But you’re dead…
‘Not to you, Mira baby.’
CHAPTER ONE
AMIRA
Saturday
March 13, 2021
Solime Canyon
Blood drips into my mouth as I chew on the broken skin of my lip. My breathing deepens as I stare at an eighteen-year-old Roman on the screen.
“Police are still searching for the young man who shot and killed an Augustus County Sheriff around the date of December 4, 2020. The suspect, Roman Marcello, who was recently released from prison on a second-degree murder charge, is believed to be armed and dangerous. Do not approach. If spotted, please call the number on the screen—”
I mute the television when I hear a car pull up outside of the house at three-thirty in the morning. Then, taking Shadow off of my lap and placing her on the spot beside me, I stand, slowly creeping to the curtain on the window to gaze out.
I drop the shade and shuffle toward the front door with a sigh of relief, opening it wide for Roman and Ash, who are currently walking up the concrete steps.
“Hey, angel,” Roman says, pulling me in by my waist to give me a kiss on the forehead.
It feels wrong, accepting Roman’s acts of affection when my mind shrieks the wordsiblingswhenever we touch, but I would feel even worse if I didn’t have these small gestures. So, I silence the voice in my head, screaming what a disgusting woman I am and lean into his lips, savoring the burn like the sinner I am.
Stepping back, I allow Ash to enter, closing the door swiftly when Shadow comes barging toward me, wanting to be outside.
“How was your night?” I ask, securing all the locks before bending low to swipe Shadow into my arms, almost dropping her when her wiggling becomes too much to handle. She’s obsessed with Roman, and the minute he comes into view, all she wants is him.
“Fucking great! Your man got a little over a grand stuffed into his fucking shoe right now!” Ash shouts from the kitchen, dishes clanking as he rummages in the fridge for the steak and pasta I cooked earlier.
I tear my gaze away from the kitchen doorway, ready to ask about his night, when I stop, my eyes halting on Roman, who is currently glaring at the news still playing on the TV.
“Don’t watch this shit. All you’re going to do is worry yourself,” he says, stomping over to the coffee table to snatch the remote and shut it off.
“Sorry,” I mumble, scratching the top of Shadow’s head to keep myself from staring into Roman’s furious eyes.
He hates it when I watch the news and listen to the stories they have circulating about him; how he’s an unpredictable murderer who is possibly on the search for his next victim.
They have no idea who Roman really is; a man who has suffered at the hands of others since he was a child. First his father and then my own. If only the world knew. He would be labeled a hero instead of a criminal.
“I just wanted to see if they knew anything about you… and McLaren.”
Throwing the remote on the couch, he scoffs, “That picture is the mugshot I took when I went in. I was a fucking kid, Amira. Thin as a fucking rail, as you’ve said before, with short, cropped hair and no tattoos. They aren’t going to find me with that image, and McLaren? I fucking dare them to dig deeper and find out the truth behind why that fucker is dead. I guarantee I’ll get a fucking medal for it.”
With another kiss to my head, he gives Shadow a quick rub before spinning around and heading into the bathroom.
Ash comes out of the kitchen then, a huge rectangular Tupperware container full of fettuccine alfredo held up to his chin as he devours a heaping forkful.
“He’s right, you know? Nobody is going to be looking for Roman when they see that picture on the screen.”
Ash’s words do nothing to reassure me, not when I see Roman’s face broadcasted on the national news. I would be a damn moron not to worry.
“Plus,” Ash continues around a mouth full of food, “no offense, but you two come from shit-fucking-nowhere. This fucking façade of an investigation won’t go on for much longer. Cops just gotta make it seem like they give a shit about their fellow brothers in blue for a little bit before moving on to the next thing.”
Hope begins to sprout in the center of my chest at his statement, wanting with all my soul for him to be right, so I can stop worrying about Roman being taken from me at any given moment.
With a great exhale, I nod my head and force the muscles in my jaw to unclench.
