by Katie Reus
“I’ve got it all.” She lifted two plastic bags of her things.
He nodded. Normally he’d take a woman’s bags for her, but he wasn’t putting his weapon down. “We’re going to leave with you driving my truck and I’m going to follow you in the Pinto. Once we reach the end of Vadim’s driveway,”—which was a mile long—“we’re going to head east. There’s a gas station about three-quarters of a mile down the road. We’re going to leave the Pinto there and take my truck to the hospital.” His truck had bullet-resistant windows so he knew she’d be safe inside. And he was armed and had taken multiple defensive driving courses so he wasn’t worried about himself.
“Okay, but why are we leaving the Pinto?”
“Did you steal it?” She hadn’t said how she’d gotten here when she’d spoken to Vadim, but the woman had broken into the man’s house with impressive ease. Somehow he didn’t think stealing a car would be an issue for her. And a Pinto didn’t seem like her style.
Her cheeks flushed, the natural caramel of her skin tone darkening to a crimson. “How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess,” he muttered, pulling his keys out of his pocket and handing them to her. “You okay to drive?”
She nodded as she clasped them in her palm. “Roman, I don’t know how I can ever thank you.” Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away. “You don’t even know me and I just…thank you.”
Any kind of praise made him as uncomfortable as crying women did, so he just nodded. “No problem,” he grunted and turned on his heel. He was going to reset Vadim’s alarm, then they were getting the hell out of here. And he was going to keep Taylor safe no matter what. He couldn’t explain what it was, but he felt the strangest pull toward her, his attraction for her sharpening each second that passed.
* * *
Taylor didn’t understand why she had to wear the stupid, itchy hospital gown when she knew she wouldn’t be staying. But the scary nurse had insisted and Roman had been no help whatsoever. Shifting against the bed, she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.
“The gowns aren’t that bad,” Roman murmured, his eyes lit with amusement from his perch near the window.
Still no smile though. She wondered if he actually knew how. His arms were crossed over his massive chest, those different-colored eyes pinned on her. It was dark outside but the room lights glinted off his hair, highlighting the natural auburn throughout his darker brown hair. He was…ridiculously handsome. So much so that it left her feeling unbalanced. And he hadn’t left her side.
“You want to wear it then?”
His lips pulled together. “I’m not the one who got shot.”
Almost against her will she found her gaze drawn to his mouth. Damn it, what was wrong with her? Now that she was coming down from that insane adrenaline high, she should be ready to pass out again. Instead she found herself captivated by Roman… “Hey, what’s your last name?” she blurted, realizing she had no idea. And she really wanted to know.
She could barely remember the last guy she’d slept with, let alone been this attracted to. Okay, she didn’t think she’d ever been attracted to anyone as much as Roman. The timing was awful, making her feel even crappier. Her friend was dead and she was having annoying feelings for a stranger.
“MacNeil.” Now his gaze dropped to her mouth and his eyes heated with a surprising intensity.
So much so that she squirmed against the starchy sheets of the hospital bed. She opened her mouth, ready to say something—anything—when the door opened.
A huge, dark-haired man wearing black slacks, a light blue dress shirt with no tie and a police badge hooked to his belt stepped in. The man could have been a football player he was so big. He nodded once at Roman, who straightened and made a beeline for her bed.
The action surprised her, but Roman moved in like he was her personal bodyguard as he smoothly slid in place directly next to her head. She looked up at him and smiled gratefully. One corner of his mouth quirked up and she felt it all the way to her toes.
God, she was a hot mess. She shouldn’t be noticing anyone in a sexual way right now. Turning back to the man she guessed was here to see her, she forced a smile. “I assume you’re Detective Hurley?”
He nodded and grabbed a seat on the opposite side of her bed. “Yes, ma’am. Detective Cody Hurley but you can call me either. I answer to both.” He gave her a charming grin she was sure usually got the ladies ruffled. He probably used it when interrogating female suspects.
“Okay, Cody. You can call me Taylor.”
Cody pulled out a small, spiral notepad and a pen. She let out a nervous laugh, which sounded almost maniacal even to herself. Jeez, she needed to get a grip. When Roman placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, she reached up and briefly put her hand over his without thinking. She rarely depended on anyone for anything and she wasn’t sure why she was leaning on him now other than it was simply instinctual. Which, yeah, she knew was crazy. But she didn’t care because if Vadim trusted him then that was good enough for her, and the man’s presence was comforting.
The detective raised his eyebrows. “Is something funny?”
“No. I sometimes have weird social responses when I get nervous. I didn’t think detectives actually used notepads. It seems like something off of television and it’s why I laughed.” Even though it wasn’t funny at all. Stop talking, she ordered herself. At least she wasn’t laughing like a crazy person anymore so that was good.
He gave a real smile. “Well, we do. So do patrolmen. It’s how we keep track of everything. So, I already talked to the nurse and she assures me you’ve been shot. We’re going to send your medical records over to Oceanside for documentation.”
A sharp sense of relief invaded Taylor as he continued.
