Roman

by Roman (retail) (epub)

  Determined to get the answers she wanted, she left her office and took the elevator down to her quarters where she grabbed a couple pieces of paper from her notebook. Yes, she would be breaking the rules by using it, but right now, she didn’t care. She needed answers from Roman—personal answers for her own understanding and well-being. She couldn’t get them except by talking to him.

  She walked into the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her grass-colored shirt brought out the green in her tired, hazel eyes, and her hair spiked just a bit longer than she liked. Similar to the rest of her life, she liked to wear it no-fuss, which meant close to her skull. In a couple of weeks, she’d have a full-on afro.

  Although angry at Roman, she didn’t like him sitting in that room, but she had no control over that.

  The first thing she needed to do would be to confront him on exactly what his intentions had been when he’d slept with her and why he’d chosen her. After she had answers to her own questions, she also needed to do her job—profile these aliens. If all went well, then hopefully, she’d be a part of helping them insert themselves into society.

  But Roman had already been a member of the population. It didn’t seem being in the middle of the Black Cuff in the center of downtown Phoenix could be considered him living on the edges of civilization.

  She splashed some water on her face to help clear her head and took a deep breath to calm her anger. The long and the short of it was that she had a job to do, one she excelled at.

  She nodded to herself in the mirror. She’d never really had anyone to rely on before, and she didn’t need anyone now. As a highly educated woman who had been recruited into the upper echelons of the military and FBI forces working together, she’d have to put her personal feelings aside to complete her work to the best of her abilities.

  But that didn’t mean she had no desire for the very personal answers to the questions she had for Roman.

  Chapter 20

  Roman stared at the ceiling, his fear and uncertainty gone. It seemed resignation of his situation had taken its place, which he didn’t think could ever be considered a good thing.

  How in the hell, out of all the women in this city, in that damn bar, had he set his sights on Olivia?

  Because she had been different than any other woman he’d ever met—that’s how. She’d been unique, and definitely hadn’t looked as if she belonged there. He’d been attracted to that, but also to her beauty. As he’d gotten to know her a little bit, her smile and her personality had appealed to him.

  But she’d lied.

  If she’d told him her true vocation, he’d have run from her as if his ass had caught fire. Yes, she had said she worked for the government in a mental health capacity, but that could have meant she pushed papers at the Department of Health. Never in a million years would he have guessed he’d find her in this place.

  He recalled their meeting a few hours ago. She’d seemed just as surprised to see him as he had been to see her.

  How did she feel, knowing she’d slept with an alien?

  A sound came from the front of his cell, and he looked up to see the panel slide open, then shut after Olivia entered. A guard stationed himself outside the door, glaring at him. She glanced over her shoulder, and then around the ceiling as if she looked for something. Smiling, she walked toward him.

  “Hello. My name’s Olivia.”

  He narrowed his gaze at her as she handed him a small piece of paper that read, They can hear us. Play along.

  He glanced at the guard and realized she’d situated herself so that the man couldn’t see what she did with her hands. He couldn’t hear anything outside this cell, and he guessed the opposite held true. Looking upward, he didn’t see any microphones, but decided to do as she asked. He then stood and extended his hand, feeling stupid in the damn linen dress. “I’m Roman.”

  Despite his anger, the connection between them still sparked when he grasped her hand. As he studied her face, she seemed tired and stressed, but still the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on, and his fury dissipated just a bit.

  “Can I speak to you for a few minutes, Roman?”

  “Sure.”

  She pulled over a chair and situated it so that her back faced the guard. Then, she motioned him to sit down on the bed. He did as instructed. Carefully, she removed two pieces of paper from her pocket. They began to crinkle a bit, and she coughed as she pulled them all the way out. He wondered what exactly was going on. He recalled his talks with Jovan about his time in the government lock-up, and everyone there had seemed pretty straight-forward in their ruthlessness. He sensed Olivia tried to cover up that she had the paper.

  “Roman, do you have a full name?”

  She scribbled something on the paper, then handed it to him.

  What was your objective when you slept with me?

  Well, she certainly didn’t beat around the bush.

  “I go by Roman Johnson.”

  He scribbled back on the paper to her, then handed it over. I didn’t have an objective. I just liked you.

  “And how long have you been here, Roman?”

  You lied to me.

  He took the paper, and answered. “I’ve been here a few years.”

  And you lied to me. I think we both lied by omission. Besides, would you have slept with me if you knew what I really am? I never would have slept with you if you had been honest with me.

  Her brow furrowed. “Can you tell me where you call home?”

  Why not?

  He took a deep breath. Frankly, trying to keep track of the two conversations had become a little bewildering. “No, I can’t.”

  Because you work for the government that wants to hunt my people down and eradicate them.

  She gazed at him, obviously very confused. “Why can’t you tell me where you live? Are there others like you?”

  I told you I worked for the government.

  You didn’t tell me you worked for the branch that kills beings like me.

