Page 5 of The Criminal’s Cure

Madison Marie Taylor. Twenty-seven years old. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Graduated med school last year, and took a residency in trauma surgery at St. Luke’s.

Medicine seems to be somewhat of a family tradition for the Taylors. Her dad is ranked as the top trauma surgeon in all of St. Louis, and she’s got two older brothers, who both followed in his footsteps.

She spends her off days volunteering at the local animal shelter, can run a marathon in four hours and twenty-two minutes, is allergic to coconut, and when she was seven, she nearly drowned in her backyard pool.

Those are just some highlights from the file that Dante put together on her in the last hour.

It’s basically all useless, but her handiwork has held up and Ty’s been restful since she and Joe left.

Reading up on Madison has given me something to do so I don’t go insane.

I thumb through a few of the pictures that Dante printed, stopping on one in particular.

It’s a snapshot of her at a wedding, in a long black dress that fits her like it was sewn right onto her body.

Deep brown eyes, honey dipped curls draping over her shoulder, and a pair of rosy lips that frame a sparkling smile.

Setting the picture down and closing the file, I rub my jaw. I sure hope she’s a good doctor, because it would be a fucking shame to kill a woman who looks like that.

“You’re sure about this. Roman? There are plenty of hospitals that we could take him to. It doesn’t have to be—” The file on Madison kept Dante occupied too, but now that he’s finished, he’s getting antsy.

“We’re not going to a hospital. He’ll be much more comfortable here, and I can control the situation.” Not to mention the security.

Joe and Dante might not understand why I’m so adamant about this, but that’s because neither of them lost their wives to a medical error.

Perhaps the worst part of Talia’s death is that it was completely preventable.

They got her to the hospital in time, and she could’ve survived her injuries, but there was a mistake made with her medication.

As unreasonable as it might be, letting a random doctor we met in the park operate on Ty feels less risky than wheeling him into the same hospital, with the same doctors, who killed his mother six months ago.

“Right.” Dante paces in front of me, raking his fingers through his hair. “And what do you plan to do with the girl once all of this is over? It’s not like we can just let her go.”

He’s got a point. It was a mistake to talk about the attack so freely in front of her—now she knows too much.

I can’t just let her go, at least not without a high-level of security on her at all times to be sure she doesn’t go to the police.

It’s going to be expensive, but I’d spend all the money in the world to keep Ty safe.

“Depends.”

“On?” Dante presses.

“On whatever I fucking decide, Dante.”

Why can’t he just let this go? I don’t pay him for his opinions or expertise—that’s Joe’s department.

Dante is only here because he’s six-foot-eight, two hundred eighty pounds of pure muscle with a temper that could rival the hulk.

And because, as much as he irritates me, he’s one of my best friends.

Dante, Joe, and I grew up together. When I took over the business for my father, it was an obvious choice to bring them with me. Honestly, I’m not giving Dante enough credit. He’s one of the most feared and lethal enforcers in the entire Cosa Nostra, and I’m lucky he’s on my team.

He’s probably only pressing me because he knows whatever happens to Madison will fall on him.

I walk over to the couch, kneeling next to Ty.

While they were at the hospital, Dante and I moved Ty to my house, where I knew he’d be the most comfortable.

He’s nestled on the couch underneath a blanket his grandmother made for him, peaceful and sleeping for the time being.

There’s a bit of blood on his chin, and I wipe it away with my thumb as my chest tightens.

I swore nothing like this would ever happen to him. I can only imagine what Talia would say if she was here, and none of it would be good.

When we first got married, Talia understood what our marriage meant, and she was content with the life I could give her.

It wasn’t until after Ty was born that things shifted.

She wanted out, and she begged me for years to let all of this go, to take them far away from the danger and violence. It wasn’t that simple, though.

You don’t just leave something like the Mafia, especially when you’re at the helm of the entire organization. It would have been even more dangerous for us to be out on our own, alone and unprotected. Here, at least we have an army of men willing to die to protect us and keep us safe.

Something changed inside of me the day Ty was born, too.

I held him in my arms, and suddenly, everything became about protecting him and giving him the best life possible.

I fully believed that meant staying here, and I still do, but I’ll be damned if there isn’t the slightest piece of me that still wonders where we would have ended up.