“I’ve already talked to a friend on the force with Oceanside PD about your presence here. After what Roman told me about the shooter at Vadim’s place and about you being in shock and fleeing to Vegas, they know you’re not on the run.”
“What about Vadim’s house?” Roman asked quietly, giving her a comforting squeeze. She was glad he’d left his hand there. It made her feel grounded.
“Got a team there now digging the bullets out of the garage door. Just like you said.” Cody’s expression was grim. “I’ll talk to you about it in a sec.”
There was slight movement next to her and she guessed Roman nodded because Cody turned all his attention back to her. “I’m going to be honest with you. Running makes you look bad, but with these extenuating circumstances, it’s understandable. Roman gave me a rundown of what’s going on, but I want you to go over everything for me. Start to finish. You’re going to have to repeat all of this to the guys in Oceanside, but I’m going to relay everything to them too. The more details they have before you get back, the better.”
She took a deep breath and told Cody everything from the reason she’d shown up early at work all the way until Roman had found her passed out with a bottle of vodka. The only thing she’d left out was that she’d stolen a Pinto. She just said she’d fled. That was all he needed to know right now. And she also didn’t say that she’d broken into Vadim’s place, just that she had the code, which actually wasn’t a lie. She’d guessed the code. The little thing with the garage door wasn’t important.
When she was done, Cody was silent for a long moment as he wrote in his notepad. Finally he said, “Gordon Simpson is the name of the man you saw waiting outside the police department?”
“Yes. And I don’t know that he’s involved with Neal, but he was there at the police station and I was terrified. I’d just been shot. Maybe I panicked for no reason but it was too weird seeing him there. As part of the security team for Powers Group he’s done work with Neal before, but he’s also done work with Hugh too.” She supposed there could have been a reason for his presence at the police station but she hadn’t been in the frame of mind to find out what it was. Not when she’d been fearful for her life.
Cody just nodded an
d made another note. He started to say something when his phone buzzed on his belt. He pulled it out and looked at it. With a frown, he said, “I’ve gotta take this.”
When the door shut behind him, Roman dropped his hand from her shoulder and moved around so that he was facing her. He sat on the edge of the bed, his expression unreadable. It was a little unnerving. “If Cody doesn’t ask you how you got here, don’t mention the Pinto. Later, if you have to, be honest, but right now keep it quiet.”
“I will.” Because she definitely agreed with him.
The detective stepped back in the room, his phone still in his hand. “I’m going to relay everything you told me to Oceanside and I’ll need you both to come down to the station tomorrow to give official statements about the shooting today.” His head tilted to the side a fraction as he glanced at Roman. “Can I talk to you outside?”
Alarm bells went off in her head, but Taylor reminded herself that not all cops were bad, that this man was going out of his way to help her because Vadim and Roman had asked.
Roman nodded and stood. “Yeah.”
Cody focused on her once again. “It goes without saying, but don’t leave town yet.”
She sighed. “I won’t.”
“Where are you staying?”
“With me,” Roman said as he came to stand next to the detective.
Well that was news to her and she certainly wasn’t going to argue. So she nodded. “With Roman.”
That seemed to be good enough for the detective because he just grunted and held open the door for Roman.
Less than five minutes later Roman returned alone. Okay that was good. It probably meant the detective wasn’t coming back to arrest her. She knew the truth was on her side, but fear was a living thing inside her. “Everything okay?” Her voice was high-pitched and uneven so she cleared her throat.
“Yeah. He just wanted to go over the description of the shooter and other details. They’re going to see if they can catch him on CCTVs close to the area. Though I doubt that’s going to happen since I didn’t get his license plate. Vadim lives too far out from the city.”
The fear inside her spiked even more. “Maybe I shouldn’t stay with you.” Not when she clearly had a target on her back. “I don’t want to put you in danger.” Vadim had said the man had been a Marine, so he was trained, but it still worried her.
He snorted and headed for the door again. “I’m going to see if I can find a doctor and get you released.”
After she’d been officially admitted, examined and prescribed antibiotics, the doctor had already told her he wouldn’t need to keep her for further observation. She could stay overnight if she thought she needed it, but she’d much rather stay at Roman’s. Roman had already told her that the truck he’d been driving was a company vehicle and the address listed on the title was for the hotel and casino he worked at; The Serafina. So if the shooter tried to track him down using the truck’s license plate, that guy would be out of luck. It was actually the only reason she would stay with Roman because if there was a chance she could put him in danger, she simply wouldn’t do it. Even if he was deadly and trained.
It still stunned her how kind he was being. Yeah, she knew it was because of his relationship with Vadim but still, it was amazing. She was a stranger and he’d stepped up to the plate to protect her, even letting her stay at his place. That told her all she needed to know about the type of man Roman MacNeil was.
A very rare one—the kind of man she wouldn’t mind getting to know better.
Chapter 6
Taylor opened her eyes with a start and nearly jerked upright in the soft bed. The shadows and furniture in the room were wrong and it took her a second to remember where she was. Roman’s house. In his brother’s bed since Logan was still out of town for his job. They had two guest rooms but one was an office and the other had an uncomfortable looking futon—to discourage guests, Roman had said. So he’d given her his brother’s bed.