  After handing her the note back, they stared at each other. His breath caught in his throat as she licked her lips. Despite his dire situation, he couldn’t deny he still found her attractive, but that didn’t mean he’d be flapping his jaws, giving her answers to every question she asked. “I’ll never tell you anything about my race.”

  She didn’t say anything for a long time. “So that means there must be others.”

  He shrugged noncommittally.

  “You won’t even clarify that?”

  “No.”

  “Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? Your family? Where you were born?”

  He sighed. “No.”

  After a moment, she stood, then wrote on the paper. I’m coming back later. “Thank you for your time, Roman.”

  He nodded and watched her leave, following her to the door under the watchful glare of the guard. As the panel shut behind her, he leaned against the glass and stared out. The cell across from him remained empty, as did the one next to him. He couldn’t see into any others.

  Going over his short time with Olivia, he had the impression she’d been more interested in their unspoken conversation than the one they’d had for the microphones.

  He laid back down on the bed and shut his eyes, feeling depressed. He’d eaten not too long ago, and without anything better to do, he decided a nap would be in order, because he sure as shit wasn’t happy with his life while conscious.

  Chapter 21

  Blake sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Sophia to get ready. They were about to go to the city for dinner at a Chinese restaurant and to catch a band she liked. He didn’t like the fact that she wanted to visit downtown Phoenix, but the Colonist activity had died down significantly, so he didn’t think they’d be in any danger.

  Being on the FBI’s most wanted list also bothered him, but chances of him being spotted and actually turned in seemed slim to none. He’d changed a lot through the years since he’d been placed on the li
st—he’d grown a beard, he weighed a lot more, and he was finally happy.

  At least, he hoped those things translated into looking different.

  He sighed and lay back on the bed. Why did women always take longer than they said they would? Why couldn’t Sophia realize that he thought of her as pretty no matter what she wore? Why did she have to put on make-up to go to dinner with him? All he planned to do was kiss it off her face when they got home, anyway.

  He shut his eyes and debated the pros and cons of taking a quick nap while he waited. Depending on when he woke, he would either feel more refreshed, or more exhausted. It must have something to do with when his sleep cycle would be interrupted. Also, he had to consider the crisp white button-down shirt he wore. Certainly, it would be wrinkling with him lying like this, and he wanted to look good for Sophia. But frankly, he didn’t care about wrinkles and a nap did sound like an excellent idea.

  What to do?

  His phone rang in his pants pocket, solving his debate for him.

  He pulled out the device, sat up, and glanced at the screen. Holly. What the hell did she want?

  “What’s up, you little powerhouse?”

  “Shut up and listen very carefully.”

  Okay, she obviously wasn’t in the mood for some good-natured chitchat.

  “I know where Roman is.”

  Oh, fuck. This couldn’t be good. Holly still worked in the military, and if she had located Roman, it meant he most likely was in military custody.

  “He’s in a … out in … so far, he’s safe.” The damn phone kept breaking up. “He’s … I don’t know how … I won’t be back for …”

  “Holly, you’re breaking up.”

  “Fucking listen to me, Blake!”

  “I am! You’re breaking up!”

  “He’s … it’s out in the middle of the desert. He’s fine …”

  The line went dead.

  He tried to redial, but it went directly to voicemail.

  Panic surged within him and he tried to calm the urge to throw the phone against the wall. Doing so wouldn’t solve anything.

  Sophia came out of the bathroom, looking so radiant and gorgeous, she took his breath away. She wore a black dress that hugged her slight curves, and her hair on top of her head in a messy bun. He saw a hint of make-up, but it definitely wasn’t overdone—it accentuated her features. It almost seemed as if she glowed.

  He stood on the verge of tossing the phone aside and tackled her to the ground. Roman had gotten himself into this mess, so he could stew in his own problems for a bit while he stripped the clothing from his mate. “You look amazing, honey.”

  Pink tinged her cheeks at his compliment, only making her more attractive.

  Then he remembered the call.

  Dammit all to Hell and back.

  He stood and approached Sophia, laying his hands on her shoulders. “I have some good news, and I have some bad news.”

  Her face fell. “We aren’t going.”

  He shook his head. “Nope. I just got a call from Holly.”

  She tilted her head in confusion. “What is it?”

  “That’s the good news. She found Roman.”

  “Thank the gods. Where is he?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She sighed. “Blake, you aren’t making any sense. If Holly found Roman, then how do you not know where he is?”

  “The phone was breaking up, so I could only catch bits and pieces of what she said.”

  “You need to call Justice and see what he knows.”

  He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. “That was exactly what I was thinking.”

  They stood in silence for a moment, and he could feel the disappointment railing through her. “I’m sorry, Sophia.”

  She stepped away from him, tears brimming in her eyes. “It’s okay.”

  “Why are you crying? I promise to make it up to you. Maybe we can go tomorrow night.”

  A sad smile crossed her face. “We’ll get it figured out. However, at some point in the next few days, you and I need to sit down and have a conversation.”

  “About what?”

  “We don’t have time to get into it now. So go rally the troops and decide what you and the other warriors need to do to get Roman back.”