What I’d be doing now. If Talia would still be alive.

It’s a fleeting thought, though. I’m good at this shit. I’ve been in charge for six years, and have already nearly tripled our profits and production. The problem is, the better you are at this job, the more danger you attract. Everyone wants a piece of you. Everyone’s gunning for you.

And yet, I still wholeheartedly believe that Ty is safest here. I just need to find some way to fix the current situation.

Fixing things usually comes easy to me, but the only way I know how to fix this is to use more violence. I’m all Ty has left now, and putting myself in danger isn’t a wise choice. Once I know he’s healthy and safe, I can start working on a plan of revenge. For both him and his mother.

“You moved him?” I didn’t even hear them come inside, but Madison is already yelling at me. Jesus Christ.

“Yeah. You mentioned more than once that the warehouse wasn’t up to your hygiene standards, so I figured you’d want something a little nicer.

” I stand, turning to face her tiny frame.

She has to tilt her head up to make eye contact with me, and when she does, she looks at me like I’m an absolute idiot.

“You could have ruptured the drain by jostling him around like that,” she snaps. “He could have bled out and this all would have been for nothing.”

I stiffen. Even if she is right, I don’t like the way she’s speaking to me. “Well, if the drain came out, wouldn’t that mean that you placed it wrong?”

“Actually, no—” She crosses her arms over her chest, a pointed scowl that surprises me. Going toe to toe with a crime boss isn’t for the faint of heart, and she’s got to know what’s going on by now.

“Enough,” Joe hisses. “He’s here now, so let’s just do what we have to do.”

Madison doesn’t move and neither do I. I’m not quite ready to let it go, but Ty’s voice draws us both back to reality.

“Daddy?” He’s hoarse and disoriented, but the sound is music to my ears. He has enough strength to speak, and that’s a good sign.

“I’m right here, buddy.” I kneel next to him, taking his little hand in mine. My voice breaks, the emotion of the day finally catching up to me. “How are you feeling?”

“My chest hurts.” His tiny features twist into a frown as tears bubble in his eyes. His breathing is a little labored, but he gets more and more alert, a bit of color coming back to his cheeks.

“I bet it does. I can help with that.” Madison smiles brightly, sitting next to Ty on the couch. “My name is Maddie and I’m a doctor. It’s my job to help you feel better. Is it okay if I take a look at you?”

Ty nods, and I ease back, giving her a bit of space to work.

“You were at the park.” Ty recognizes her.

“That’s right. I was,” Madison says as she gets her supplies together. “I’m impressed that you remember that. You were really brave back there. I definitely would have cried.”

“Crying is for babies. That’s what Daddy says.”

Madison flinches, but she doesn’t look the least bit surprised that I’d say something like that.

“Buddy, I didn’t mean—” The explanation dies on my lips because she interrupts me.

“I think you’re brave, regardless. In fact, I might need a little help to give you your medicine. Think you can handle that?”

“Yeah!” Ty is enthusiastic about the idea. She’s good with him, and I feel a pang of guilt about how things transpired. I would do anything for my son, but a less abrasive approach might have been better.

She pulls out a canister of cream from her bag. “This is magic lotion. You put it on your body and you can’t feel anything. Want to try?”

Ty swipes his finger across the top, loading it with the ointment. He rubs it on his arm and waits a couple of seconds before looking up at her in amazement. “It worked!”

“I told you it would! Now, how about putting some right here?” She points to a spot on the inside of his elbow and Ty spreads it across his skin.

“Perfect.” She grins. “Now, I’m going to put something called an IV in your arm. It’s a special tube that lets me give you medicine so your body can heal.”

Madison takes a needle out and preps it. “Okay, Ty, take a deep breath for me.”

Ty sucks in. “Great. Now let it out slowly.” He follows her instructions, pursing his lips to release the air in a measured exhale just as she presses the tip of the needle into his arm.

“That’s it. You’re doing great, Ty.”

I watch, but Madison is so quick with her work that I barely make out what she’s doing. Soon, she’s got the entire thing placed and Ty hardly even notices.

“Joe, can you get me something tall I can hang this on?”

He nods, and rushes off, returning with the coat rack from the entryway. “Will this work?”