Until he’d told her, she hadn’t known that both Roman and his brother Logan worked private security for billionaire Wyatt Christiansen. It certainly explained the extremely large house they lived in. She knew a little about the Vegas real estate market so it wasn’t hard to imagine they’d gotten it for a steal, but even so, the neighborhood was beautiful.
Her racing heart calmed a fraction as her eyes adjusted to the dimness. Faint light filtered through a set of wooden blinds on the window behind the king-sized bed. According to the clock on the nightstand it was six in the morning. By the time they’d arrived at Roman’s place last night it had been late and she’d passed out almost immediately. Now, she couldn’t seem to turn her mind off. Sitting up, she was relieved that her wound didn’t hurt as much.
After brushing her teeth with the extra toothbrush Roman had given her, washing her face and inspecting her wound, she headed for his room. It was early and she felt bad that she’d likely wake him up, but she needed a favor. Fast.
His room was two doors down from Logan’s. She knocked softly on the door and was surprised when it opened seconds later. Roman’s hair looked more brown than auburn in the dimness. Even though it was on the short side, it was ruffled, but he looked wide awake, his eyes piercing in their intensity. From his alertness she didn’t think she’d woken him up. “You okay?” he asked softly.
For a moment her gaze dipped to his bare chest and abs. The man was pure muscle, all lean lines and angles with a few scars interspersed on his skin for good measure. She guessed he must have gotten them when he’d been in the Marines. Maybe during combat or training. He was like a walking billboard of what hotness looked like. She had the insane urge to reach out and trace over the dips and striations. Forcing her gaze to his, she said, “Yes. I hate to bug you but can I use your laptop? I thought of something as soon as I woke up.” More like the thought had woken her up. And she couldn’t let the sight of Roman’s ridiculous body distract her no matter how delicious the man was.
He stepped back so she could enter. “Give me a sec.” He flipped on the lamp on his nightstand, illuminating his room. He had a king-sized bed like his brother but his was platform style. Very minimalist. So was the rest of his room with sleek, dark wood furniture, including a bookshelf overflowing with non-fiction books. He headed for the bookshelf and pulled a thin laptop from the top of it. “Is this about what happened to your boss?” he asked as he flipped it open and sat on the edge of his bed.
She hesitated for a moment, but he was letting her use his computer and was basically keeping her safe at his home. He deserved an answer. “Yes. Maybe I should wait for the police to sort things out, but I know Neal stole a ton of money from the company and I don’t want to let him get away with it. Now that I know it’s him and not Hugh—that bastard tried to make it look like his own partner had taken it—I think I can track down the funds. I just need to look at a few of his personal accounts.”
Roman frowned as he looked up at her but he patted the edge of the bed for her to sit beside him. “Wouldn’t Neal have already locked you out of the system?”
She snorted and sat next to Roman, subtly inhaling that masculine, woodsy scent that seemed stronger in his room. As if the air and sheets were permeated with it. “I’m sure he did but I’ve got multiple backdoors into the entire system. I work closely with the IT department but even they don’t know about this.”
Roman’s eyebrows raised but he handed her the laptop. “What exactly do you do for Powers Group?”
“I don’t really have one set thing that I do,” she said, pulling up a browser and typing in the website she needed. She felt so level-headed this morning and couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of this yesterday. Well, she could believe it considering she’d seen her friend die and she’d been shot—and she’d gone on the run. “This won’t come back on you, by the way. No one will be able to trace what I’ve done. Not that it’ll matter because I’m taking the money Neal stole once I track it down and diverting it to a secure company account. I
t’ll just sit there until the police figure out everything.” Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she talked. “As far as what I do, I have a Masters in Computer Science and I do a lot of design for the company, but…I really do a lot of investigations for Hugh. Or, I did.”
She swallowed hard, shaking away the dark path her mind wanted to take. She refused to get sucked into depression. Not when she had a chance to take back what that bastard Neal had stolen and clear Hugh’s name. Because she didn’t think Neal was above trying to say Hugh had stolen from the company and attacked him or some crap. It would be a stupid defense considering he’d shot her, but she wasn’t going to let him even try to drag Hugh’s name through the mud.
“Anyway, I look into any company that Powers Group might do business with, including owners’ personal finances or personal anything. For the most part Hugh was all business, pretty cutthroat when he needed to be, but he also had a huge heart. When I found out this construction mogul had a bunch of arrests for domestic violence, Hugh refused to do business with him.”
“Damn.” Roman sounded impressed.
“I know, right. Hugh was…he was just a good guy.” Her throat tightened again and she stopped talking, unable to go on.
“You loved him.” His voice was quiet, speculative.
Taylor paused and glanced at Roman to find him watching her intently. “Well, yeah. Not romantically or anything but he was like a dad to me. He never had kids and he took me under his wing right out of college.” Taylor was pretty certain Hugh had viewed her as a daughter. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking, but she knew he’d loved her too. And it broke her heart to be thinking of him in the past tense. Well, she was going to get justice for him no matter what.