Chapter 343
Chapter 195: Go On, Baby
Savannah
I didn’t know what kind of answer I expected when I looked Paula in the eye and asked, “Where do you know me fro
But I definitely didn’t expect her to freeze the way she did–chin tucked, eyes darting down my body as though searching for a lie to cling to, then slowly shifting toward one of the doors in the apartment. Her throat bobbed, a thin tremor jolting through her shoulders before she shook her head.
“Nothing,” she said too quickly, brushing imaginary dust off her shirt. “I meet a lot of people daily. Please leave. I don’t want any trouble p>
I stepped closer, fury already gathering like heat behind my ribs. “Where the fuck is Zane? Call your brother or we’ll alert the authorities. I bet you’ve got drugs in here, Paula p>
Her eyes widened. Not dramatically but just the slightest flare, enough to give her away. She glanced again toward that same door. “I don’t have his number,” she muttered, her gaze flicking over to Roman with something like contempt.
She miscalculated, Roman wasn’t buying a word she said.
I could feel the pressure in the room. It was thick, simmering and almost suffocating. My pulse pounded in my neck as I stared at that door, the one she kept glancing at as though her life depended on protecting whatever or whoever was behind it.
My sister? Zane… Or my sister’s body?
Roman pulled out his phone. “You don’t have your brother’s number? Fine. Good thing I have the number of the police p>
“Wait!” Her voice cracked at the edges before he even got the phone to his ear. “Don’t call the police. I’ll call Zane.” The surrender in her voice was obvious.
“Good,” Roman said coldly. “You better do it quickly p>
Paula didn’t waste time. Not even a second. Her fingers trembled as she scrolled through her phone, but her eyes–God, her eyes–never left me or Roman. She watched us like we were intruders, like she was waiting for us to catch her, Guilty. Cornered. Afraid.
And still… she kept flicking her gaze toward that door.
I could feel dread rising inside me like a tide. My skin prickled with the certainty that something was terribly wrong.
I raised a shaky finger toward it. “What’s back there?” I heard myself ask.
Roman turned to me. “ Where? ”
I pointed again, more firmly this time. “That door. She keeps looking at it p>
Roman’s eyes sliced toward Paula with a sharpness that I’m sure made her spine stiffen. “What’s back there? My wife says you’ve been staring at it. Now
answer her. ”
“There’s nothing there. ” She snapped the words too fast, too sharp, her voice too high. “Just a pile of dirty laundry that my cat tends to scatter. Just making sure she’s well–behaved this time p>
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Chapter 343
She didn’t even blink through the lie. She layered it on top of the earlier lie without even bothering to make them coherent.
@100)
Roman and I shared a look–one heavy with unspoken suspicion. He stepped forward. “In that case,” he said, his voice low, “you wouldn’t mind if we take a
look. Correc17”
I nodded. “Yes. If you have nothing to hide, then let us take a look behind that door p>
Her entire posture bristled like a feral animal backed into a cage. “I’m not letting you trespass on my property. You’re not searching my house without a
warrant p>
That was the moment I knew. Truly knew. It wasn’t dirty laundry. It wasn’t a cat. It wasn’t nothing. It was someth
she was terrified we would uncover.
dn’t want us to see. Something
Fear turned sharp inside my chest. I was sick–sick of dancing around her lies, sick of pretending that this wasn’t taking a toll on me. I’ve had enough of the lies. Enough of the games. Enough of the back and forth. I’ve just had enough.
So I stepped forward. “I’m going to see for myself. ”
I moved past her, fast and determined, heading straight for the door.
“Step back, girl,” she snapped, leaping in front of me, arms spread. “I’m warning you. ”
The next second, Roman moved. He stepped in front of me with a speed that made my breath hitch. His broad back blocked my view of Paula, but I could hear the dangerous calm in his voice.
“Or what? ” he said, his voice chillingly even. “ Touch her, and I’ll forget you’re a woman p>
The weight in that threat wasn’t shouting, wasn’t explosive–it was cold, deadly control. Enough to make even me swallow hard.
“She was being rude,” Paula spat, voice shaking with anger, fear, or both.
“And you’re getting on my last nerve, ” Roman growled. “Now call your brother. ”
Then–right then, when Roman was seconds away from losing every last piece of patience he had an idea hit me like a bolt of clarity.
I slipped my hand into my pocket, keeping my movements discreet. I pulled out my phone and I dialed Chloe’s number.
The ring tone blared. Not through the speaker. Not from Roman’s phone. But from inside this house.
Paula jerked, Roman froze. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it hurt. Then slowly, painfully slowly, they ooth turned toward me.
I gripped my phone so tightly my knuckles whitened. “Where is my sister? Where is Chloe? Her phone is ringing in this house.” My voice cracked with rage and panic. “I demand an answer from you p>
Even caught, even exposed, Paula still lied. Her hands shook, but she kept her chiny raised. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Leave now! Both of you p>
That was it.
I’d reached the end of patience, the end of fear, the end of giving her the benefit of the doubt. Enough of the lies. Enough of this nonsense.
I turned to Roman, locking eyes with him. I didn’t need words; the plea in my expression was enough. And he understood.
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He moved without hesitation. One moment Paula was snarling in defiance. The next, Roman’s arm wrapped around her torso, pinning her arms against her
sides, restraining her firmly.
“Roman, let me go!” she shrieked, kicking and thrashing.
He didn’t budge.
“Go on, baby.” He said, jerking his head towards the door.
I stepped around them, my heart thundering as I moved toward the door. My legs felt like they were carrying me thro hand hovered over the handle.
kept going until my
“Come back here! Don’t you dare open that door!” she screamed, the pitch of her voice shattering into panic.
Her fear wasn’t about trespassing anymore. It wasn’t about privacy. It was about something on the other side of this door. Something she couldn’t afford for
us to see.
Roman tightened his hold, voice dark. “Savannah… do it p>
The air felt charged, heavy, electric. I pressed my trembling hand to the handle. It was cold—too cold, like metal that hadn’t been touched in hours.
My fingers hesitated, but just for a second. My breath shook as I wrapped my hand fully around it.
The house fell silent.
Paula’s breath was ragged behind me, a mixture of fury and terror. Roman grunted as she twisted and fought. The only other sound was my own heartbeat, loud enough to echo in my ears.
I turned the handle and it clicked.
Everything inside me seemed to stretch–every fear, every hope, every horrible possibility.
I pulled the door open… And the world stopped.
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Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.