Chapter 351
Chapter 351
Chapter 199: Proceed With Caution
Savannah
The room felt too small and too thick with tension to breathe properly. I looked between Chloe and Paula, both of them staring at me like I’d interrupted a conversation I wasn’t meant to hear.
“Wrong about what?” I asked, my voice embarrassingly thin with confusion.
“Paula believed that Kingston had probably tried to assault another innocent girl,” Chloe murmured, almost like she was reciting a y fought back fiercely. That’s why it was a crime of passion. ”
“ And she
For a moment, Chloe and I stayed on the floor together. She was still clinging to me, fingers trembling where they clutched my shirt, body heaving from the emotional collapse she’d just had.
And then–it was like someone flipped a switch.
“Chloe. Come here.” Paula said.
No warmth. No hesitation. Just a command.
Chloe detached from me instantly, like I’d suddenly become toxic to touch. She got up and went straight to Paula’s side, resuming the exact posture she’d held earlier. Staring at it critically now, it looked submissive in a way that made my stomach twist.
I stayed kneeling on the floor, staring till Roman’s hand closed around my arm. “Get up, my love.” His voice was low but tight, threaded with something dangerous. “ Come on. Get up from the floor. ”
He pulled me to my feet. I dusted off my jeans, never taking my eyes off the two women pressed so close to each other like I was the intruder here. Paula’s hand was still on Chloe’s shoulder… too firm, too claiming.
Roman saw it too. I felt the tension radiating off him, sharp enough for me to know that he’d been holding back for so long. And sooner or later, he’d reach his limit. Roman would explode.
I swallowed. If anyone needed to say something, it was me. And if I didn’t, Roman definitely would–in the most disastrous way possible.
“So, Chloe…” I said carefully, gesturing to Paula. “Are you ever going to introduce us properly p>
Chloe glanced at Paula first. Only after Paula gave a tiny nod did she look at me. “That’s Paula,” she said. “But you can also call her Lydia p>
Roman didn’t bother with patience. “And what the hell is she to you? ” he snapped. “Why are you hiding out here with her know this girl has a criminal record? She’s an ex – convict p>
loe flinched. “Excuse you? You’re the one to speak on someone’s past? Huh, Roman? The hypocrisy stinks p>
Zane? Do you even
Roman’s laugh was humorless. “And your naivety and poor choices will be your undoing. Mark my words. How can you stay here? Hiding out while the world burns? All for what? Drugs? To fake a case? You need help. You need therapy. You’re out of your mind. ”
“I don’t need help! You don’t know anything, Roman! ”
“ And I don’t care to know. ” His grip tightened on my hand until it nearly hurt. “Savannah might care what happens to you even after every stunt you’ve pulled to tear her and us apart, but I don’t. Whether you live or not isn’t of any importance to me. I don’t care if you end up dead in a ditch by morning.
Does that make it clearer now? ”
The air was sucked out of the room. There it was. Everything he’d been bottling up since we got here was finally out.
Paula surged forward, bristling. “Why would you say that to her? You’re a bully! Picking on a girl half your size p>
Roman didn’t even flinch. His eyes didn’t shift. “Touch me and I will break your arm. Proceed with caution, junkie p>
“Roman! ” I gasped. “Stop it p>
But Paula lunged anyway. I stepped between them and shoved her back with a little more force than necessary. “Stay away from him! Don’t you dare touch
him p>
Chloe caught her, eyes glossy with tears and fury. And then – she glared at Roman like she wanted to burn him alive. “I hate you,
“The feeling is mutual, ” Roman replied coldly.
ispered.
That was it. That was the breaking point. If I didn’t intervene, someone was going to get hurt. Or arrested. Or both.
“Chloe,” I said softly, “it’s dangerous being here with her. Paula has a criminal record. If you’re here voluntarily, you look like an accomplice. If anything happens p>
“Where is safe?” she snapped. “Home? I’ll probably be arrested the moment I arrive for trying to frame Dean for my kidnapping and murder p>
Before I could answer, Roman stepped in front of me. “And that’s such a bad thing? What, you don’t want consequences for your actions? What sort of
person are you? ”
Chloe stiffened like he’d struck her. “I’m never going to prison,” she said sharply. “I’m not going to spend the rest of my life behind bars wearing some hideous orange jumpsuit. Think again if you think I’ll let that happen. ”
Roman stepped closer–deliberately, intimidatingly. “Good thing you’ve never been a match for
me, F Blondie p>
Chloe’s face drained of color. Her mouth trembled, opening but no words left.
Paula stepped in front of her like a guard dog. “Not if I can help it, tough guy p>
Roman laughed. Actually laughed. The sound bounced off the cramped apartment walls, bitter and amused. “You think you can challenge me?” he asked, eyes glittering with disbelief. “Let me be clear, junkie–a million of you can’t do a damn thing to me. I will crush you, literally and figuratively. Let that sink in p>
I felt my pulse thundering in my ears. This wasn’t going anywhere good, Roman’s teniper was a ticking bomb, and Pat looked like a trapped, cornered animal.
edictable, and Chloe
I turned to my sister. Softening my voice, Focusing only on her. “Chloe, you still haven’t told us who she is to you. Is she… dealing you anything? Are you using? ”
Chloe’s head jerked up sharply. “No,” she said vehemently. “She’s the person who saved me. ”
Roman scoffed. “What is she, your life force? ”
Chloe lifted her chin, defiant now. “She’s the person I love p>
Silence. Absolute, suffocating silence. My heart dropped straight into my stomach. What?
Roman blinked. Then again. “Come again p>
Chloe reached for Paula’s hand. Paula laced their fingers together possessively. Chloe’s voice didn’t tremble this time. “We’re in love,” she said. “Meet my girlfriend p>
And that was when everything, absolutely everything, shattered.
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.