  Something wasn’t right, and he didn’t like the idea of this conversation she wanted to have—it sounded serious.

  Sweet Jesus. What if she was leaving him? He’d never survive. A wave of panic crashed through him.

  “You aren’t bailing on me, are you? Because you know, I can change. You just tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll make sure it’s done.”

  She rested her hand on his arm and smiled. “Blake, I have no intention of leaving you. Just because I say I want to have a conversation without interruption doesn’t mean I’m unhappy with you.”

  Relief flooded through him. He couldn’t lose Sophia. She’d gotten him through the darkest hours of his life and continued to be his steady hand.

  “Now go figure out where Roman is. I can’t even imagine what that poor male must be going through.”

  Blake nodded and sighed. Holly had said something about him being out in the middle of the desert, and he was fine. That meant that he still had all his junk intact, not like that poor fucker lying in the city hospital.

  A shiver went up his spine as he rode up the elevator. He’d been thinking about that guy all day long and couldn’t seem to forget him. Maybe he should consider sending him flowers. Or, maybe the dude had been a total douche to his female. No man deserved those consequences, but he grinned at the idea of also sending him a box of condoms.

  Chapter 22

  As Blake walked toward the War Room, he glanced around at all the decorations. The place looked like Christmas had walked in, then threw up green, red, and shiny stuff everywhere. He had to admit, he liked it. The females had done an excellent job bringing the holiday to life in the silo. For someone who hadn’t had a childhood and never celebrated any holidays, he really looked forward to the big fiesta they had planned.

  The Warriors trickled into the War Room—the only place that hadn’t been touched by Christmas—and once everyone was seated, Blake got Justice on the phone.

  “What’s up, Blake? I’m just on my way out to see you fools.”

  “Have you talked to Holly?”

  “She called a while ago, but the connection was really bad. She’s on some special assignment driving some Colonel around. She’ll be back the day after tomorrow.”

  “She called me, as well. She found Roman.”

  The line was silent for a moment. “Are you sure? Because if she found him, that means he’s either lying in the desert, or he’s at a government facility.”

  “Yeah, the second option is what I’m gathering.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Did she say where? Can we go break him out?”

  “Our connection was bad. So no, we don’t know where he is.”

  “Ah, man.”

  Noah leaned forward in his chair. “Justice, when Jovan was taken into government custody, it wasn’t pretty. They obviously know that there are other SR44ians because they had him, Micah, and Annis, plus a couple of others that didn’t make it. If they torture him, do you think he’ll break?”

  There was a long pause, then Noah continued. “If there’s even a doubt in your mind, I need to get the females and kids out of here. I can send them to one of the other silos.”

  Justice sighed. “I think he’s solid, Noah. Regardless of his blunders on Earth, he’s smart and savvy. I can’t imagine him giving anyone your address.”

  Noah glanced over at Blake and furrowed his brow. “Huh. Savvy isn’t a word I’d used to describe him, but, okay. Good to know. I was thinking the same thing, but I wanted a second opinion. We’ll talk more when you get here.”

  “Got it. I’ll be there in about twenty.”

  The line went dead and Blake lo
oked around the table. All were silent, and he wondered if they were considering the tortures that Roman could be going through, just as he did.

  “Maybe we should move the females and kids out, anyway, Noah,” Hudson said.

  Axel nodded. “Yeah. If there’s going to be a fight, they shouldn’t be here.”

  Noah shook his head. “There’s not going to be a fight. If he talks, there’s going to be an obliteration. The government will come in here and mow down anyone and everything, especially if we try to protect ourselves. The survivors will be rounded up and taken to join Roman.”

  Blake didn’t like the sound of that. He wanted Sophia and Megan as far away from any possibility of being hurt as he could get them.

  “Our other option is for all of us to vacate,” Hudson said.

  Axel furrowed his brow. “And leave Roman hanging?”

  Hudson nodded, and Axel stood, fury written all over his face. “I’m not leaving my brother-in-arms in the hands of my enemy. If you want to be a coward and run with your tail between your legs, then do so.”

  Hudson grinned, a smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “I would suggest, Axel, that you sit the fuck down and be very careful who you’re calling a coward.”

  Uh-oh. It could never be considered a good thing to have two assassins go at each other.

  “I will call anyone a coward who acts like one, and right now, that’s you.”

  With a sigh, Hudson got to his feet, his gaze deadly. “I will gut you from sternum to your groin, and then I will take your head and—”

  Noah interrupted him. “Alright. Enough. Axel, sit down and shut up. Hudson, relax. With all this Christmas shit around here, I think we’re all seeing enough red. We don’t need to hear the details of how you’re going to turn Axel inside out.”

  Hudson took his seat, but Axel didn’t.

  Noah glared at him. “Sit down, you miserable son of a bitch! That’s a direct order!”

  Axel took his chair, and a moment of silence ensued.

  Noah sighed. “Even though Justice has faith in Roman, and I do, as well, I think we need to move the females and kids out.”