Page 69 of The Roman's Woman (A Singular Obsession)

Giving him a last look of frustration mingled with disgust, she started for the front door.

“Sophia, wait.” He crossed in front of her, blocking her path. “I just remembered those things I found, the ones that belong to your mother. I put them in a box in the garage. Do you want them since you’re here?”

Crap.

All she wanted was to walk out the front door and never come back. However, if there was anything of her mother's here, she couldn’t leave without it.

“It’s one box?” she asked, suppressing a sigh.

“Yes,” he assured her, gesturing towards the kitchen.

Determined to grab the box and leave as quickly as possible, she hurried through the garage door, leading the way.

Behind her, Richard stopped at the threshold to flick on the light. Her father’s vintage Chevette was right where he’d left it. It didn’t appear as if Richard had moved it, supporting her theory that he bought the car out of guilt.

Nothing else looked different either. Walking around the front of the car, she peeked on the other side. No box.

“Richard, where is—”

A sudden rush of movement behind her was her only warning. She started to spin around, but she wasn’t fast enough.

Something heavy crashed into her head. There was an explosion of light and pain that burned across her vision like a meteorite before everything went dark.

Chapter 24

Gio checked his watch for the fifth time. He was sitting in a car across the street from Richard Selwyn’s house—Sophia’s father’s old place.

When he’d asked Enzo for the address, he was unsurprised to learn his security chief already had it. The address had been part of the background check he’d run on Richard, one he conveniently neglected to tell Sophia about. It would have only pissed her off knowing he’d invaded her ex’s privacy that way. But again, what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

As soon as Sophia walked out the door, Gio was going to start the engine and drive back home. With luck, he would beat her there. She would never find out that he’d been here at all.

Except it had been almost a half-hour and she was still inside. Her car was across the street a little up from the house, so he knew he hadn’t missed her leaving. How long did it take to tell someone off?

Another few minutes crawled by and his concern grew. What if something had happened? He knew his woman well enough to assume she had come here guns blazing. Richard had probably been on the defensive. As strong and capable as she was, Sophia was much smaller than him. What if he’d done something to her?

A rush of adrenaline nearly propelled him out of his seat and up the steps of the house. It was only Sophia’s voice echoing in his head that stopped him. This was exactly the sort of thing they had been arguing about.

What if they were just talking, somehow managing to work the situation out on their own?

Drumming an indecisive beat on the steering wheel, he stared at the house. Minutes passed and he started to feel a little ridiculous. Everything was fine. Any minute now, Sophia was going to walk out that door and if she saw him out here, their relationship might be irreparably damaged.

He was fingering the key in the ignition, contemplating driving away, when the garage door opened. While he watched a dark blue Chevrolet pulled out into the street. Leaning forward, he scanned the interior as it turned in front of him.

The driver was Richard, but the passenger seat was empty. Peering closely, Gio caught a glimpse of something that turned his blood to ice. As the car was pulling away it passed under a streetlight—illuminating a bit of something dark pink sticking out from under the closed lid of the trunk.

Sophia had a dress that shade. It was one of the outfits he’d made Gavin, his English buyer, present to her. He loved the way the color complemented her caramel skin.

Panic flooded him. He needed to move. The car started to disappear down the street. With hands that trembled, he turned the key and started the car. Gunning the engine, he made the same left turn the Chevy had. He exhaled when he spotted Richard a bit ahead.

He fumbled for for his phone and hit one on the speed dial just as the car pulled out onto the highway.

The phone rang and rang, ratcheting up his tension. He could barely breathe when it connected and went to voicemail. “You’ve reached Sophia Márquez. I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message at the beep.”

Crap, he’d forgotten he swapped out the number one position on his speedial. Hitting two, he waited impatiently for Enzo to answer.

“Yes, Gio?”

“Enzo! I’m following Richard Selwyn. He’s driving a blue Chevrolet, and I think he has Sophia in the trunk!”

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