“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 and 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.