Chapter 4
Roman
Islammed the trunk down after I put her bags in, glad to see that it only took her twenty minutes to gather up what she needed and head out.
Once I started up my baby and then pulled out of the parking spot, I called Marcell, not wanting to have this conversation but knowing it needed to happen.
“What’s up, Roman?” Marcell asked and I glanced at Saranna, who was staring down at her hands on her lap. She finally glanced up at me, and I offered her a small smile, knowing it wasn’t much reassurance, but I would keep her as safe as possible.
“There’s been a change of plans. Saranna can’t stay at her place anymore. In fact, I need a clean up crew there.”
“What the hell does that mean? What happened to my cousin?”
“Nothing happened to her, boss. She’s fine. She’s safe and with me. However, someone ransacked her place, looking for her briefcase that houses all her information. We have it, but I’mtaking her to my place. Think you can meet us there so that we can talk about everything?”
I heard the shuddering breath from the man and felt it myself. Because sure, it was one thing to see a threat, it was another thing all together to have this right on your doorstep. Someone wasn’t just wanting her dead; they wanted all evidence to be gone as well.
We just needed a damn clue as to who was behind it because that list was endless.
“Okay, fine, yeah. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way. And Roman, she better be safe over there.”
“Promise. It’s not like anyone really knows where I live.”
“Right,” he muttered before hanging up the call. I sighed, closing my eyes for a brief moment before staring at the road.
“Where do you live?”
“On the outskirts of town, actually. Kind of on a cliff overlooking the city. Really, no one knows I live there.”
“Huh, never would have guessed,” she said and I didn’t blame her. Marcell, my mother, and one other person knew where I lived, so if anyone figured it out, they were tailing someone.
Thirty-five minutes later, I pulled through the gate and made the trek up the driveway, parking in one of the three car garages.
“Holy shit, Roman. This place is bigger than Marcell’s house.”
I shrugged as I popped the trunk, grabbed her stuff, and then went into the house. Size wasn’t the issue for me, location was. I valued my security and hadn’t had any issues yet.
“Make yourself at home. Nothing is off limits. And this,” I told her, leading her into a bedroom that was right next to mine, “is yours for the future. It has an ensuite bathroom as well, stocked with everything. I know it’s not your place but try to make yourself as comfortable as possible.”
“Thanks, Roman. If there’s anything I know about you, it’s that you like your privacy and I can’t imagine that someone invading your space is comfortable.”
I sat her bags down inside the room and turned to look at her, crossing my arms.
“You’re right, it’s not my top choice. But it’s the safest, and that’s the most important thing right now. This is serious, Saranna. I mean, I know you know that now. And contrary to what you might think, you really are that important to me that I would risk my privacy to keep you safe.”
She looked at me, her hands folded in front of her, and it broke my heart to see her worried. She might have gone into this fighting tooth and nail with everything, thinking she wasn’t in trouble, but it was evident now that she was, and she was frightened.
“Hey,” I told her, pulling her into my arms, “it will be okay, I promise. I got your back, no matter what.”
“But who has yours?” she muttered, wrapping her arms around my waist, and I froze. When’s the last time anyone really gave a shit about me?
I mean, Marcell would, but sadly, I was also expandable. Maybe not as a friend, but as a worker, yup, I was replaceable.
I finally pulled away as my phone buzzed, letting me know that Marcell was at my gate. Without checking, I hit enter, then took her hand, walking to the living room.
A few minutes later, he walked through the front door, his face showing his anger.
“Welcome,” I told him, making him roll his eyes. “Have a seat. Want anything to drink?”
