Page 18 of Freed
~Fifteen~
ALANNAH
This is what was meant by all the fairytale stories I read as a little girl. I was finally getting myHappily Ever After. It had been three weeks since Roman proposed to me at Waterfront Park. It was a day I would never forget. Every day I looked down at my finger, reminded of how lucky I was that Roman was the man who bid on me at Winston Nelson’s mansion. He was my life now, and I couldn’t imagine a life without him. I knew that he loved me more than anything, given that he gave up everything for me.
So here I sat, contemplating how I was going to ask him to take me toRaptureone last time. The longer I put off asking him, the more I would lose my courage. It was now or never. Pushing from the couch, I headed to the study where I knew he would be. Roman was sitting at his desk, tapping away at his computer keyboard. He was so focused on what he was doing that he didn’t hear me come in. Taking a seat on the leather couch near his desk, I waited patiently until Roman noticed me. He really must have been concentrating hard not to see me sitting before him. Twisting the beautiful ring on my finger, I pretended to clear my throat, hoping that I would gain his attention.
“I’m not ignoring you, Lanie. What’s on your mind?”
Trying to build the courage to say what I wanted, I took a deep breath. “I know that you gave upRapture, but is there any chance that we can go there one last time?”
Roman’s eyes were on me, and the tapping of the keys stopped. The way he was looking at me, I wasn’t sure if he was surprised that I asked or if he was deciding on whether or not to grant me my last wish. I didn’t move as he pushed his chair away from his desk. The only sound in the room was the wheels rolling against the plastic protector. I felt small next to his six-foot-two frame, so I stood and walked toward him before he reached me. Even though we weren’t eye level, I felt confident that I could stand up to whatever he was going to say. “When would you like to go?”
I could feel my smile extend across my face. Roman just made me the happiest woman ever. Stretching to my tiptoes, I placed my hands on his shoulders and placed my lips on his. When our kiss broke, his eyes were on me. “Thank you for doing this for me.”
♥ ♥ ♥
The atmosphere atRapturehadn’t changed from the first time I had been there. The music was loud, and the girls on the stage were dancing to the beat, each performing their own routines. Each stage was surrounded by both genders, men being dominant. Even the dance floor was packed, with barely enough room to move. As we headed up the steps towards what used to be Roman’s office, Kevin waved us over as he continued to fill drinks orders.
Roman held my hand tightly as we made our way past the crowd. Maybe it was the night, but it appeared that the club was busier than usual. I never saw the place so packed. When we reached the end of the bar, Kevin was just finishing the last drink order before placing it on the waitress’s tray. Kevin began heading our way, doing a few moves himself with the beat of the music.
“Busy night,” Roman said, his hand propped up against the bar as he leaned into Kevin so he could be heard.
“Yeah, Martin’s idea to have a two for one special. Can I get you two anything before you go up?”
“We’re good. Thanks.” Roman replied.
I always liked Kevin, and other than Carl, he was the most dedicated to his job and always looked after Roman and me. Roman slapped his hand against the bar top, basically telling Kevin that he would catch him later. As we headed up the stairs, I could see just how busy the club really was. Roman was looking too, and a somber expression fell upon his face. I wondered if he had regrets about selling the club to Martin.Rapturehad been a part of him for a long time, and to give it up might have been the hardest thing he had ever done. Squeezing his hand, I asked, “Are you okay?”
“Never better, sweetheart.” The way he looked at me, I knew he was telling me the truth. He truly did love me.
Martin was looking below at the crowd when we entered his office. He knew we were standing behind him since he’d seen us before we had seen him. “What brings you toRapture, my friends?”
Martin turned to face us before stepping over to the credenza, where a few decanters of liquor sat. Before Roman could explain why we were here, Martin asked, “Can I get you something to drink?” as he poured a healthy portion of whiskey for himself.
“We’re good,” Roman stated, leading me to the couch.
“Well, well. Isn’t this a beautiful sight?” A familiar voice sang behind us, along with the door closing and locking.
Before I could turn, Martin replied, “Claire, somehow, I knew this day would come.”
“Then you know why I’m here.” Claire began, pointing the gun she held directly at Roman and me. “You took everything from me. Stuart was the only family I ever had. Now you all need to pay.”
“You don’t want to do this, Claire,” Roman warned.
“Haha… don’t be so sure. Even though you didn’t pull the trigger that killed Stuart, you were still as much a part of it as Martin. And now you are going to see what it feels like to lose the only thing that ever mattered to you. Step away from Roman, Lanie.”
It was becoming apparent what Claire’s intention was. An eye for an eye, to speak. She was going to take the one thing that ever mattered to Roman, or Martin, for that matter. She wanted them to suffer just like she had, and the only way to do that was to kill me. I had to do something. “Stuart loved you very much, and he wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of your days in jail. Think about what you are doing, Claire. What kind of life would that be?”
“Life. Are you kidding me? What kind of life do I have without Stuart? I am no one without him. Now move away from him, Lanie. I won’t ask again.”
I knew that if I didn’t move, she would shoot Roman. She was crazy, and I couldn’t chance him getting shot when all she wanted was to kill me. Releasing Roman’s hand, I proceeded to walk toward her when Kevin’s voice rang on the other side of the door. “The police are on the way.”
With Claire’s attention on the door, I had to do everything in my power to stop this. Everything began to play in slow motion as I climbed the couch and leaped over the back, tackling Claire to the floor in the process. The gun she held discharged from the impact, and the bullet ended up in a ceiling panel. I was like an animal fighting for my life. Over and over, I slammed her head against the floor, oblivious to the fact that her eyes had rolled back inside the sockets. I felt a strong arm come around my waist and lift me from her body. I wanted her dead, but luckily for her, Roman stopped that from happening.
