we need to leave?” he asked, already standing.
“Sit down.” I grabbed his tattooed forearm and pulled him back to his seat. “She’s fine.”
“No! She’s not. Well, she is, but I’m not. She doesn’t listen to anything, Katie. Ivy, don’t you dare spill—” Bastian swore fluently away from the phone. “She’s smiling, woman. She’s worse than you and Rome combined.”
“I’ll see you in two hours.” I hung up before he could argue.
“What’s wrong?” Rome asked immediately, his jean-covered knee jumping up and down.
“Nothing. He just hates babysitting because Ivy doesn’t listen to him.” I shrugged.
“She’s not hurt?” His shoulders hadn’t relaxed and his hand was now fisted on the bar. “We should leave. We’re too far from home if something happens.”