Page 7 of Twisted Violet (Lovesick Villains #4)

SIX

VIOLET

I’ ve been sitting here alone for the last twenty minutes.

I don’t think they purposely left me out.

When Atlas asked Niko to come in and tell my sister what happened, Rome and Dallas followed him on instinct.

No one told me to stay behind, but no one asked me to come either.

So now I’m sitting in this quiet hallway, watching the second hand tick on an old wall clock.

It’s fine.

They’ve got more important things to focus on.

I’d probably just get in the way.

I pull my sleeves over my hands and curl them into my lap, trying to ignore the faint ache in my throat where the bruises are already forming. Niko gave me something dry to change into, but I’m still chilled from the inside out.

No one’s said it out loud, but I can feel it.

I’m the problem. Again.

The girl who’s a magnet for disaster. The one who can't even make it home without someone ending up bleeding.

Niko is in there explaining everything that happened. What he walked into. What I did. What he did.

They’ll want answers. They’ll maybe even offer solutions. But there’s no fixing what happened. A man is dead, and it’s my fault.

The door clicks open, and footsteps echo down the hallway.

I look up to find Niko and Dallas approaching, with Rome and Atlas walking right behind them. They’re speaking in low voices, but when they reach me, the talking stops.

“Come on,” Rome says. “Stevie wants to talk to you.”

I stand and follow them wordlessly.

The hospital room feels smaller with everyone inside it. Stevie’s sitting up, pale but alert, her throat still bandaged. Cyrus stands near the window. Ezra is standing at her side with his arms crossed, and Tristan is typing something quietly on his phone.

Rome’s voice is steady as he talks. Detached, like he’s reading off a police report instead of explaining how I almost got dragged into a van.

He tells them I had trouble getting the gate open. That I got out of the car to try again. That someone was waiting in the shadows. That he grabbed me and tried to drag me into the hedges.

He also tells them I fought back. That I was lucky and got to Atlas’s gun in time. That I took the initial shots, and Niko finished him off.

He doesn’t mention that I threw up afterward. That I couldn’ t stop shaking. That I didn’t even know if I was still breathing until Niko showed up and reminded me how.

He keeps it simple. Clean. Just the facts.

And maybe that’s for the best, because if he told the story the way I remember it, if they saw how pathetic I really looked curled up on the gravel in the rain, they’d probably be having a very different conversation right now.

At one point, Rome mentions that Niko called him and Dallas to cleanup the mess, and Dallas’ eyes flick to me.

I keep mine on the floor.

When he finishes, Stevie gestures for Atlas to hand her a notebook. She scribbles something and passes it to Cyrus, who reads it aloud.

“For her safety, we think it’s best if Alex goes into hiding again.”

The room goes still.

My brow furrows. “What?”

Atlas glances at Stevie, then back at me. “It’s just a safety precaution. We don’t think this has anything to do with you. Someone hired him to come after us. We need time to figure out who that someone is.”

His words land like stones in my stomach.

For a second, just one, I think of him.

The man who locked me away, who broke me piece by piece. He promised he’d always come back for me. He never knew my real name. Never knew where I came from. But still… the thought creeps in. Could it be him?

No.

I shove the thought aside before it can take root .

That chapter’s over. He’s gone. He has to be.

“The hunt for him could get messy.” Ezra adds. “Your sister is safe in the hospital. It only makes sense to secure you in one of our safe houses until it’s done.”

“I’m not doing that again.” I say, flinching at how loud my voice sounds. “I’m not disappearing or living out of a suitcase. I just got my life back.”

Stevie writes again.

“You almost died.” Cyrus reads. “We aren’t risking your safety. Not again.”

I cross my arms, fingers digging into my elbows. “So locking me away again is the answer?”

“It’s not like that.” Tristan says gently.

But it is, or at least, it feels that way.

Like I just escaped one cage only to be thrown into another.

The room is quiet. I can feel them trying to figure out how to convince me without making it sound like they’re forcing me.

Then Rome clears his throat. “She can stay at our place in the city.”

I turn to look at him. “What?”

I take a second to process what he just said. Not because the words don’t make sense, but because they came from him. Rome. The same man who barely looked at me this past week. The one who acted as if my presence alone grated on him. Why would he offer that now?

“Our apartment in San Francisco has an extra guest room.” He says, locking eyes with me. “You’ll be safer under our roof. It isn’t tied to The Reapers, so no one will look for you out there. ”

As the offer hangs in the air, I study all of their faces, trying to gauge how they really feel about it.

Rome looks calm and controlled, but there’s something unreadable flashing in his eyes.

Niko gives me a soft smile. It’s barely there, but it’s enough to know he doesn’t hate the idea.

I look at Dallas, trying to search his eyes, but he won’t meet my gaze.

“You guys don’t have to do that.” I say, my voice quieter now. “I’ve overstayed my welcome in the safehouse as it is, and I really don’t want to get in the way.”

“You won’t be.” Rome counters. “In fact, with our work schedule, most of the time, you’ll have the place to yourself.

For a split second, I feel something I haven’t let myself feel in a long time… hope.

Maybe I got it all wrong. Maybe they do actually want me around.

The idea of staying with them… not as a secret or a job, but as something real… makes my chest ache.

But then the fear creeps in.

What if they’re only offering because they feel bad for me?

I can’t be that girl anymore. The one people protect out of guilt or obligation.

I can’t live in someone else’s space, constantly wondering if I’m overstaying my welcome again.

I search Dallas’ face again, looking for something, anything to make me believe this isn’t charity.

His jaw is tight. His hands fidget in his hoodie pocket, but he still won’t look at me, and that hurts more than I want to admit.

Then, he speaks, quiet and steady .

“You should stay with us,” he says, voice rough. “It’s the right call.”

My breath catches.

It’s not what he says. It’s how he says it. Like he means it. Like he truly wants me there.

Something shifts in my chest, not relief exactly, more like a tiny thread pulling taut between us.

I glance at Niko.

He gives me a slight nod and Rome hasn’t looked away since he put the offer out there.

Maybe this isn’t charity.

Maybe, just maybe… they actually want me around.

I nod once, barely trusting my voice.

“Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll go.”