“I don’t know why she won’t tell us what happened to Lorraine or what happened at the funeral. It might be easier if we knew, so we could help,” Lily says sympathetically.
“I considered trying to find out on my own,” Ara admits. “But I’ve come to learn that I should respect the privacy of my friends,and wait until she’s ready to confide in us. Whether we like it or not, this is her demon to face, like we faced ours. It’s Romi’s turn, and when she’s ready for our support, we’ll be there.”
Silence descends.
I look over my shoulder as I hear two of the hounds' voices carry down the hallway.
“I think the ad for a roommate will be good for her. If someone is living with her, maybe it’ll make her more conscious of her actions or at least give her companionship. She doesn’t want to be around us at the moment, so maybe someone new will be good for her,” Lily says.
A smile blossoms on my face.
Lorenzo would absolutely be against me living with one of his woman’s friends, and I can’t help but think about how much fun I could have with it. Inch by inch, I want to weave myself into his world, and gaining this Romi woman’s trust to spite my brother seems like the first step. Hell, who knows what fun I could have with it in the meantime. Either way, I know my brother will explode, and if I play my cards right—which I always do—he’ll look like the unreasonable one. I’ll be able to slowly unfurl the trust he’s created in this little domesticated group of his.
I could rent any place in Manhattan, but now I want a specific one.
“The boss will carve out your heart, knowing you’re eavesdropping on his wife’s conversation,” the yellow-gemmed hound says over my shoulder, surprising me that he was actually able to sneak up on me.
If memory serves correctly, and it always does because I’m always right, the yellow-gemmed one is Izak, and his expertise is in tech and devices.
Luck seems to be on my side today because he’s the perfect man I need for the job. The hounds might not yet trust me, and for good reason, but that doesn’t take away the fact thattechnically, I’m higher ranked than they are, and if there’s one language we can agree on, it’s cash and bartering.
“I need you to do a job for me.” I go to throw my arm over his shoulder, but he slips out of my reach.
“I have no interest in helping you, especially since you most likely won’t make it through the week,” Izak says as he walks away.
I follow him, my hands stuffed in my pockets. “Why? Are you planning on killing me?”
“I don’t care to bloody my hands unless necessary, but the others can’t wait. I do enjoy watching, however.”
“Name your price,” I say, and he stops in his tracks. He looks me over. “I just need you to make sure no one else applies for a roommate ad. That’s all.”
“One hundred thousand dollars,” he says, deadpan.
“Done.”
He doesn’t appear shocked but rocks back on his heels to look me up and down again. “That’s all you want? You don’t want a background check or anything on the person in question?”
“No. I like to discover these things on my own.”
“Whatever, I don’t give a shit. Transfer me the money now before you’re a dead man tomorrow.”
I hold out my hand. “I think we might just become friends after all.”
“There’s no way that will happen,” he responds dryly as he shakes my hand.
4
ROMI
Ivaguely remember his features—the dark hair, the dark brown, almost black eyes, and the lean build—and I make a point to dip my gaze lower, recalling the piercing on his cock.
But most of all, it’s that arrogant shit-eating grin and the single dimple that I remember most. And that's exactly what's on his fucking face now as the stranger I fucked a week ago stands at my door with a bag hanging over his shoulder.
“Are you some kind of stalker?” I ask, unimpressed, holding Borris close to my chest with one arm.
“Or is it fate?” he asks, bringing his forearm up on my doorframe and leaning in, that smirk begging to be slapped. “Good to see consistency is an attribute for my new roommate.” His gaze dips to the bottle of beer in my other hand. “Last time it was a bottle of vodka.”
“I ran out,” I tell him as I make a point to take a swig of the beer. This man has "problematic" written all over him, and now that I’m slightly more sober than when I fucked him, I can see he's not all there, in an unhinged kind of way.
