Page 113 of Dark Romeo

“Your handler’s name.”

“I don’t know his real name. Just that everyone calls him…G-Goldfish.”

Roman’s eyes fluttered shut. “Fuck,” he muttered, under his breath.

Goldfish. It sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it. Obviously it meant something to Roman, something bad, but I couldn’t ask him about it now.

Roman recovered himself, his face turning hard and cold again, wiping away any trace of his previous flash of emotion. “Why do they want her?”

“I don’t know. Tate and I were just hired to grab her and take her to a drop-off point. I swear to God I don’t know anything else.”

Roman leaned in close, almost as if he was about to kiss the man. “If you’re lying to me…”

“I’m not.” Eduardo winced. He must be in a lot of pain. “I swear.”

Roman glared at him for one long, hard minute. Then he nodded and pulled the knife away. I let out a sigh of relief. My knees suddenly felt wobbly.

This whole time I’d barely breathed. This whole time it had felt like time had slowed. Like I had been shoved underwater, watching everything as if through a dream. Now the trance smashed to pieces and every sound grated on my nerves; Eddie’s wet breathing, the grit underneath my shoes, the echo of Roman’s knife as he slid it back into its sheath.

Roman held up the picture of Eddie and his family between their faces, stabbing the photo with a blood-smeared finger. “I’ll keep this, just in case.” Roman shoved the photo into his back pocket before he dropped Eddie’s wallet onto his lap. Eddie slumped against his ropes.

Roman stood and spun. The second his gaze found my face, he winced. I must have looked shaky and pale. I certainly felt it. Like if the wind blew too hard I might have blown away.

Roman tore his gaze away from me and strode out of the warehouse, a dark storm raging in his eyes. I stared out after him.

What should I do? Should I go after him?

“After I’m done with you, I will feed you to my dogs.”

I wanted to stay in here, to hide. God, I never wanted to look at him again.

“Then I will find your wife and I will fuck every single one of her holes until she’s cursing your name.”

I wished I had stayed outside. Why hadn’t I just stayed outside? I wished I hadn’t seen what I had just seen and heard what I’d just heard.

“And your beautiful daughters, they will watch. They will watch and they will know that it was your fault. That you could’ve saved them but didn’t.”

I recoiled at the memory. I couldn’t. I thought I could deal with it but…

You selfish woman, a harsh voice inside me said. Do you know what it took for Roman to act like that in front of you? He did that for you. Whatever I was feeling, Roman was feeling worse. Right now he needed me.

I turned and ran out after Roman.

Just outside the warehouse door, I found Roman standing with his hands clenched in fists, forearm muscles straining. He was glaring into the blackness like he wanted to tear the night apart. He didn’t move, didn’t make a noise except for his loud inhalations of air.

“Roman,” I eased to his side. He didn’t acknowledge me. Cautiously, I touched my fingertips to his back. “Are you okay?”

His lips pinched into a tight line. That was my answer. We stood there, me barely touching him, him barely moving for what seemed like an eternity. I could feel the heat of his tense muscles in my fingertips. I wanted to touch him further, to place my whole palm on his back, perhaps even run my hand along him, to soothe him. But I didn’t dare.

I found Roman studying me out of the corner of his eye. I suddenly felt self-conscious. I dropped my fingers from his back, missing his warmth already.

“Do I scare you?” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. He was trying to hide it, but my answer mattered to him.

“No.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that.”

I shook my head. “I was the one who wanted to stay.”

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