She blinked up at him, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips even though her eyes were so damn sad it killed him. “Thank you. I think I’m going to take you up on that offer.”

“Really?”

“Don’t sound so surprised. Unless you didn’t, um, I mean, I don’t have to stay with you. I can get a hotel room or stay with Vadim and Angel.” She started to pull back but he held tight to her hips.

“I just thought I’d have to convince you more.”

She shook her head and swiped at her wet eyes. “No. I need to get away from here for a bit. After today I feel so damn lost. It’s hard to explain, I just… I can’t face the thought of going back to Powers Group ever again. Maybe that’s the grief talking and in a couple weeks I’ll feel differently but I don’t think so.”

Yeah, he didn’t think so either. The most selfish part of him hoped she’d take Wyatt up on his job offer. The man hadn’t actually made it yet, but it was coming. He’d asked Roman if he thought Taylor would be receptive to working for him and Roman had been honest; he had no idea. But when Wyatt wanted something, he tended to go for it full throttle. Which was good because Roman wasn’t letting Taylor go and if they worked in the same city, he’d get to see her a hell of a lot more than doing the long distance thing.

As they walked down the hall, Taylor linked her arm through his. “Something’s been bothering me. Why would the Russians kill Neal after they’d gotten what they wanted?”

Roman had thought the same thing but they had those damn dental records. “It’s possible they didn’t want any ties to him if he got arrested. Maybe he had information on them. But…they would have just killed him sooner if that was the case. Hell, maybe he had more enemies than just the Russians.” Still… He frowned as she pulled her key from her purse. “Can I use your phone?” Alexei had originally called Taylor from an unknown number but had later given her one so she could reach him when she was working on transferring the boat title.

“Of course.” She fished out her phone and handed it to him.

He scrolled to Alexie’s number. The man answered on the first ring. “Ms. Arenas, I didn’t expect to hear from you again.”

Roman’s jaw tightened. He didn’t like the other man for a myriad of reasons, but the smooth tone he was trying to use with Taylor raked against his senses. “It’s Roman. We just got a call from the local PD that a mutual acquaintance is dead.”

“Is there a question in there?” The man’s voice was slightly mocking.

“Is Taylor safe?” Because if there was even a chance Lynch was still out there, Roman was packing her up and they were heading back to Vegas now.

A short pause. “I have no knowledge of anyone’s death so if your guy is dead, it wasn’t us.”

“Thanks,” he said before quickly hanging up. He didn’t care about social niceties at the moment.

Roman placed a hand on Taylor’s arm as she slid her key into the lock and twisted it. They’d called off the security watching her place after the news of Lynch’s death. But Roman didn’t like the tingling in his gut that told him something was off.

“What is it?” Her brow furrowed as she looked at him.

“I don’t know. Maybe nothing.” Out of habit he glanced down the hall again, scanning for any potential danger, and pulled out his weapon. He handed the cell phone to her. “Move back,” he whispered, wanting her away from the door.

When she took two steps away he took her arm and guided her out of the way a few doors down. He returned to her door and twisted the key in the lock to open it. Pressing his back against the wall, he reached over and twisted the handle and pushed the door open.

Gunfire immediately erupted, a hail of bullets slamming into the wall across from the door.

“Run!” he shouted, moving backward in Taylor’s direction, but not turning around. He kept his weapon up, ready if the shooter exited the apartment.

His hand was steady as he moved, his actions precise. He could hear Taylor on the phone as she ran for the stairwell, calling the police, her voice shaky but her words coming through clearly.

The shooting had stopped, silence descending. “Move to the stairs,” he ordered quietly. He hadn’t turned enough to see her but he sensed her close behind him. She wasn’t moving fast enough, damn it. He wanted her to fucking run.

“I’m right behind you, the police are on their way.” He could hear her moving but he wasn’t taking his eyes or weapon off her door even as they hurried down the hall. He didn’t relish the thought of opening fire in a residential building but if the shooter revealed himself—Shit!

Lynch peeked his head out the door, his weapon raised in one hand.

Roman fired two shots in quick succession, two hits to the head. Taylor gasped behind him and he was vaguely aware of a neighbor’s door opening then quickly slamming shut. He held up a hand for her to stay behind him. “Get down to the lobby using the stairs. I need to clear your place. Wait for the police.” He didn’t wait to see if she listened, needing to eliminate any other potential threat.

Ignoring the blood splatter and mess of Lynch’s head as he passed the fallen body, Roman kicked the man’s weapon away and silently swept into Taylor’s place. The place was eerily quiet and thankfully it was also empty.

And he didn’t feel an ounce of regret for killing Lynch. The man was a murderous bastard who, if he’d been smart, would have fled the country. But he’d thought he could come after Taylor and get away with it. Roman wasn’t sure how the man had faked his dental records and he didn’t much care.

The only thing that mattered was getting to Taylor and making sure she was truly safe. And he didn’t plan on letting her go.

Chapter 17

Three months later

Taylor grinned at the feel of Roman’s big hand sliding up her bare hip and over her stomach before grasping one of her breasts. “Just stay in bed,” he murmured sleepily.

“Mm, I wish I could.” Man, did she ever. “I’ve got to get showered and dressed though.”

“You should move in with me.” The statement made her freeze, then turn completely over to face him. It was early morning and streams of golden sunlight peeked through the wooden blinds of his bedroom window, bathing Roman’s handsome face. And he looked wide awake, not sleepy as she’d thought. He watched her carefully, his beautiful mismatched eyes steady and intent.

Her heart caught in her throat. “Are you serious?”

“Yep.” No hesitation. “Or I’ll move to California. I love you, Taylor, and I can do long distance, but I don’t want to. I want to share a home with you, to wake up to your face every damn morning.”

A grin pulled at her lips as she slid her arm around him and pulled him close. “You travel for work so you wouldn’t see me every morning.”

He tweaked her nose, his expression lightening. “You know what I mean.”

She was silent for a moment, digesting what he’d asked because it was exactly what she’d been hoping to hear from him. The last few months had been a whirlwind. She’d taken off a couple weeks after Neal had been killed and spent them with Roman in Vegas. Hugh had left her a sizeable monetary gift and some pricey real estate in his will so if she didn’t want to work for a long while, she wouldn’t have to. Not that she’d ever stop working. It would feel too weird to not have a purpose.

It was still hard to believe the lengths Neal had gone to in order to fake his own death. The man could have just disappeared but no, he’d needed to come after her. And he’d killed another innocent man in the process. When he’d appeared at her place, trying to kill her and Roman, she’d later wondered if he’d somehow made a cast of his teeth or something for investigators to find. She just hadn’t been able to figure out how he’d faked his dental records.