Page 14 of Freed
~Eleven~
ALANNAH
Roman spent most of his morning on the phone with Martin. He was on edge, and the last thing he needed was to have a needy woman at his side. After last night, all I wanted was to be near him. The bondage that he performed was scary at first, but I trusted him. A once terrifying moment turned into something beautiful.
Letting him deal with Neal, I decided to keep myself busy. Roman had a small library, which proved to be quite lovely with the mix of authors he had stocked his shelves with. Swiping my hand along the leather spines, I came across one that looked interesting. It was a mythical story of gnomes and trickery searching for a golden ring. Taking a seat by the window. I placed my coffee cup on the small table and opened the book. I loved books that began with‘Once Upon a Time.’
I was so completely entranced by the story, Roman entered the room without me lifting my eyes from the page I was reading. “Lanie, how about we get out of here for a few hours?”
As much as I loved the story, he didn’t have to ask me twice. I jumped to my feet and placed the book beside my cup of coffee. Looking over to where he was standing with a smile that stretched from one ear to the other, I replied, “When do we leave?”
“Let me make a few more calls, and then we can go.”
He took the wind out of my sail. I slumped back into the chair and picked up the book. “Don’t be too long,” I said, disappointed that I had to wait to get out of the condo.
“I promise, no longer than fifteen minutes.”
♥ ♥ ♥
When Roman suggested we get out of the condo, taking me toRapturewas the last place I thought we would go. It was late morning, and other than Kevin, there was no one else in the bar. That is what I thought until the guy who was worked atRaptureas a bouncer stepped into view from the hallway that led to the back room carrying three boxes, two domestic beers based on the labels, and one with liquor bottles. Nodding his head at Roman, he set the boxes on the floor before making his way to us. “Hey, boss. I wasn’t expecting you in this early. Is there a problem?”
Smiling at the large man, Roman placed his hand on the guy's shoulder and said. “Not at all, Carl. Just needed to get a few things done.”
Carl smiled at Roman and continued back to the bar to help Kevin unload the boxes that he had brought in. He was sculpted. There was no doubt about that. It was no wonder that Roman hired him as a bouncer.
Taking me by the hand, Roman led me up the stairs to where his office was located. It was strange being here without the girls dancing on the stages or the crowd cheering, coaxing the girls to remove their clothes. The emptiness of the club made me see things differently. I wondered if the back rooms were empty as well.
When we reached Roman’s office, he reached inside the door and flipped the light on. I walked in behind him and headed to the floor-to-ceiling windows while he took his place at his desk. It was a different world from up here. The entire first floor of the club could be seen from Roman’s office. The funny thing was, no one would ever know that they were being watched.
Turning on my heels, I left the window and took a seat on the couch perpendicular to Roman’s desk. I sat quietly and focused on the sound of Roman’s fingers tapping against the keys on the keyboard. I wished I knew beforehand that we were coming here, and I would be waiting for him to finish with nothing else to do but stare at his gorgeous form. Startled by the sound of his cell ringing, my breath hitched, and I could feel a tingle in my stomach as though the floor dropped beneath me. Roman narrowed his gaze my way with a concerned look as he listened intently to the caller. I could tell that whatever the caller was saying wasn’t good.
It wasn’t long until Roman was up out of his seat and at my side. “We need to get you back to the condo.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you on the way. There is no time to explain.”
Pulling my hand away from his outstretched one, I looked up and said, “Tell me now, Roman.”
“Lanie, you have to trust me. There isn’t any time.”
I placed my hand in his and allowed him to lead me out of the office. Practically running down the stairs, Roman came to a halt when he noticed that Kevin and Carl were no longer at the bar. Roman turned toward me and said, “We need to go out the back way through the members-only area.”
I felt like a rag doll the way he was dragging me around. Worse than that, I still didn’t know what was going on, and Roman’s actions were beginning to scare me. I had never seen him this way. When he pushed the door open, I knew why he was in such a hurry to get out of here. Stuart was standing on the other side of the door, and he was holding a gun to Martin’s side. “Look, Mr. Holland, Mr. Michaels has decided to join us.”
“What do you want, Nelson?” Roman hissed, exhibiting his hatred of Stuart.
“Close the door and lock it, Michaels. We wouldn’t want anyone else to join the party.” Stuart’s eyes were burning into mine, and I could feel my body heat with anger.
Roman never let go of my hand as he closed and locked the door per Stuart’s request. We faced Stuart, and his eyes were even colder than his father’s. When Stuart took the butt of the gun and hit Martin on the side of the head, I knew that Martin wasn’t his target, we were. As I watched Martin fall to the floor, blood began dripping from the side of his head where the skin had broken from Stuart’s attack.
When my eyes reverted back to Stuart, he now had the gun on Roman and me. “How about we go for a little ride?” Pulling a set of keys from his pocket, he threw them at Roman.
“Where are we going, Stuart?”
“Somewhere quiet where we can negotiate the sale ofRapture.”
“What are you talking about? I have no intention of sellingRaptureto you.”
“You will. Believe me, you will. Move before I put a bullet in Alannah’s pretty little head.”
Roman pulled me behind him as he made his way toward the back door. The gun that Stuart was holding remained on us as we stepped past him. Roman pushed open the back door, and a black sedan was waiting for us in the alley. “Alannah, you will sit with me in the back while Roman drives.”
Stuart reached out and took hold of my arm. I thought for sure Roman was going to punch him, but he immediately stopped when Stuart held the gun on me. “Don’t try anything stupid, Michaels. I don’t mind shooting her here.”
