Page 33 of The Criminal’s Cure

I thought about not answering the phone when Roman’s name popped up. I thought about sending it to voicemail or just ignoring, or smashing my phone into a thousand tiny pieces just so I didn’t have to talk to him.

After our argument last night, I can’t face him—for several reasons. Not only was Roman a complete asshole about the whole thing, for some reason, I decided that was the best time to profess my love to him.

I didn’t mean to tell Roman that I’m in love with him. I was angry and emotional and it slipped out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t true, though.

I am in love with Roman, and I know he feels it, too.

It’s the only way I can make sense of his reaction.

He’s in love with me, too, and he’s worried about me leaving.

If he’d have let me get a word in edgewise, we could have had a civilized conversation about the whole thing.

Instead, we both went to bed angry and alone hours before I had to hop a plane to St. Louis.

He wasn’t up when I left for the airport this morning, and aside from a few short logistical texts, we haven’t spoken. I hate fighting with him, especially with the pressure that he’s under, so I swallow my frustration and I answer when he calls.

But when the screen flashes on, it’s Ty’s face I see instead of Roman’s, which is kind of a relief.

“Wow!” He’s spent the last few minutes telling me all about the adventure he and his dad went on this afternoon. “That sounds like so much fun. I’m sorry I missed it.”

“That’s okay.” Ty grins. “Dad said we can go back again, and this time I might actually get in the tank!”

My eyes widen. “Really?”

“They have a program where you can snorkel in one of the tanks with nurse sharks. I told Ty we might be able to do that for his birthday,” Roman says from somewhere offscreen, the sound of his voice making the hair on the back of my neck stand up, because I’m both nervous and desperate to see him.

“Except my birthday isn’t until January,” Ty groans, dropping his head back.

“Well, maybe I want to go for my birthday.” I shrug.

His face lights up. “Yeah, see Dad? We have to go sooner.”

“Now you’re ganging up on me?” I still can’t see Roman, but when he laughs, it makes me weak.

“We can’t disappoint Maddie, Dad.” Ty smirks, glancing off to the side. Roman’s hand reaches over, ruffling Ty’s hair, and then a few seconds later, he comes on screen.

“No, we certainly cannot.” He gives me a smile, eyes dark and tired. “Ty, why don’t you tell Madison goodnight? It’s time for bed.”

“What? It’s not even a school night!”

Roman answers Ty’s protests with a harsh look, and Ty concedes. “Fine. Goodnight, Maddie. See you in a few days.”

“Goodnight, Ty!”

“I’ll be up in a few minutes, okay? Make sure you brush your teeth,” Roman calls after him.

Then he turns to me and we’re all alone.

“Everything going okay there?” he asks.

I nod. “Pretty uneventful so far.”

“And Ernie is still there?”

I roll my eyes. “He’s got his van parked just down the street.”

“Good. Thanks for humoring me.” He runs his fingers through his hair. I hate how forced the conversation between us feels. “Look, Maddie, I…I have to go put Ty to bed, but can I call you after? Just so we can talk.”

“Tonight’s not really good, Roman.” I suck in a sharp breath. “My brother is hosting a celebration dinner for my dad and I’m already late.”

“After?” he says hopefully.

“I have to be up early.” I don’t know why I’m avoiding this like I am, but I’m not ready to rehash everything with Roman yet. And I feel like it’s a conversation we should have in person, not on a tiny little screen with spotty reception.

“Okay.” He bites his lip, nodding. “When you come back then.”

“Yeah.” My voice breaks, tears welling up in my eyes. Damn it . I didn’t want to cry. He’s the one who made this mess and I shouldn’t feel as terrible as I do.

My tears break his resolve. “Babe–”

“I’ve got to go, Roman. I’ll text you later.” I swallow, cutting him off. “Bye.”

“Bye Maddie.”

Ending the call, I toss my phone onto the bed and swipe my finger under my eye to fix my mascara. I have exactly two minutes to compose myself and get downstairs for this stupid dinner, and if history is any indication, my night is only going to get worse.

I almost thought Ty forgot about my promise to call Maddie tonight.

He mentioned it offhandedly while we were at the aquarium, but I distracted him with pizza and ice cream and a night swim out in the pool. But just as we were climbing the stairs to bed, he asked me to call her and I couldn’t resist.

It went about as well as I expected. I hate seeing her upset, each of those tears in her eyes like a tiny stab to my heart. Especially knowing I’m the reason behind them.

Maddie declared she was in love with me and then told me she was moving away all in one short conversation, and I’ve been trying to sort through that ever since. It’s not like I gave her any chance to explain, and that was a mistake, but the thought of losing her this way is a sucker punch.

She’s a part of us now. I can’t stomach the idea of Ty and I starting over from scratch again if she leaves. If. I have to keep reminding myself that she said she hasn’t even decided yet. But I can’t be the reason she gives up her dreams. That isn’t fair either.

This is exactly why this thing between us scares me. I’ve never put myself in a position to be hurt like this, and it fucking sucks. But I also know I’m not ready to give up on us, so something’s got to give.

