Page 124 of The Games of Madmen

My feet carry me to her, and I drop to my knees beside her. “What happened?” I choke, wanting to touch her, but afraid it will cause her pain.

She sniffles, a tear creeping down her cheek. “He knocked me out and then drugged me.” She looks down to her toes and strains. “I can move a toe now.”

Z is heaving like a supernatural being, his eyes focused on Adam’s body.

“He didn’t get to rape me. Vika stopped him before he could.” She stumbles over her words, and more tears leak free. “The bastard.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” I assure her, even though nothing is fucking okay about this.

Blood vessels have popped in her eyes, and there are purple bruises around her throat. A boot print bruise is forming on her thigh, and red welts are all over her skin. Bastard doesn’t scratch the surface of what he is,was.

“He didn’t care if he died,” she says with a sob, closing her eyes. “I felt so fucking helpless. He had to drug me.” Her anger crackles the air.

“You’re safe,” I assure her once more.

We should have killed him before this ever could have happened.

“Z?” she says desperately. “Please look at me.”

The pain in her voice shatters whatever hold the darkness has on him and he collapses over her, dragging her body into hisarms. “No one will ever fucking touch you again. I swear it,” he promises. “Look at what he did to you.”

“It will heal.” She sighs. “He's dead and I’ll heal.”

“I’ve called the doctor and given her your address,” Viktor says, kicking Adam’s corpse.

“We need to clean up here.”

I have a plan for that.

Chapter Forty-Three

Zahkar

Watching Roza toddle about is fascinating. She’s getting more confident every day with her movements and words. I’m positive in what I heard her say a second ago but a small piece of me thinks it may have just been wishful thinking.

“Z?” Rodion says my name and I hold a finger to my lips, looking down at Roza.

“What’s going on?” he asks.

“Dada, Dada, up, up.”

Rodion and I gasp in unison, and an overwhelming love filters through my limbs and settles in my chest. Lifting her into my arms, I snuggle her tight. I haven’t forced it or taught her. It came naturally, and I’ve never been prouder, or felt more at home in a name before now. I’m Dada.

“Dada loves you,” I tell her, and she claps her hands.

Rodion kisses my temple, soothingly rubbing up Roza’s spine. “This is fucking amazing,” he chokes and shakes his headto clear the emotion. “I was going to take her up for a bath and put her to bed.”

The woman on the news playing in the background mentions the Cunninghams, and I grab the remote to turn the TV off.

“It’s been a month since they found his body,” Rodion grumbles. “You’d think they’d have other things to put on the news by now.”

Rodion made a deal with the Sins of Eve to make Adam’s murder look like it came from their methods. Stanton didn’t argue the facts. It made his life easier, so it went down as gang related.

“What is that smell?” Alyona asks, joining us, her hair wet and brushed off her face. She’s wearing a tiny pair of shorts and a tank top. She knows what those do to me.

“Was your shower nice?” Ro asks, dragging his hungry gaze down her body.

Picking up some of Roza’s toys and tidying them away she says, “It would have been nicer with company.” The wicked grin she offers him only gains her a slap on the ass.