Page 35 of Darkest Game (The Dark Mafia #3)

“Denis,” I say simply. “Denis happened. He tore us all apart. But now we have the chance to rebuild. Rebuild with me.” I hold out my hand and she takes it without hesitation.

“If you say you love Liam, then I’ll accept it. You’re right. He took a bullet for you. There isn’t much else he can do to prove himself to us as a family.”

“Thank you. If you could help Mom see that, that would be great.”

“Of course. I’ve got you.”

Sasha comes over to give me a hug. “I’m glad you’re all right.

I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you either.

I’m not one to judge falling in love with someone who you shouldn’t.

I struggled with my feelings for Nico for a long time.

How could I love a man with his kind of darkness?

But I eventually did. And it seems that Liam, despite his own darkness, has a lot of good in him.

So I won’t get in the way of you being with him. I promise.”

“Thank you. Now, I want to get to the hospital. I need to know that Liam is all right.”

As a family, we all head to the hospital.

My sisters are supporting me but the one hard part is my mom.

It’s going to take her a while to come around.

I know she still isn’t exactly happy about Natalya and Sasha being married to their husbands.

It will take her time but I have to believe that if Liam survives, she’ll accept him.

I rush to the front nurses desk and ask for Liam. A doctor pulls me to the side.

“Are you his wife?” he asks me.

“Yes.”

“He’s in surgery right now for the bullet in his stomach. You can wait in the waiting room. We’ll update you on any news.”

“But if he’s in surgery, that means he’s still alive, right?”

“Yes. It does. But he came in a bad condition. He seems like a fighter though. So we’re not giving up on him as long as he doesn’t give up on himself.”

I sit down in the waiting room with Natalya on one side of me and Ana on the other. Sasha sits to Ana’s other side. We’re a united front of sisters. We haven’t been this way in over two years. Not since our father died and Denis took over.

“How is Mikhail doing?” I ask Natalya.

“He’s getting through. His arm is seriously burned but they’ll be able to do a skin graft. He’ll just have scarring there the rest of his life. But he’s going to make it. He’s strong.”

“I’m happy for you. I know how much you love him.”

She takes my hand. “And now I know how much you love Liam. I’ll be here for you in that regard. I promise.”

My mom stands off to the side, her arms crossed over herself. I get up and approach her.

“Hey,” she says. “How are you holding up?”

“As long as Liam is fine, I’ll be fine. How are you holding up? I know you don’t want me to be with him. I know you don’t want me to love him. But I do, Mom. I do.”

My tough strong mother lets out a quick sob before shutting her mouth.

“It’s ok, Mom.”

“I just want you to be safe.”

“It’s because of Liam that I’m alive right now. That has to mean something. It has to.”

Her eyes roam over my face. “I’m proud of you, you know. You’ve always been my shy girl but you’ve grown into a confident woman in recent days. You should get back into dance.”

“Dance?”

“I know how much you loved it. How much it meant to you before Denis took it away. You should do it again. I would love to see you on a stage.”

My heart clenches at the thought. “I would love that too.”

She gives me a soft smile and pushes a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I’ll try with Liam. That’s all I can promise for right now.”

And that’s as good as it’s going to get with her.

A different doctor shows up to tell us that Liam is out of surgery. “We got the bullet out,” she says. “And he was fortunate. It missed his spine. And didn’t hit any major organs. He’s resting now but you can go see him if you want. It will be a recovery but he’ll make it through.”

I fall to my knees with a sob. Mom helps me stand back up and together, we walk to Liam’s room. She continues to hold me upright. It’s her own way of supporting me.

Liam is asleep in the bed but his eyes flutter open when I touch his hand.

“Hey,” I whisper. “You made it.”

“I did?” His voice is groggy.

“Yes. You did. You saved my life. Again.”

“I would do it again.”

Mom approaches his bed. “I just have to say… thank you for saving her life. I am grateful for you for that.”

“Your mom needs to know,” I say to him. “I’ll call her.”

“It’s a whole family gathering,” he slurs, clearly still out of it.

I call Ashely using his phone since I don’t have her number. I tell her about Liam in the hospital and she tells me she’s on her way.

When she shows up, it’s still just me and my mom with Liam. She stumbles to a halt before rushing over to Liam’s side.

“Mom,” I say. “This is Liam’s mom, Ashely. This is my mom, Tatiana.”

Ashely offers her hand to my mom, who takes it after a moment. “We’re a family now.”

“We are,” Mom says, her eyes widening. “It’s nice to meet you.” She seems to warm up at the sight of Liam’s mom.

After a while, Liam needs to rest some more so I agree to go back to Mikhail’s house to get some sleep. It’s been a trying day for me too.

My entire family returns to Natalya’s house, including Nico and Sasha. All I want is to snuggle with my dogs and feel safe for a moment.

I go into my room and wrap my arms around Luna and Bear and settle into the bed. They press their noses to me, letting me know that I’m not alone.

And that’s when my bedroom door opens and in walks Elaine.

It’s so shocking that I think I’m dreaming for a moment. But no, she’s really here.

And she has a grenade in her hand.