I’ll be the first to admit I jumped the gun.

I should have let her talk instead of assuming she was trying to get me to quit.

Any suggestion like a move or change is a trigger to me, caused by years of Talia’s subtle attempts to drag me away from the Mafia, and I completely shut down after that.

Madison isn’t Talia, though, and at the very least, I should have let her explain.

And now it looks like it’ll be awhile before I get the chance again. Maddie’s busy, and she doesn’t want to talk, and I have two more days to power through until she’s home.

“Ready for bed, bud?” I push Ty’s door open.

He’s already laying in bed with a stack of books for me to read, but a big yawn stretches at his mouth. We get through two of them before he can hardly keep his eyes open, and I helped him under the covers.

“Daddy, are you going to marry Maddie?”

Jesus, kid. Timing could not be worse on that one.

“I-I don’t know, Ty.” I stumble over the words, thinking how much easier that question would have been to answer twenty-four hours ago.

“Can you?” He gives me an innocent smile, but he knows exactly what he is doing. “I really like her, and she makes you happy.”

“What makes you say that?” A little, sharp laugh, amazed by how perceptive he is. Nothing gets past him, and the connection between Maddie and me is no exception.

“You smile more, and your eyes don’t look sad.”

“You’re too smart for your own good. You know that?” I grin, tickling him and sending him into a fit of squirming.

He giggles wildly until I stop, and then he settles again, clutching his stuffed dog to his chest.

“She’s not going to go away like Mommy did, is she?” The pain in his eyes shatters me as I sit on the bed next to him.

“Buddy…” I swallow, emotion catching in my throat. “Your mom didn’t just go away. She never would have left you if she had a choice. You know that, right?”

Ty nods timidly. “It’s because she got really hurt, right? By a bad man?”

“Yes.” I chew on my lip, treading lightly. He understands so much, but he is still just a kid, so I’m careful with what I share. “A very bad man. Like the one who hurt you. And I promise, I’m going to do everything I can to keep both you and Maddie safe.”

“And you?”

I hate that he even has to question that.

Ty has seen and lived through more in his short life than anyone should have to, and it guts me that I haven’t been able to shield him from it.

I’m quick to take action, because it’s what I’m good at, but I’m increasingly aware that Ty needs emotional reassurance just as much as anything.

He’s already lost one parent and the fear of losing another one seems to be heavy on his mind.

“Yes, buddy. No one is going to get hurt.”

I rub my forehead, hoping I can make good on that promise.

Fortunately, he doesn’t pick up on the uncertainty in my voice. Right now, I can’t really guarantee anything. Not that we’re completely safe. Not that Maddie isn’t going to go away. Nothing.

My answer is enough for Ty, and he gives me a sleepy smile. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you, too, Ty. Sweet dreams.” I kiss his forehead one more time before turning at the light and going downstairs.

It’s dark and quiet and lonely in the house tonight. I let out a heavy sigh, rattled both by my conversation with Ty and my lack thereof with Maddie.

Ty surprised me tonight. I’ve been so desperate to move us past this that I haven’t even considered how deeply it’s been affecting him.

Clearly, he wants to talk it through, and I’ve tried to sweep everything under the rug, thinking he just needed to forget.

I guess that’s just another thing that I wasn’t equipped for when Talia passed away.

The sharp creak coming from the kitchen catches my attention, and I whirl around, just in time to see a flash of black rush past me. Someone’s in my house. Reaching quickly for my gun, I realize it isn’t on my hip. I put it away right before Ty and I called Maddie.

An excruciating pain sears through my abdomen as I stumble back.

Blood seeps through my fingers as I press the wound, watching as the intruder disappears out the front door.

I lean against the wall for support, stumbling into the kitchen to get my phone as a trail of blood follows behind me.

I slump into the chair, grunting in pain and grabbing a towel to absorb some of the blood.

The bastard sliced me clean through, deep and long enough that I’m probably going to need stitches.

The blood loss is already making me dizzy, and I clumsily punch Joe’s number into my phone.

“Hey man. I was just about to call you,” he answers.

“Someone was here,” I grunt, applying pressure to the wound, although it doesn’t seem to do much to stop the bleeding. “Broke into the house while I was upstairs with Ty. He stabbed me.”

My words come with labored, uneven breaths, and I wince.

“What? Are you okay? Is he still there?”

“He went out the front door after he stabbed me.”

“Just stay there, man. I’m on my way. How bad is it?” I can hear rustling in the background as he grabs his keys and goes out the door.

“I’m okay.” I clench. “It’s deep, but I’ll survive.”

“Where’s Maddie? Can she help?” Joe asks.

“She’s in St. Louis.”

“Fuck. That’s right.” He groans. “Okay, just relax. I’ll be right there.”

After I hang up, I try to take a few deep breaths to take my mind off the pain, but it isn’t working. It feels like the world is closing around me as I try to keep myself upright.

Why can’t I stop this guy? Why is he always one step ahead?