Chapter 4 - THE SHADOWS OUTSIDE
The ride to my modest apartment on the north side took less than fifteen minutes in Roman’s armored SUV.
Inside, the cabin was warm and smelled faintly of cedar and leather.
I spent the entire journey wringing my hands.
“My apartment is messy,” I blurted out as we pulled up to the curb.
“I haven't had time to clean since Tuesday.”
Roman looked at me, his gray eyes unreadable.
“Megan, I was bleeding out behind a dumpster three hours ago.”
“A messy apartment is hardly going to offend me.”
We hurried through the driving rain into the dilapidated brick building.
When I unlocked apartment 4B, Mrs. Gable opened the door immediately, holding a warm washcloth.
“Oh, thank goodness, Megan!” Mrs. Gable started, stopping dead when she saw Roman and his two armed guards standing behind me in the hallway.
“Mrs. Gable, this is... a friend,” I said, swallowing hard.
From the sofa came a small, pitiful sniffle.
“Mommy?”
Leo sat wrapped in a dinosaur blanket, his cheeks flushed with fever, clutching his right ear.
Before I could take a step, a tall man in a sharp suit carrying a professional medical kit stepped past us from the kitchen.
Dr. Vance.
“Pulse is elevated, slight fever-induced delirium,” Dr. Vance reported briskly to Roman.
“Acute otitis media. I’ve already administered an antibiotic injection and prescribed pediatric drops.”
Leo blinked sleepily at the strange men in our living room.
Roman walked slowly across the worn carpet.
He knelt beside Leo’s sofa.
The fierce, untouchable mafia-esque tycoon vanished.
In his place was a gentle, attentive man.
“Hey there, Leo,” Roman said quietly, holding out a small silver pocket watch for him to see.
“My name is Roman. Your mom is a very brave woman.”
Leo reached out a tiny, hot hand and touched the shiny metal casing.
“Are you a superhero?” Leo whispered.
Roman smiled—a real, genuine smile that transformed his stern face.
“Something like that, buddy.”
I stood by the doorway, a tear finally escaping down my cheek.
May you like
For months, I had carried the entire world on my shoulders alone.
And in one evening, a stranger had stepped out of the shadows and lifted the heaviest stone.
