Chapter 6 - Binding Wounds
The cabin was freezing when they first walked in, but Roman quickly got a massive stone fireplace roaring, filling the room with the warm, comforting scent of burning oak.
Emma sat on an oversized leather sofa by the fire, holding Lily, who had finally fallen back into a deep, untroubled sleep. Roman stood near the kitchen area, stripping off his blood-stained suit jacket and examining his shoulder wound in the reflection of the microwave.
"Let me help you," Emma said softly, laying Lily gently on a makeshift bed of cushions on the sofa.
She walked over to the kitchen counter, where Roman had set down a first-aid kit from the cabin's supplies. She picked up a bottle of antiseptic and a roll of clean gauze, stepping up beside him.
"I can manage," Roman grunted, wincing as he pulled his torn white shirt away from the crusted blood on his skin.
"Stop being stubborn," Emma said with a faint, trembling ghost of a smile. "You took a bullet for us tonight. The least I can do is clean the wound so you don't get an infection in the middle of nowhere."
Roman looked down at her, surprised by the quiet authority in her voice. He let out a slow breath and relented, sitting down on a wooden barstool. "Fine. But be warned, I'm a terrible patient."
Emma gently cut away the remaining fabric around the bullet graze on his shoulder. The metal had clipped the muscle, leaving a nasty, scorched tear, but thankfully it hadn't stayed lodged inside.
As she dabbed the antiseptic onto the raw flesh, Roman tensed, his jaw clenching, but he didn't make a sound.
"I'm sorry," Emma whispered, her fingers light and steady against his skin. "About your brother. And about dragging you into this mess."
"You didn't drag me into anything, Emma," Roman said, his voice low and gravelly, vibrating close to her ear. "Caleb was my brother. And whether he was a fool or a hero, he's family. That means you and Lily are family now too. And I protect what's mine."
Emma paused, her hand hovering over his shoulder. The words sent a strange, electric warmth through her chest—a feeling of safety she hadn't known since before Caleb walked out of her life.
"What do we do now, Roman?" she asked, stepping back once the bandage was securely taped in place. "Vance and his men aren't going to just give up."
Roman stood up, rolling his shoulder to test the movement. He walked over to the window, staring out into the dark, swirling snowstorm that blanketed the forest.
"We find the ledger," Roman said resolutely. "Caleb left clues. He always left clues. When we were kids, we used to hide things from our father in a workshop we built behind our old house in Pilsen. If Caleb had a backup plan, that's where it would be."
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"Pilsen?" Emma's eyes widened. "That's where we met. He worked at a small garage on 18th Street."
Roman turned slowly, a spark of sudden realization igniting in his eyes. "The garage. Of course. That's not just where he worked. That was his operational base."
