Chapter 6 - The Apple Agreement
When Roman returned to the compound, he didn't go straight to the war room. He went to the kitchen.
Leo was sitting at the island, coloring in a new notebook. He looked up as Roman entered. The boy’s sharp eyes scanned the faint bloodstain on the cuff of Roman’s white shirt.
“Did you hurt the bad men?” Leo asked, his voice entirely devoid of childhood innocence.
Roman walked to the sink, rolling up his sleeves, and washed his hands with cold water. “I made sure they can’t hurt you or your mom ever again.”
Leo put his crayon down. “He’s my dad, isn't he? The man who hurt my mom. The man hunting us.”
Roman stopped scrubbing. He turned around, leaning against the counter. “Biology doesn't make a man a father, Leo. A father is someone who protects you. A father is someone who makes sure you have apples and a warm bed. That man is nothing to you.”
Leo slid off the stool and walked over to Roman. The seven-year-old looked up at the towering crime boss and did something that nearly broke Roman’s heavily guarded heart. He wrapped his small arms around Roman’s waist, burying his face in the man’s vest.
“Thank you for the apples,” Leo whispered.
May you like
Roman slowly placed a heavy, calloused hand on the boy’s head. “I promise you, Leo. You will never have to count coins again. And your mother will never look over her shoulder again. I give you my word.”
It wasn't a syndicate oath. It was a vow written in blood and steel.
