He stops in front of me and crouches so we’re face-to-face.
“You done with the tantrum, Liv?”
I launch my body forward, all teeth and fury. My shoulder slams into his chest, head snapping up toward his jaw, but he catches me mid-motion, a blur of strength and muscle.
“You fight like a spoiled little brat,” he growls, gripping my thighs. “But I have to admit, it’s a turn-on.”
“Go to hell,” I hiss, straining against him, teeth bared.
He laughs. That same low, rumble I used to find sexy when I didn’t know better.
“You always didlove it rough, Liv.”
“You always did love being delusional,” I bite back.
He straightens, brushing a finger along my jaw. I jerk away from his touch, seething.
“But we both know the truth,” he murmurs. “We were never finished. You were mine first.”
I go still, my veins running cold. My heart slams against my ribs and the taste of copper seeps into my mouth.
"Want me to tell you why I brought you here?" he asks. “Because right now, you must think this is just about you. About stealing you away from Kingston.”
I glare at him. “Leave him out of your bullshit, Roman.”
The fresh scent of his cologne disguises the rot I now see in his eyes.
“This is about spilled blood,” he grits out. “My kid brother’s to be precise.”
When I blink, caught off guard, he sees it and smiles.
“Yeah, Liv. Your da, Cormac fucking O’Callaghan, had him murdered while you were off playing princess in boarding school. The bastard ordered the hit like he was taking out fucking trash.”
Roman’s tone turns razor-sharp. “He was twenty. Just a kid. Loyal to your da, and stupid enough to think that meant something.”
His eyes gleam with something feverish when he moves his face in closer.
“They shot him in the knees first. Let him scream. Let him beg. Then they put a hole in his gut and left him bleeding out on a filthy, cold warehouse floor.”
He pauses for a beat, eyes dark and intense.
“He cried, Livvie. Dragged himself through his ownblood, still trying to live, handprints smeared across the concrete. I saw the CCTV footage. Watched him die slow, alone, choking on the scream no one else heard.”
I freeze. My stomach knots so tight I might be sick right here, but Roman isn’t done.
“He called for me, you know. Said my name. Like he hoped I’d appear to save him.” Roman smiles, but it’s hollow. “I’d never want you to understand that pain, Liv… but maybe it’s the only way forward now.”
His voice cracks for a split second, and it chills me more than the fury. “He bled out in a disused building just like this one.”
Roman’s not bluffing. He’s broken. And broken men don’t care who they bury.
I clench my jaw, pulse thundering in my ears. “Jesus, Roman. That was my da’s order. Not mine… and not Kingston’s either.”
His burst of laughter is grit and false amusement.
“You think the stain of his blood skips over you because you didn’t pull the trigger?” he snarls. “You always played the obedient daughter in your ivory tower while the rest of us crawled through the filth your family left behind.”
I tilt my chin, anger blooming in my chest. “And what are you now, huh? A martyr? You want revenge so bad you’ll drag me into it like I’m the one who made ya bleed?”
