Page 55 of Tainted Ties

The golden sun slowly set as I drew closer to Roman’s manor, and I wished that I didn’t have to face him alone.

I had spent the past week at my father’s house and even that had been too much. Fortunately, we stayed out of each other’s way, and it gave me the time to build up my courage to face the devil.

Before inserting myself back into the devil’s presence, I had to buy myself a new phone. If my father was going to keep in touch with me, I couldn’t use the one Roman tapped into.

The car pulled up to security, where Pip, my father’s driver, exchanged words with the guard before the gates drew open.

I was really doing this, risking my life to bring down a Mafia Don.

Dammit.But even though I was on the verge of passing out from fear, an unwanted sliver of excitement shot through me, knowing I’d see the beautiful bastard. There was no explanation for it other than I must be deranged.

“You need me to come in?” Pip asked, peering at me through the rearview mirror.

I shook my head, not trusting my voice, before getting out of the car.

Walking up to the wrought iron double doors, I raised my fist and knocked. I knew I was being a coward because a perfectly crafted doorbell was within my reach.

Five minutes passed and it didn’t help that I was already wallowing in my self-destruction. I was a second away from saying good riddance when the door swung wide open.

A young man stood before me, who appeared to be in his early twenties, with blonde hair, and chocolate-brown eyes.

“Oh, uh, hello.”

And then he smiled, broad and boyishly, despite his ironclad suit.

Someone called for him a second later, a voice I didn’t recognize. “Nicolai, who is it?”

Roman had company and to think I’d assumed I would feel better if I wasn’t alone. I was sorely mistaken.

“Roman’s salvation,” the young man—whose name was apparently Nicolai—whispered, amusement evident on his soft features as he opened the door wider for me to step through.

Walking over the threshold, I wrapped my fingers around the straps of my bag to stop them from trembling.

I followed Nicolai down the foyer, where he took a left turn and entered a room I hadn’t been in before, but by the looks of it, this was an office.

I stood outside the door, not ready to face my impending doom.

“Who was it, Nico?”

I would recognize that voice anywhere. Roman sounded tired, his voice ragged and low.

Nicolai shifted his gaze toward me with a quirked brow. I inhaled deeply, reining in the emotions surfacing before stepping inside the room.

My eyes found Roman’s immediately—like a magnet, he always pulled me to him.

“I see,” he clarified, pinning me in place with a deathly stare.

I didn’t know what else to say except for, “Can we talk?Alone.”

There were at least a dozen other men here, but I didn’t pay them any mind even though the air stiffened with male energy.

Patiently waiting under Roman’s scrutiny, I thought as though he might turn me down, but he surprised me when he said, “Everyone leave.”

It all happened terribly fast.

Someone grabbed me by the arm, pushing me against them as the flash of a knife came into view.Shit.

I was stoic and confused as to what the hell I had gotten myself into.

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