Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
I blushed and she laughed. “Oh, I like you. I’m glad the Warrior has crumbled. This is gonna be fun.”
I had no idea what she meant, and I was too tired to figure it out. I drank some more smoothie, humming at the flavor. Mango, pineapple, and strawberry. It was a rich, tasty treat. I set down the container and yawned.
“You need to go back to bed.”
“No, I’m fine. I really need to make some calls.”
“Once Roman is here.”
“Which will be?”
She shrugged. “When he arrives.”
And that was all she said.
I woke slowly, voices drifting in and out. I only caught the occasional sentence or word.
“Perfectly good bed.”
“I told you to look after her.”
“Pretzel.”
“…how you talk to my wife.”
“Stop it, boys.”
“You gonna keep her, Roman?”
I recognized Vi’s voice. Roman’s as well. He had a commanding tenor to his speech, but right now, I would add pissed off to the tone. The other voice, I was unsure of, except I thought it belonged to Aldo.
I opened my eyes, startled to see Roman crouched in front of me. His head was turned, and he was speaking to Vi and Aldo. I recognized him from last night. Roman’s voice was quiet but firm.
“She needs to rest and recover. I am not moving her.”
“I need to go home.”
Roman’s head snapped around, and he met my eyes. For a moment, I saw his emotions clearly shine in his eyes. Then, as if a veil descended, he distanced himself.
“You’ll go home when I say so.” He stood. “And you should be in bed. Twisted around like a snack to go isn’t doing your injuries any good.”
“I bet he wants to eat her like a snack,” Vi murmured.
Roman glared, Vi laughed, and Aldo turned his head, trying not to join her. Roman glanced my way, and I had to hide my amusement. He almost looked embarrassed.
“Sometimes the snack-sized pretzels are the best,” Vi continued.
“Stop it,” Roman said, dropping his voice. I knew it was meant to sound scary, but it only made me want to laugh too. Vi was ridiculous, and he was taking her far too seriously.
I stood, planning on gliding past them all and heading to the room down the hall. Except I moved too fast, and the room spun. I gasped, reaching out to grab something to steady myself and found Roman’s arm already going around me. He lifted me up, practically growling in anger. “She. Needs. To. Lie. Down.”
He stomped down the hall, ignoring Vi’s giggles. Aldo began humming something familiar, and Vi’s chuckles turned into laughter.
“Let yourselves out,” Roman snapped over his shoulder.
I sighed, letting my head rest on his shoulder. I wondered why I felt so safe in his arms. Lethal, Vi had admitted.
Unless he cared.
But I doubted that was the case.
Right?
I wasn’t sure how to ask him.
CHAPTER 8
EFFIE
Iwoke up again, and it was early evening. I wondered if I had slept as much the entire past year as I had the last couple of days. I got up, pleased when my body didn’t scream as loudly in protest at being moved. After using the bathroom, I shuffled down the hall and into Roman’s office. He wasn’t there, but I heard his voice in the hall talking to someone. I looked around the large space. His desk was dark wood, heavy and solid. The shelves that lined one wall matched. The sofa and chairs in the corner were covered in a deep russet leather. His chair and the ones in front of his desk were black. A small table had chairs tucked under it, and I assumed he used that if he was eating a meal in here. I approached his desk. Piles of paperwork, a thermos of coffee, and a glass of amber liquid sat on top of the dark wood. On top of the paperwork were a pair of tortoiseshell frames. But what caught my attention was the wall of windows behind his desk. I walked over, staring at the Falls. They were, as usual, majestic. Riveting. The colors changing every second. Blues, greens, grays, whites. Swirling and rushing, the power of them enormous. Even growing up here, I never tired of them. I loved them in all seasons. Fall was my favorite with the colors of the trees against the backdrop of the rocks and water. Winter was incredible with the ice and mist that hung in the air. I tended to avoid them during the height of tourist season, but up here, that didn’t matter. You couldn’t hear the voices, the cars, or the constant click of cameras. All you saw was the beauty.
I leaned my head against the cool glass, mesmerized.
I startled at the sound of Roman’s voice behind me. “Spectacular, isn’t it?”
I nodded without turning around. “It is. I never tire of it.”
“Did you grow up here?”