He pauses only briefly, then with a note of reluctance, adds, “Put her on.”
I glance at Elena, silently hoping she’ll keep her word, and I cut the space before handing the phone to her. She takes it with a shaking hand, eyes far softer than usual.
She swallows hard and puts the phone to her ear. “Roman…I’m okay…I swear.”
Instinctively, I want to give her space to take the call, but I also know I’m already putting my life on the line by doing this. I don’t need to let it get more out of hand. So, I sit there and listen, waiting for her to be done placating his obvious concern.
Then, when he’s sated enough, the arrangements are made with quiet, terse words bellying just how dangerous this is, and how pivotal it is.
Extending an olive branch could get me killed. I know it. But I can only keep going the way I have been for so long.
And damn it all, the warmth in Elena’s eyes at hearing her brother’s voice again undoes something in me.
I just hope I live long enough to hear Lily’s.
Chapter 16 - Elena
I don’t know what’s more unsettling…the fact that Wyatt is suddenly being honest with me, or that I want to believe him.
Today feels different. The condo feels quieter, though it isn’t just that. It’s also from the deliberate care in everything he’s been doing, and the way he gives me space, along with the way he looks at me like he’s memorizing instead of guarding.
After last night, I didn’t expect any of this to mean a thing to him.
Men like him don’t wake up softer after sleeping together. They don’t change their plans for a woman. If anything, I anticipated only distance, coldness, and a return of those sharp, grumpy edges.
Instead, he ran me a bath, and he told me the truth. He finally revealed the one thing he’s been keeping close to his heart.
It’s disarming, and despite being aware of it, I go along with it. Really, what other choice do I have? In all honesty, a traitorous part of me wants to see where this goes.
Still, I’m not naive enough to think Wyatt would change for me. It’s likely just the afterglow making him seem softer than usual, but soon enough, that will surely fade. It was just sex to him…I know that’s it.
And since I’ve been biding my time, this is exactly what I’ve been wanting. The chance at freedom, regardless of what the outcome is for him.
With the arrangements made, it starts to feel more real as I go through the motions. Wyatt gives me the chance to finish up and get dressed, and once I’m done, breakfast is waiting for me.
We’re going to Roman’s house. While it isn’t exactly private enough to discourage bloodshed, this isn’t exactly something that can be discussed in public. Wyatt is meticulous, careful, and in absolute control, but here and now, he has to hand the reins over.
He’s risking everything, all with the hope that I won’t throw him to my brothers like a sacrifice.
Wyatt’s calm as he drives, but I can feel the tension coiled tightly beneath his skin. He knows the gravity of this situation, and it’s weighing on him even if he doesn’t mention it.
He has every reason to panic, even if it’s only internally.
My brothers have ended lives for less. He would be handled no differently.
I’m just as silent as he is throughout the drive, letting it sink in that this is it. Once I walk into that house, everything changes. The very thing I’ve been wanting for far too long is finally on the horizon.
I should be relieved. I finally get to see my brothers, and I’ll be able to reassure them in person that, despite being forced into a marriage I didn’t ask for, he kept me alive. He was more decent to me than any other man in his situation would be. I should be thinking about running back to them and letting them take me away from this whole mess. I should want Wyatt to be left to deal with the consequences of his choices alone.
But, something about that sits wrong in my gut.
Despite my better judgment, my mind drifts to the way he looked at me this morning, like I was the most precious thing he had ever seen. How he talked about his sister with such tenderness. How the slight chill in his fingers when hepassed me the phone earlier gave away the anxiety he was hiding beneath the surface.
He trusted me with that call. He’s trusting me now.
I know what I should want, but I don’t know what feels right anymore.
Having sex with him shouldn’t have changed anything, and while it did to some degree, it’s everything else that had the greatest impact on my change of heart. How he protected me when he didn’t need to, actually listened to my demands, and even showed me his vulnerable angles.
