“Yeah.” He’d been scarce on information about her, only telling his twin the basics when he’d asked him to bring her clothes. And that wasn’t like him. But he felt a strange proprietary sense toward her. Even where his twin was concerned.

“Should I come along?” There was a note in his twin’s voice he recognized. It was subtle, but it almost sounded like Logan was baiting him. Or at least trying to push him for some reason. Probably because he’d been so secretive about Taylor and the whole situation.

“Nah, you just got off a long stretch. We’ll be fine.” It was true that Logan had just come off a longer than normal security job for their boss, Wyatt. He’d been on an out of town trip and taken on more responsibility since Wyatt’s normal right-hand man, Jay Wentworth, had some old SEAL buddies in town for the week and had taken off. Roman didn’t really care that Logan had come off a job though, he wanted Taylor all to himself, not around his charming twin.

His brother’s dark eyes narrowed a fraction, but he nodded. “All right.”

Roman looked back at Taylor and his heart rate kicked up about a hundred notches. “We’ve got insulated cups if you want to bring your coffee with you.”

She shook her head, her cheeks slightly flushed. “I’m good, but thanks. I just need to grab my shoes from upstairs and I’ll be ready to go.”

He nodded, watching as she said something else to his brother, then headed out of the kitchen. Even though it was instinct to trail after her with his gaze, he didn’t. Instead, he headed for the coffee pot and grabbed a mug from the cabinet above it.

“What’s going on with you? Why don’t you want me going along?” Logan asked.

Roman shrugged, but his shoulders were stiff. “I know you’ve got better things to do.”

“This isn’t about Taylor?” His brother’s voice was dry.

“No. I’m ready to get rid of her.” A big fucking lie. One that tasted bitter in his mouth.

Logan snorted. “Bullshit.”

He glanced over his shoulder at his brother. “You think I like dealing with this situation?”

“I think you like her and you don’t want me around.”

Damn his brother and their fucking twin bond. He could never hide anything from Logan. All he had to do was walk into a room and his twin just got a vibe for how he was feeling. It was the same for Roman. They’d driven their mother insane when they’d been kids.

“I also think salt is going to taste nasty in your coffee.” Logan tilted his chin toward the open cabinet where Roman had his fingers clenched around a container of salt.

Damn, he was distracted. He let it go and grabbed the sugar before turning to face his brother. “You’ve got a smug look on your face.”

Logan lifted his hands and framed his face with his fingers into a square. “This handsome mug?”

The corners of Roman’s mouth lifted. “Yeah. Why?”

“Why? Because you like this girl enough that you brought her back to our place.”

“I only brought her here to keep her safe. And she slept in your bed.” After that kiss they’d just shared, he really wished it had been in his bed instead.

“Too bad I wasn’t there. She wouldn’t have gotten any sleep.”

Before he realized he’d moved, Roman took a step forward—and stopped when Logan’s face split into a wide grin.

“You’re a dick,” Roman muttered.

Logan’s grin just grew wider. “Roman and Taylor, sitting in a tree—”

He groaned. “You’re so fucking infantile. Seriously, I don’t know how you ever get laid.”

Logan shrugged and moved past him, grabbing Roman’s mug, like he normally did. Roman started making another cup as his brother said, “You know how. It’s this handsome face and charming personality.”

“You’re in a mood this morning. Good trip?” he asked as the machine started brewing another cup.

“Trip was fine. I’m just glad you met someone normal.”

“You spent maybe ten minutes with her.”

“Yeah and I can already tell she’s a hundred times sweeter and saner than that bitch—”

“Logan.” Roman didn’t want to talk about his ex. Didn’t want to think about her. Not because he was still hung up on her, he just didn’t want to compare Taylor to Justina.

It felt wrong on too many levels. Mainly because it reminded him what an idiot he’d been. And the two women were in completely different leagues. Taylor was…fucking amazing. She was beautiful, yeah, but she’d held up well under some shitty circumstances. Not only that, but she was a fighter. Her determination to bring down the man who’d killed her friend was impressive. Not once had she complained about her circumstances.

His brother shrugged again. “All I’m saying is, I like Taylor.”

“Yeah, me too.” Probably too much. Now he needed to get his game face on and get her to the police station. So far it seemed as if the evidence was backing up her story—and he believed her anyway, her grief over Hugh was too damn real—but there was still a threat out there. Whoever had shot at him yesterday had likely been there for her.

Just because the Oceanside PD was going to bring Neal Lynch in didn’t mean that whoever had come after Taylor would stop gunning for her. If that bastard Neal had sent someone after her, they might not stop until she was silenced.

That was happening over his dead body.

Chapter 7

Neal groaned as the sound of a phone ringing cut through the quiet room. He recognized the ringtone, otherwise he’d have ignored it. Opening his eyes, he looked over at the naked woman in his bed. Sunlight from a couple open blinds streamed through, highlighting her face. Her body was perfectly toned but she had more wrinkles around her mouth and eyes than he remembered last night when he’d picked her up. But he’d needed some quick stress relief and she’d been cheaper than buying a professional for the evening. All he’d had to do was buy her a few drinks.

Ignoring her presence, he grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand and answered it. She didn’t even stir as he left the room. “Yeah?” His voice was hoarse and raspy. Probably shouldn’t have drank so much last night. Or done those lines of coke. But the woman had had extra, what was he going to say, no?

“Get out of your place now.” His contact’s voice was urgent.

“What, why?”

“Uniforms are headed to pick you up for more questioning. Not sure why exactly but something is going down.”

Panic detonated inside his chest, making it hard to breathe for a moment. “Your contact told you? Does he know you’re warning me?”

The man snorted. “Hell no, he doesn’t know. We were talking shop and about Taylor coming back to town to talk to the police. I made it sound like everyone at the office was worried about her—which they actually are.”

He leaned against the wall outside his bedroom, his knees weak. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah, it sounds like they’ve got some evidence that’s going to clear her and implicate you. Get out now because if they bring you in…”

He wasn’t ever getting out. That was the unspoken message. One he received loud and clear. “I’ll be gone in less than two minutes. I’ll contact you when I’m somewhere secure.” He knew exactly where he was going but he sure as hell wasn’t telling anyone else. Everyone could be bought or pressured.

“What do you want me to do about her? I’m still in Vegas and haven’t been able to find her. I know she was in the hospital briefly, but I have no idea where she went when she left.”

“Why was she in the hospital?” That didn’t make sense unless he actually had winged her or maybe even shot her. But if he had, that had been a long damn time for her to wait to go to the hospital. He shouldn’t have done that coke yesterday, but he’d needed it. It made everything in his life seem manageable. Damn it, had he missed something in the elevator?

“Don’t know. Couldn’t find out anything either.”