Page 113 of Unspoken

"Is he still in danger?"

"No, but he needs a vacation. A change of scenery."

"I understand."

"Good."

"Hey," I call.

Vlad glances at me over his shoulder.

"You should get Sasha a piano for his next birthday," I say.

Vlad's brows furrow. "I did not know he played… Thank you for telling me."

"He's very good."

Vlad chuckles, shaking his head as he steps out of the room. "Well, I guess you really do know how to push all the right keys with my brother."

The door clicks shut behind him, and I'm left alone with my thoughts, my heart racing with the promise of a future with Sasha. The rest doesn’t matter. Vlad will take care of it and I will take care of Sasha.

Later on, I’m sitting in a chair beside Sasha's hospital bed, his pale hand grasped gently between my own. The steady beep of the monitor fills the room as I watch the slow rise and fall of his chest. He’s looking at me with those green, cunning Solovey eyes as if he knows all the secrets in the world. A mottled bruise peeks out from beneath the collar of his hospital gown. His neatlybandaged shoulder is a reminder of the violence and his reckless choice that brought us here.

"That was a stupid thing you did," I murmur, my thumb tracing circles on the back of his hand. "Taking a bullet for me."

A weak smile plays at the corners of his lips. "Didn't think doing your job would be so painful," he rasps out, his voice rough, but I know he’s joking.

A choked laugh escapes me, teetering on the edge of a sob. "Don't ever do that again, you hear me?" My request is fierce, desperate. "I can't lose you, Sasha. Not now, not ever."

As I keep looking into his eyes, I feel something shift within me, like the last piece of a puzzle falling into place. The walls I've unknowingly built around my heart, the barriers erected by years of loss and betrayal, begin to crumble.

Sasha's fingers tighten around mine, anchoring me to the present, almost as if he can read my mind.

"Did he threaten you? For not telling him about us?" Sasha asks. There is a slight tremor in his voice.

"A little bit, but we have nothing to worry about. I’ll just have to take care of you now."

"For real?"

"For real. You know your brother can be very intimidating but we've come to an understanding. I've officially resigned from my position, and I asked for his permission to date you. He agreed. Deep down he’s a softie."

"I wish he showed me that side more often. Or at all."

"Sometimes, we gotta do what we gotta do and if that involves turning off our emotions, then it needs to be done."

"Were you turning off your emotions with me when you first started?"

"Big time. I was in denial for a hot minute there."

Sasha laughs quietly. "Got you, Muscle."

"I’ll never get rid of this nickname, will I?"

He smirks. "Probably not. But I like it." His voice drops to a low seductive whisper and I’m starting to wonder if it’s the painkillers talking and not my boy. "Like having my own personal beautiful bodyguard."

My turn to laugh a little as I shake my head. My chest feels warm and full and there’s a clear purpose to my life, I realize. There hasn’t been one for a long time. I think it started when my father died and completely ruined me when I chose to protect Curtis. But now, it doesn’t matter that I’m not able to return on the force, doesn’t matter that my father is gone and his killer is alive, behind bars. The grudges have disappeared. Instead, Sasha placed himself into each and every corner of my life, making it his, making it worth living.

"Logan?" he asks after a long stretch of silence. "Did Vlad... did he catch Shtyk?"

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