I walk through to the main room. Roman is sitting on the sofa, his clothes wrinkled, his hair a mess, and there’s an afghan thrown over the sofa as if he slept there. It’s stupid, but thinking that he has, somehow makes me feel better.
He looks up at me when I stop by the sofa. There’s a look in his dark eyes… a heated look, and I fight against its pull.
“Have you decided, Ana?”
“I want to see Allen.”
“I can arrange that, after I have your word that you’ll stay.”
“This is crazy. Do you realize you’re blackmailing me into—”
“Call it what you want. Your word. I want your word.”
“Fine. I’ll stay,” I tell him, my stomach churning. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I do know I have to stay either way… for now.
“I’ll have my lawyer draw up the contract.”
“Contract?” I ask, confused.
“You don’t think I’m going to take you at your word, do you, Ana?”
“Roman, I don’t have a law degree, but I’m pretty sure contracts built on blackmail are useless.”
“You’d be surprised what money can do.”
“Money and the right crook for an attorney,” I tell him, unable to believe he’s serious about any of this.
“Whatever, it won’t be an issue, because you will stay.”
“Roman, I think maybe…”
I stop when he gets up and comes to stand in front of me. His hand goes to my neck and he pulls my face up to him.
“You gave yourself to me, Ana. I told you I claimed you. Maybe you don’t understand exactly what that means, but you should.” His fingers trail down my neck, pulling my shirt loose and smiling. I know he sees the dark bruise that he left there when he bit me last night. Just remembering it makes a shudder of need vibrate through me. I know Roman doesn’t miss it when his lips graze my ear. “You can fight it, pet, but your body knows who it belongs to. It craves me even now.”
I fight against the lure of him. It would be so easy to give in, to lose myself in him. I can’t. I need to keep my head straight. I should have been doing that a long time ago. I try to pull away, but Roman tightens his hold on me. “Roman, I want…”
“I bet if I touched you right now your pussy would be soaked for me.”
“Roman…”
“Am I right, Ana?”
He is. I can’t tell him that. I refuse to tell him that.
“I want to see Allen now,” I tell him, my voice monotone, and it takes everything I have to hold my body rigid and sound like I’m unaffected. I know he can tell it’s a lie, but it makes me feel marginally better. His eyes lock with mine and I see disappointment on his face as clear as day for just a split second and then it’s gone.
“Fine. Grab your coat. It’s chilly outside.”
I take a breath and step away from him. I wasn’t sure he would give in this easily. Now, if I can just make Allen listen to me without blowing my cover.
I follow Roman down the stairs to where he’s holding Allen. Each step I take, the nerves of the unknown increases. Roman and I haven’t said a word to each other since we left the apartment. I’m not sure why he’s not talking, but I have nothing to say. I’m feeling so lost. In such a short time, Roman has become this rock on which I lean. I’ve never had that in my life, not really, and Roman filled a void I didn’t know I had.
We make it down a hall to a large cemented area. Even the walls are concrete. The doors are made of steel just like the ones you would find in prison. Roman has the guard unlock the padlock so we can go inside. A part of me wants to run and hide, but instead, I force my feet to move forward. I see Allen. He’s lying on the bed, his right hand chained to a cable that runs across the room, allowing him to go from the bed to a small bath area. My stomach churns because it’s basically a large dog-run, except the cable is longer and more extensive.
“How did I know it wouldn’t be long before you showed up, sister dearest?” he says, and the guilt hits me again. Allen is three years younger than me. I was a kid myself, but he didn’t fare as well as I did with mom’s boyfriends. He blames me. I didn’t protect him enough. I didn’t take care of him. I tried, but I obviously failed and that has done nothing but make him hate me.
“I’m sorry, Allen. I didn’t know,” I whisper lamely.
“Yeah. You seem to not know a lot of shit when you should. Kind of like your boyfriend. Right, sister dear? Imagine my surprise when Roman didn’t know that you were a…”
“Allen,” I yell, trying to stop him before he can reveal to Roman that I’m a cop.
“What a selfish bitch you are.”
“That’s enough, Stevens. I told you to show respect when you talk about your sister. That goes double for when you’re talking to her. She’s the only reason you’re still breathing,” Roman says from behind me, causing me to jump.