Page 7 of Mafie Queen

“That’s what I was afraid of. You need to get him to take one of those as well as a Xanax. If he has broken the Xanax in half, he needs to take the equivalent of a whole one. I will speak with him when he wakes up tomorrow.”

“Thanks, doc.” Ending the call, I put the two pills in my hand while readying myself for a fight. Alexi is scrubbing his body clean for the third time since he entered. I can’t take seeing him like this any longer.

“Lex!”

He doesn’t respond, just keeps moving the soap around his body as if he hadn’t heard me. Keeping the pills firmly in my grasp, I remove my shirt and drop my pants, walking straight into the shower with him. When my hand lands on his shoulder, he stops his movements and finally notices me.

“What the fuck, Damien?”

He tries to push me back but I level him with a glare. “Why did you stop taking your meds?”

His defenses rise in an instant, but I won’t let him get the upper hand. “The truth, Alexi. Or so help me I will shove these pills down your throat on this shower floor.”

Defiant eyes glare back at me.

“You want to play stupid games here, Lex? That’s what you’re doing? How the fuck can we trust you to do anything if you can’t even get dressed without having an episode? You want us to sit back and trust that you’re looking out for Evie here, but you can’t even look out for yourself?”

Finally, fucking finally, that catches his attention. His shoulders deflate, and I take note that his hands are shaking. I step out from under the spray, pulling him with me and I hand him the pills. He pops them both in his mouth without question and dry swallows.

Wow, that’s a little impressive.

“I thought they were making me slow,” he says in defeat. “I was going to talk to Dr. K about a new medication but just forgot.”

He seems to go numb in front of me. His constant movements from before cease and the light in his eyes dim. Not from the medication, that would be way too fast, but maybe just because reality is too much right now.

I push him back under the spray, but he just stands there. I take the shower head down and rinse off what soap is left before tossing a towel around him and walking him to the chair beside the bed.

Alexi sits down, and I hand him a t-shirt I know he likes to sleep in along with the matching pants. He stands to put them on, going through the motions without a word. Lev eyes him from where he sits on the bed, clearly having heard everything from just a few feet away.

“We have to get better with this,” I say. “We have to start communicating with each other, and you need your medications, Lex. We don’t judge you for it. Hell, I restarted my anxiety medication after all of this because I could feel it getting bad. We all have limits in this world. Admitting them is not going to separate us, it’s what’s going to bring us together.”

I can tell the Xanax is making him tired because he nods his head as his eyelids droop. But he still manages to speak.

“I will take the medications. I am sorry.”

Bending down in front of him, I make sure to make eye contact as I say, “You don’t have to be sorry. We see that you always try to shoulder the burden for us. You try to do it all. Maybe it’s time that you let us take on part of that load too.”

He nods, knowing I’m right.I’m always right.

“We have to start doing things differently with each other. There has to be trust here. Real trust and communication, okay?”

Alexi scrubs a hand down his face and nods. “You are right. I need to work on letting go. And I need to put more trust in you guys.”

I reach out and squeeze his shoulder, and Lev’s hand squeezes right next to mine. As I stand, Lev moves in front of me to face Alexi and pulls him up into a hug. I embrace both of them from behind Lev.

We stay like that until we can’t stand up anymore. We need rest, and we all need a small moment of peace. I think if Evie could want anything for us, it would be to find that in each other.

So when we climb into bed and I pull the blankets up around us, I don’t think twice about laying my head on Alexi’s shoulder while Lev wraps his arms around my waist. We need each other just as much as we need her.

Chapter 5

I've lost count of the days, but I haven't lost count of the times my uncle has been able to make me believe my men are alive just before shattering the reality before me.

I've been stuck in this warehouse-like room since he brought me here. Sometimes, I wake up chained to the floor. Other times, I'm free to roam about the ample space.

I still have my bracelet on. So if Laney made it out, there's a possibility she could find me if I’m above ground. I doubt she would come though. She wouldn't have the resources.

Still, it's a comfort being able to have it. Boris gave it to me because he cared about me, and I plan to keep it safe. The same goes for the ring beneath my shirt.

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