Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Lana

It’s been hours, too many goddamn hours, waiting for Roman to come around from surgery. Luca pulled some strings, a favor that cost us more than a few dirty bills, but got us a surgeon who knows his way around a bullet wound better than most legit doctors.

Grigori’s back on his feet, just a scratch he said, but that scratch had him pale as a ghost. He”s lucky, I guess, only lost some blood. And then there’s Julia, my poor girl, broken more than just on the surface. They had her bad, tortured her. It makes my blood boil just thinking about it.

Now here in this dingy safehouse, the smell of antiseptic biting at my nostrils, I sit next to Luca. His presence is a solid comfort next to the chaos of my thoughts. He’s got one hand on mine, rough and reassuring. But comfort feels like a distant dream when every part of me is tensed, waiting, fearing.

I can’t stop the tears; they come hot and fast, slipping down in silent betrayal of my usual tough fa?ade. My other hand rests on my belly.

Roman. Damn him for being the hero, for taking that bullet. And damn me for ever doubting him. He’s always been this mix of infuriating and indispensable. I thought I could prepare for any storm, handle any betrayal. But watching him bleed out, knowing it was for me, that cracked something inside.

Luca’s voice breaks through my haze of fear and regret. “He’ll be alright, Lana. Roman’s a tough bastard. Takes more than a bullet to keep him down.”

I nod, because what else is there to do? Every tick of the clock is a hammer to my chest, every stir of movement from the next room where Roman lies, sedated and patched up, sends my heart racing.

Outside, the night presses against the windows, dark and unyielding. Inside, the dim light flickers, a cruel mimic of my faltering hope. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. None of it. I was meant to be the leader, the unshakable head of the syndicate. But here I am, falling apart over a man—a man who should have been my enemy.

“I never should’ve doubted him,” I whisper, more to myself than to Luca. The admission is a sharp sting, a slap to my own face.

Luca squeezes my hand, a wordless promise that he’s here, no matter the shitstorm we’re in. But it’s Roman’s face I see when I close my eyes, Roman’s pain that I feel echoing in my bones.

The sound of footsteps jerking me back to reality, I tense, ready for more bad news, another fight, another loss. But it”s the surgeon, his scrubs stained with the evidence of his battle to keep Roman alive. I stand so quickly my head spins, my hand instinctively reaching for the gun I”m not even carrying.

”How is he?” The words are torn from my throat, raw and demanding. Everyone in the room holds their breath, a collective pause that presses down like the weight of the world.

The surgeon is calm, but there’s a tightness around his eyes that speaks volumes. ”Stable,” he says. ”But it’s too early to say if he’ll pull through completely. The bullet did some damage.”

I feel my knees weaken but Luca’s grip is steady, keeping me upright. We”re not out of the woods yet, but stable—it”s a word that carries a fragile thread of hope.

Grigori stumbles in. Damn him, he should be resting, conserving strength, but here he is, face still a shade too pale, a stubborn set to his jaw. I want to scold him, to send him back to bed, but that urge gets swallowed by a more pressing need.

I need to see Roman.

Approaching the bedside, I can hear Roman”s breaths—shallow and laborious—cutting through the stillness. Bandages wrap his torso, stark white against his skin that”s too pale, too still. Every instinct in me wants to reach out, touch him, assure myself he”s real and alive.

”When will he wake up?” The question slips out, edged with a raw need for more good news.

The surgeon, glancing back from the doorway, offers a weary smile. ”Soon, he should be coming around in the next few hours. He’s strong, made it through the worst part.”

Nodding, I move to Roman”s side, my fingers finding his. His hand is limp. It feels unnatural to see him so still, so vulnerable under the harsh, sterile lights of this backroom clinic.

The hours crawl by. I stand there, holding Roman”s hand, watching his face for any sign of waking. Occasionally, I stroke his hand, whisper to him about trivial things, about the mess we’re in, about how I need him to wake up and face it all with me.

Then, finally, the miracle I”ve been praying for in quiet desperation; Roman”s eyelids flutter. It”s just a twitch, at first, but it ignites a fire in my belly. ”Roman?”

His eyes crack open, unfocused and dull with pain, but they”re looking at me. ”Lana,” he breathes out, his voice a raspy thread. ”You”re okay?”

I nod fiercely, swallowing past the lump in my throat. ”Yeah, I”m here.

“Julia… Is Julia okay?”

His concern for Julia, even now, is typical Roman—always thinking about others before himself.

”Yeah,” I reply, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. ”She”s been through hell, but she”s tough. Like you.”

His lips twitch, a shadow of his usual smirk. ”Knew she”d be alright.” He tries to lift his hand, maybe to return the gesture, or maybe just to prove he can, but he winces with the movement.

”Don”t move too much. You”re not invincible, you know?” I chide softly, settling his hand back down.

Roman”s smirk fades into a grimace. ”Tell that to the bullet,” he murmurs, his eyelids heavy as they struggle against the pull of medication and exhaustion.

Grigori and Luca step back into the room.

“Good to have you back, brother,” Grigori rumbles.

”Missed me that much?”

”We’ve had a quieter time without your wisecracks,” Luca chimes in.

”So, Grigori, that scratch of yours—walking it off?”

Roman’s attempt at humor is a balm to my soul, a sign that maybe, just maybe, things could inch back towards normal. Or as normal as it ever gets in our twisted world of loyalties and vendettas.

Grigori chuckles, the sound deep and genuine. ”Yeah, it was nothing. Just a little love tap, courtesy of our friends.”

