He exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his jaw.
“She finally passed out a bit ago, right after telling me to text you and not call you. Should have listened to her. She’ll be sorefor a while. Not many restrictions, just limited movement in the arm, but nothing permanent.”
She lay there, so still, I despised it. Her face was peaceful, almost serene, and it fucking unnerved me. Even unconscious, she retained a delicate beauty, as if sculpted by the gods. Tenderly, I held her hand, my thumb tracing circles on her soft skin.
“I should’ve been there.” My forehead pressed to the back of her hand, breathing in the mix of her blood and the sterile chemicals of this place. I hated everything about this.
“Cezar, if you could’ve been, you would’ve,” Dorin’s voice softened. “This wasn’t anyone’s fault. Stop blaming yourself. And she is fine.”
“This time.”
Lina often called him a wise old man, and in these moments, that comforting presence was something I couldn’t deny appreciating.
He stood, squeezed my shoulder, and left. I knew he wouldn’t be back for a while—he was giving me time. Time to sit with the brutal truth that if anyone recognized her, if word spread, if my father’s men connected the dots…
It would be the start of a war.
I would always be on her side.
This damn phone, it was Codrin. “Hey…”
“Cezar…”
“I know he’s pissed—big shock—but I had to leave. I’ll be back later. Can you cover for me?”
“Yeah, already did. Father got distracted with everything that went down today. That’s actually why I called. Is she all right?”
Fuck, he knew it was her, so did that mean they did too? Codrin wasn’t dumb. Given who she was, her signature, and the things she meddled in, it made sense that he would know this was her doing—but would the others?
“Codrin, d-do they know?” I asked, a hint of panic edging into my voice.
“No, they don’t.” Relief struck my ribs so hard I nearly sagged against the bed rail. “They’re trying to figure it out, but there aren’t any leads yet, so calm down. I just wanted to check if she’s all right. They weren’t even sure they hit the person grabbing the kids. She brought a lot of manpower, which helped her stay off the radar. Probably smart for her to lie low for a bit. Father is losing his mind. It was one of his biggest operations, and Lina dismantled it in a single night. She leveled it, Cezar. Got every kid out, too. Darius was impressed—he’ll never admit it, but I could tell. Not gonna lie,” he continued, taking a deep breath, “I was surprised you didn’t go with her, but last time you disobeyed Father…”
“Yeah.” I turned back to Lina’s still form. “She’s amazing, isn’t she?”
As complicated as things were between us, I never doubted Codrin loved me. If he didn’t, he would’ve told our father about Lina a long time ago.
After what happened last time—after he finally saw the truth of who Father really was—things started to shift. Even with Darius. None of us agreed with what Viktor had turned all of this into, hiding behind the Crimson Rose Syndicate, but who were we to stop him?
Chapter 60
ADELINA
Forcing my eyes open, I found myself in a hospital room.Oh, right. I got shot.
Pain throbbed through my arm, sharper now that the adrenaline had worn off. My eyelids were heavy with exhaustion. Despite a few close calls before, I prided myself on avoiding bullets altogether. Still hurt like a bitch, though.
Something was holding me down. The scent in the air was unmistakable, familiar enough to evoke recognition. Cezar. Instantly, my body relaxed.
My throat felt like sandpaper. Dorin shuffled into view, wearing that reassuring ‘don’t freak out’ smile he saved for moments when everything was, in fact, a disaster. He nudged Cezar awake.
“What? Finally getting some sle—” He stopped when he saw me looking back at him.
Instantly, moisture gathered in his eyes. Why was he so sad? Shouldn’t he be happy I wasn’t dead? “Cezar, why are you on the verge of crying?”
Silence. He adjusted my bed as Dorin handed me water, filling me in on the aftermath of the mess we caused. The mission was a success, the kids were safe, the ring collapsed…and Viktor was looking for me. Really looking. But according to Codrin, he still didn’t know what I looked like.
Codrin had grown on me in ways I didn’t expect. Not like Cezar, not even close, but there was love there.
