The room went quiet as the two men stared each other down.
Delaney felt it settle into her bones.
Ray’s gaze flicked between them before he finally exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. “Get her out of my building. Hell, all of you get the hell out of my building. I want you gone.”
Bobby didn’t hesitate. He turned on his heel, took Delaney’s wrist with steady grip, and guided her toward the door. “Stay close to me.”
She barely had time to register what was happening before Levi appeared down the corridor, eyes sharp, phone pressed to his ear. Marshal Donovan followed close behind him, jaw set, already scanning exits. Blaze slipped into place at Elvis’s shoulder as if drawn there by instinct. Hawk remained with Roman, just in case.
“I talked to Dane,” the young computer tech said. “He said to take her to the safe house on the outskirts, where you took Meaghan a while ago. It’s got a hard perimeter and is off-grid. She’ll be safe there until we figure out what to do next.”
The word safe landed in Delaney’s chest like something fragile, while Bobby simply nodded.
“I’m coming with,” the marshal said, and the look on his face told Delaney there would be no argument about it.
Bobby nodded. “Just keep up.”
She hesitated only a heartbeat before breaking away from Bobby’s grasp, promising she’d be right back.
Ray Boudreaux’s stare followed her as she crossed the room. She felt it on her back—hard and accusing—as if he were carving blame into her spine. She didn’t give him the satisfaction of acknowledgment, however. Not now. Not when Roman lay broken beneath sterile lights and the faint scent of antiseptic still clung to the air. She moved past the director and everyone else in the room, her steps quickening until she reached the bedside of her friend and partner.
Roman looked smaller than he should have, as bruises shadowed his cheekbones and jaw. One eye was swollennearly shut, and dried blood traced the edge of his hairline. His breathing came shallow, uneven, each rise of his chest a reminder that Leon had been thorough.
She dropped to her knees beside the bed, her hands hovering for a second, afraid to touch him, afraid of hurting him more, before finally settling against the blanket near his hip.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, leaning close enough that only he could hear. Her voice shook despite her effort to keep it steady. “I never meant for any of this to touch you. I’ll check in as soon as I can. I promise. I won’t disappear on you.”
Roman’s fingers closed around hers with what strength he had left. It wasn’t much, she could tell, feeling his fingers trembling, but it was enough. “You better not. I need to see how this plays out.”
The words went straight through her as her throat tightened. Her chest pulled inward as something inside her splintered. She simply nodded because speaking right then was impossible.
Behind her, Hawk stepped closer, his presence quiet but solid, like an anchor dropped into chaos. “Don’t you worry,” he told her, his voice low and certain. “We got him. He’s not alone in this. Ray’s team have the place locked down, as do the Silvers. I’ll make sure he gets through the day and back to where he belongs.”
Delaney swallowed hard and pressed Roman’s hand to her cheek for one brief moment, drawing strength from the warmth of him before easing his fingers back onto the mattress.
She eased herself to her feet, legs unsteady, heart still lodged somewhere between guilt and fear. Only then did she look up.
Ray was watching her again, only this time it wasn’t with anger. No, this time it was with something much colder.
She met his gaze for half a second—long enough for him to see she understood the damage done, long enough for him to know she would carry it whether or not he forgave her.
Then she turned away, returning to Bobby’s side.
They moved through the hotel with practiced precision, avoiding guest corridors and elevators, slipping instead through service halls and stairwells. Blaze murmuring directions while Levi peeled away to redirect casino security. Donovan stayed half a step behind her, one hand never far from his jacket.
Delaney kept her head lowered, clutching a borrowed housekeeping jacket around herself as Elvis swapped his blazer for a maintenance vest someone handed him and tucked his badge out of sight. She followed his lead, shoulders hunched, pretending to check her phone while they walked at a steady but non-frantic pace.
Her heart hammered as every footstep sounded too loud in her ears. Every shadow felt watched.
They didn’t use the main entrance, nor did they use the valet. They exited through a loading ramp behind the kitchen wing, crossed a staff parking deck masked by linen carts and delivery crates before sliding into a waiting SUV through a loading ramp near the kitchen wing.
However, when she opened the door, there was already another woman in the vehicle along with a man dressed like Bobby. Seeing them confused her for a moment, but before she could ask what was happening, another SUV pulled up beside theirs. Doors were flung open, and the woman gave Bobby a curt nod as she took Delaney’s jacket from her and slipped into it. Bobby passed his shirt to the other man, taking a spare from the seat, and then the others were out of the vehicle and climbing into the other SUV.
She turned to Bobby, her brows arched in question.
He pulled his shirt down in place as he looked at her. “Decoys. Hopefully, whoever is after you is watching and thinks you slipped into the other vehicle. They’ll have two SUVs to track now.” His grin grew. “And that’s just for starters.”
She settled back in her seat, and only after they had shut and locked the doors did Delaney allow herself to breathe, trusting Bobby to take care of her.
