Page 64 of Resisting Royal

CHAPTER 32

BIANCA

“Answer your damn phone,” I groaned, feeling my heart beat fast with each ring I heard. Voicemail picked up, again and my anxiety only skyrocketed.

I heard the explosion out in the distance, felt the ground rumble under my feet and when I looked out the window and glanced toward the left, toward the barn . . . all I saw were flames licking the dark sky and smoke billowing in the air.

I had just hung up the phone when there was a knock at our door. I crossed the room in seconds, pulling open the door expecting to find Royal only to see Emma. “They are fine.”

It was the first thing that left her mouth, but it didn’t reassure me. “Did you talk to them?”

She wrung her hands in front of her. “Well, no. But if they weren’t, someone would have said something by now, don’t you think?”

I looked down at the time on my phone. “It’s been eight minutes.”

She stepped past me and flopped down on my bed. “I know. They won’t answer.”

I threw my useless phone onto the bed next to her. “I keep getting voicemail.”

“I’m not worried about them,” she finally said. “It’s not like they mean that much to me. I hardly know them after all. But, I don’t want them hurt either.”

The look on her face told me she didn’t honestly believe the words she was speaking. But I was feeling the opposite. I was worried about Royal. Every stubborn, hard inch of him better come out of whatever disaster had happened unharmed. I had to admit I was becoming attached to him. A fact I wasn’t all too comfortable sharing with him. If he was harmed? Well . . .

I turned my face away from Emma to try to hide the emotions I was feeling. “Has this happened before?”

“An explosion on their property? God, no. But, there have been little things,” she confessed.

She tucked a piece of thick brown hair behind her ears as she fidgeted, and I couldn’t help but think she was such a mousey little thing next to Roman and Shaw’s sheer size. She was petite with what I suspected were amazing curves if she let herself out of the over-sized clothing she seemed to wear. She was a natural beauty, without a stitch of makeup on her, and in a way, I envied her. She put little look or care into her appearance and yet she still managed to be flawless.

“What’s your deal?” I blurted out then instantly covered my mouth.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her head tilted to the side slightly as she nervously rubbed her fingers together.

I walked over to the window again, glancing out at the flames. I wish Royal would call, my stomach was in knots waiting for word. “I mean, those boys watch you like they are the big, bad wolf ready to eat you up.”

She giggled. “Really? I don’t think so.”

“I’m positive.” I picked up my phone and hit dial, waiting until the voicemail picked up before hanging up again. “I think they both worship you.”

She shook her head vigorously. “No. You’ve got it wrong. I just work for them. Here. I help out when I’m not at my father’s bakery.”

“And live here?” I asked.

“It makes it easier. That way, I can work until late evening and not have to worry about the drive back to town. It’s for my safety, really.”

I was a bit skeptical of her explanation, but she seemed to believe it. So, I changed the subject. “How is it you came to work here?”

She bit her lip as if deciding if she should tell me or not, then caved. “My father owed some money to the boys and another man in town. He paid the other man who is admittedly scarier, but then he didn’t have the funds to pay Roman. Roman decided his mom needed some help around here, so a deal was made.”

I laughed before exclaiming, “That sounds familiar.”

“What?”

“Nothing. So just like that, you’re working off your father’s debt?”

“I mean not exactly just like that, but short summary, yes.” She chewed on her bottom lip a bit.

“Relatable.”

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