Page 82 of Unruly Obsession
“Every morning they walked together after yoga, but yesterday…”
“Romi came to my father’s funeral instead,” I finish for her, because she still seems to tiptoe around the subject.
“She won’t tell me what happened, but she’s pretty shaken up.” She says the last part quietly.
Something lodges in my throat. I didn’t know the woman well, but she and Romi had been roommates and friends for almost two years.
“Why didn’t Romi call us?” I ask, wishing she had been more inclined to depend on us. I’m already in action, quickly throwing on a pair of jeans and a top.
“She’s just… vacant,” Sienna says. “Should I call Ara as well?”
“Maybe not yet. She had a big launch today for a new app, and Romi doesn’t do well with being smothered. I’ll be there shortly,” I promise.
When we were ten, one of Romi’s dogs passed away. It was so devastating that she didn’t eat or drink for days.
I quickly walk down the hallway, open the door to my mother's room, peek in, and find her sound asleep.
My heart feels divided. I’ve been holed up here for a week, hovering to make sure she’s okay, but to have Romi now going through the same grief…
What the fuck is happening right now?
Is fate so cruel?
I’m hurrying down the stairs and almost run into Bentley.
“I’m sorry, Miss Taylor. Is everything okay?”
“Sorry, Bentley. I’ll be gone for the day. Please call me if anything happens with my mother,” I say, grabbing my coat and whipping it over my shoulders.
“Do you require me to call the driver?” he asks, flustered by my pace.
I pause, thoughtfully. “No, Bentley. I think I’ll drive myself.”
He doesn’t say anything, only tilts his head slightly in approval as I make my way to the garage. I look through the finecollection of vintage cars. It was always a hobby of my father’s. I’d never shown much interest in it, but it was absolutely forbidden that we ever drive one. I look at the array of eight cars, biting at the edge of my nail as I make a quick decision. His old Mustang. The one he loved the most.
I rev the engine, feeling oddly empowered at the way it growls beneath me. It feels like a great "fuck you" to my father, but if he was willing to sell me off before this car, then I think this is a fair trade-off. Bit by bit, I feel his hold slipping from me. Especially as the loose gravel kicks up when I round the corner too fast outside of the gates. My heart pounds with adrenaline, and Ilikeit.
I’m not surprised when Sky begins to trail me on his motorbike. Unlike when the hound gives me space when I'm at the house by remaining on the outside of the property, he’s right up my ass anywhere else I go.
I park outside of Romi’s apartment, which is located on the outskirts of Manhattan in a slightly quieter part of town. If anything, it’s a little run-down, but she always expressed that it was within her roommate's budget, and she liked the edginess of it—it apparently gave her inspiration.
When I step out of the car, I’m surprised when Sky removes his helmet, revealing his beautiful features as he gets off the bike.
I point to him. “You’re not welcome.”
“Sorry, miss, but those aren’t my orders. I can give you space when you’re sweetly tucked up in bed, but anywhere else, I follow.”
“Why are you all so infuriating?” I grumble, irritated but beelining for the entrance so I don't waste any more time.
“Comes with the territory, I think. And if Lorenzo found out I wasn’t one step behind you at any point, he’d have me neutered.”
I pause in the middle of the staircase and look down at him. I’m inclined to ask about the missing brute, but I won’t fool myself into believing he’s doing this because he cares. So, I settle on, “You’re really annoying, do you know that?”
He chuckles. “I’ve been told it’s part of my charm.”
I flick my hair over my shoulder as I continue up the stairs. “You’re to remain outside, and I mean that. If not, I’ll pull your own gun on you.” I refuse to let anyone in Romi’s space, except those who can help her. I want to protect her at all costs.
He chuckles behind me. “Wow, you really have grown a pair since hanging around with Lorenzo, haven’t you? It looks good on you.”
