I have no answer. I can only watch as the people I love most are escorted away, their doors locked from the outside, their freedom stolen by the man whose child I'm carrying.
34
ROMAN
Istand at my bedroom window watching dawn break over the estate grounds, my chest tight with an unfamiliar sensation that takes me a moment to identify. Guilt. The emotion sits heavy and uncomfortable, foreign after decades of making ruthless decisions without hesitation. But Eva's devastated expression from last night haunts me, replaying behind my eyes every time I blink. The way her brown eyes filled with betrayal when my security team escorted Megan and Alexei to their rooms, doors locked from the outside.
I'm hurting her. Every decision I make to protect her drives another wedge between us, and I don't know how to stop it. Don't know how to be anything other than what I am.
But I can't release Tyler, Megan, or Alexei. Not yet. They know too much, have seen too much. Tyler's amateur investigation uncovered connections to my operations that should have been invisible. Megan witnessed the security response, the way my men move like soldiers rather than corporate guards. And Alexei, my wife's brilliant sixteen-year-old brother, is smart enough to piece together what kind of man his sister is goingto marry. One phone call to the authorities could destroy everything I've built, could expose my organization to federal investigation, and could get people killed.
Every option feels like choosing between Eva's trust and everyone's survival.
I drain my vodka, the burn doing nothing to ease the tension coiling in my chest. The city is waking up beyond the estate walls, normal people starting normal days with normal problems. I envy them sometimes, the simplicity of their concerns.
Footsteps in the hallway make me turn. Eva appears in my doorway, still wearing the clothes from last night, her blonde hair loose and tangled around her shoulders. She looks like she hasn't slept, dark circles shadowing those brown eyes that usually captivate me. Even exhausted and furious, she's beautiful in a way that makes my hands itch to touch her, to pull her against me and make her forget why she's angry.
But the fury blazing in her expression tells me that would be a big mistake.
"We need to talk." Her voice is steady, controlled, but I hear the rage simmering beneath it.
I gesture toward the sitting area, but she shakes her head sharply. "Downstairs. I'm not having this conversation in your bedroom."
Ourbedroom, I want to correct. But I recognize this isn't the moment to press that point.
We descend to the dining room where breakfast has been laid out by my staff. Eva ignores the food, standing across the tablefrom me with her arms crossed, her spine rigid with stubborn pride. The morning light catches the curve of her breasts beneath her rumpled blouse, and despite everything, my cock stirs with interest. I force my gaze back to her face.
"Release them." Her words are clipped, precise. "Megan, Alexei, Tyler. Let them go."
"I can't." I keep my voice low, controlled. "Not yet."
"Can't?" Her laugh is bitter, almost hysterical. "Or won't? Because from where I'm standing, you're choosing to imprison innocent people. My best friend. My brother. A boy whose only crime was loving me."
The accusation stings more than it should. "They know too much, Eva."
"So… what?" Eva's voice rises, her composure cracking. "You're going to keep them locked up forever? Make them disappear? Kill them to protect your precious empire?"
The words hit like bullets. "I would never?—"
"Wouldn't you?" She leans forward, her hands flat on the table, and I can't help noticing how the position emphasizes her cleavage, the way her blouse gapes slightly. Fuck, even furious with me, she makes my blood heat. "You're a monster, Roman. Lev was right. You destroy innocent things. You're proving it right now."
The accusation cuts deeper than any blade. I move around the table with deliberate slowness, watching her pulse flutter at her throat despite her anger. "I'm trying to protect you. To protect them. If they go to the authorities?—"
"They won't." Eva straightens, meeting my approach without retreating. "Megan would never betray me. Alexei loves me. And Tyler…" She pauses, her voice softening slightly. "Tyler just wants me to be safe. None of them would destroy my life by exposing you."
"You can't know that." I stop close enough to smell her perfume, that light floral scent that's become as familiar as breathing. "Fear makes people unpredictable. Desperation makes them dangerous."
"Like you're being dangerous right now?" Her brown eyes bore into mine. "Keeping innocent people prisoner because you're afraid? That's not strength, Roman. That's paranoia."
The words sting because they're partially true. I've survived this long by trusting no one, by eliminating threats before they can materialize. But Eva's right that I'm letting fear drive my decisions, and fear makes you sloppy.
But then, caution keeps you alive.
I study her face, seeing the exhaustion beneath her anger, the way her hands tremble slightly despite her fierce composure. An idea forms, a compromise that might ease her fury without completely compromising security.
"Come with me." I turn toward the basement stairs.
Eva's eyes widen. "Where?"
