I bump into Vani in the hallway, and she must spot my tear-stained face because she stops in her tracks.
“Oh, my God,” she says, “what’s the matter? Are you okay?”
I open my mouth to speak, but my throat is clogged and only a strangled sob comes out.
“Has one of those Preachers done something to hurt you?” she asks.
I shake my head and manage to speak, shocked at her question. “No, of course not. They’d never hurt me.”
“What’s wrong, then?”
I swipe at my eyes. “It’s hard to explain. Someone out there still wants to kill Roman. They’re resurfacing when I thought we might be in the clear, and, according to what I’ve just been told, they’re after him again.” Another sob breaks free. “I’ll never be able to just live my life with my men in peace the way you or Mackenzie can. It’s too much. It’s endless, and we’re powerless to stop it.”
Vani purses her lips and looks as if she’s thinking about something, but I need to move. I must get to Roman and warn him.
“I have to tell him,” I whisper. “I don’t know what else I can do. I don’t know how much more we can take.”
I glance around me as if the portraits on the wall can answer my questions and quell my fears, but I only see stern, patriarchal faces, and my stomach twists.
“My dad said to warn him,” I add softly as more tears fall.
Taking hold of my hands, Vani squeezes them. “You’re not in this on your own,” she says. “Okay? We stick together.” She chews her lip in thought. “Listen, I know you need to go and tell him, but waiting another thirty minutes isn’t going to hurt, and I think you need to calm down so you can give him the information clearly. Why don’t you come back to the house with me?”
She means the mansion where she lives with the Vipers, and I’m not sure I want to see them now.
As if reading my mind, she smiles softly. “The guys aren’t there. They’ve gone to pick up a new car with Lex.” She rolls her eyes. “What do you say? Let’s go talk this out, and you can calm down a bit?”
She’s right. I am a mess, and while I’m sure they’ll understand after all I’ve been through, I don’t want to keep falling apart in front of my men. Besides, I don’t even know where to find Roman. He’s most likely out walking in the woods, and, knowing him, he won’t have even taken his cell, as he sees it as barrier between him and Mother Nature.
I link Vani’s offered arm and give her a shaky nod.
CHAPTER 36
Ophelia
We walk through the woods,as if we’re going toward the water tower, but then turn north and head in the direction of the large house Vani shares with her Vipers. It looks like something out of a horror novel to me. There’s a rundown, almost shabby air to the outside, but when we step inside, I gasp.
It’s decorated like a movie, one set in a saloon bar or something from the past.
“Wow, this place is … um … cool.”
She laughs. “It’s so over the top. It’s got a Moulin Rouge vibe. I love that film. Don’t ask me why. It’s not my sort of thing, usually, but it’s just so gorgeous. I want to go to Paris, and I’d love to visit the Moulin Rouge. I was telling the guys how amazing I find that style of décor, and Saint said it’s something called Belle Epoque style, so I asked if we could do the main room here that way. And he said yes.”
Her eyes are shining as she waves her arms around, showing me the space. “Saint knows so much about fashion, and he also knows about interior design, so he helped me.” She wrinkles her nose. “I think Lex and Zane hate it, and we won’t keep it this way for a long time. It’s mostly draped fabrics and stuff. We haven’t painted the walls, but I like it, so for now, it’s staying.”
It really is like stepping back in time, and I wander around the large living space, taking it all in. A painting to the far end of the room catches my attention, and my eyes widen as I walk toward it.
“Is that Cain?”
It most definitelyisCain, but dressed like a Swiss goat herder, standing against a tree, an apple on his head, and an arrow right between his eyes. What the fuck?
Vani laughs softly. “Saint painted it. He says he’s going to give it to Cain as a gift. We’ve so far persuaded him not to.”
“Yeah, good call.” I shake my head.
My men might be unorthodox, but honestly, the Vipers, and especially Saint, strike me as completely unhinged.
“So, when does your dad arrive?” I ask.