Luca leans against the wall, folding his arms as he watches the exchange. ”Speaking of our friends, Perez really thought he could stir the pot. Saw Lana”s pregnancy as a weakness, thought he could fan the flames of jealousy in Roman by framing him. Even went as far as planting money in Roman’s bank account.”

Roman’s eyebrows raise, “Hope the bastard doesn’t think he’s getting that back.”

Luca”s response comes quick, his smirk sharp as a knife. ”Last I checked, dead men don”t need cash.”

We chuckle at Luca”s comment. Roman shifts slightly on the bed. ”Look, all I did was call to check on Lana and the little one,” Roman starts, his voice firmer now, despite the lingering grogginess from his ordeal. ”I just wanted to hear their voices, make sure they were alright. But when I got Julia on the phone and heard what was happening, I knew I had to act.”

Luca shakes his head, his tone teasing but with an undercurrent of admiration. ”You and your damn heroics. Heard a distress signal and off you went, no plan, just guns blazing. Impulsive and stupid, man.”

Roman grins, accepting the jab with a nod. ”Guilty as charged. But hey, it worked out, didn”t it?”

I take a deep breath, the weight of the past few days settling on my shoulders as I face Roman. ”I”m sorry for doubting you. And for not handling things... more gracefully.”

Roman shakes his head slightly, dismissing her concerns with a wry smile. ”Don”t worry about it. I was acting like an ass, and honestly, a bit of a crazy jealous nutjob.”

”Well, what else is new?” Luca chimes in from the corner, unable to resist the jab.

”Shut up, Luca,” Roman retorts, though his tone is light, tinged with the humor of a man who knows his faults all too well.

I watch the three of them, an oddball family created not by blood but by necessity and unspoken bonds. It”s moments like these I realize that despite all the darkness we’ve endured, there”s a light within us that refuses to be snuffed out.

I clear my throat, catching their attention as the laughter dies down. ”Look, I appreciate all this,” I start, gesturing to encompass the room, Roman’s recovery, and the collective effort that got us here. ”But I need to be clear about something.”

Their expressions sober, sensing the shift in my tone.

”I’m going to continue leading this syndicate. And I’m raising my baby as a single mother. That”s non-negotiable,” I state firmly, locking eyes with each of them in turn.

The room is quiet for a moment, everyone processing my words. I soften slightly, but my resolve doesn’t waver. ”If you guys want in on this baby”s life, you’re ‘uncles.’ Nothing more. You all matter equally to me, and I want this baby to love you all equally too.”

Luca nods first, his agreement immediate and firm. ”Wouldn”t have it any other way, Lana.”

Grigori’s nod is slower, more contemplative, but just as accepting. ”You’re the boss, Lana. Always have been.”

Roman’s expression is mixed, a hint of his old cockiness playing at the corners of his mouth. ”Guess that makes us the coolest uncles in town, huh?”

I can”t help but smile at that, despite the seriousness of the conversation. ”Only if you can handle it,” I challenge back.

Luca throws back his head and laughs. ”Handle it? Lana, we”ve faced down barrages of bullets, survived betrayals and bombings, and we”ve danced with death more times than I can count.” His grin is infectious as he adds, ”A little diaper duty? We”ve got this.”

Grigori”s deep voice joins the mirthful moment. ”Speak for yourself. I haven”t changed a diaper since my nephew was born, and that was over a decade ago. Might need a refresher course.”

Roman watches us, the pain in his eyes replaced with something softer, more vulnerable. He reaches out again, this time his hand steady as he places it over mine. ”You”re a force of nature, Lana. You”ll be an incredible mother. And we’ll be here to support you—diapers and all.”

There”s warmth in the room now, the kind that feels like sunshine after a relentless storm. It seeps into my bones, making me feel strong again.

The door opens without warning, and Julia steps in. ”Julia, I asked you to stay in bed and rest,” I say, my tone more worried than stern.

She waves a dismissive hand, her eyes scanning the room until they land on Roman. ”Bed”s boring. Besides, I needed to see for myself how the hero of the hour was holding up.”

Roman, looking more alive now, offers her a weak but genuine smile. ”Hey, Jules. Looking better than me, I bet.”

Julia sidles closer, a mischievous glint in her eye. ”Not hard to do, considering you look like you”ve been in a brawl with a bear.”

Luca chimes in, unable to resist adding to the teasing. ”He’s always trying to show off. Even got shot to look tougher than the rest of us.”

”Shame the bear didn’t know about his face being his moneymaker,” Grigori jokes, making Roman roll his eyes.

Julia laughs, her presence bringing a refreshing burst of energy into the room. ”Well, this bear-fighting, money-making face had us all scared for a minute there.”

Turning serious for a moment, she reaches out, squeezing Roman’s hand. ”Seriously though, thank you.”

Roman squeezes back, his response softened with sincerity. ”Anytime, Jules. You know that.”

I watch this exchange, a warmth spreading through me. ”Alright, everyone,” I cut in, ”let”s let the man rest. He”s had enough excitement for one day. Plus, we don’t want his head getting too big from all this hero talk.”

”Too late for that,” Julia quips.

We all laugh, but we stand to leave, letting Roman get the rest he needs. As we file out of the room, there”s a pause in our steps, a collective moment where the camaraderie hangs tangible in the air.

At the doorway, I turn back one last time. ”Rest up,” I say with a nod toward Roman. ”We”ve still got a war to win.”

Roman”s grin is all confidence and charm. ”As if there was any doubt.”