Roman was standing in her kitchen with his heart already screaming at him that he needed to go to her. He was so close and something felt so so wrong still...
Last night he walked her to the door with such dread in his heart and even though he knew she tried to hide it he had seen her tears start to slip down her cheeks again just as she closed the door.
He was the one that put up the boundary to be the good person and not be the other man and break up her marriage and he thought he had been doing the right thing. But everything still felt so dark and he could not figure out what it was.
Roman cursed more under his breath and after seeing her husband still out on the yard and one more time he knew his damn heart was not going to let him leave till he knew she was okay. He HAD to know she was okay. And with that thought he was already walking down their hallway to their bedroom.
Just one quick peek... to make sure she was fast asleep and safe in her bed.
Safe? Damn it, there was that word again. She had said she had not felt safe in so long. She had felt safe in his arms.
So what the hell wasn't safe here? He was going to drive himself crazy with this he just knew it.
His fingers trembled as he pushed the door open just slightly. Oh how the hell would he explain to her damn husband if he found him in their bedroom? The door creaked open more and he held his breath, hoping to hear hers.
All he wanted was to hear her breathing and he would leave. Then maybe the damn darkness hanging over him would leave him the hell alone.
He caught sight of her dark hair, hiding her face from him as he tiptoed further into the room. Finally he heard her breath and even a little whimper and he let out the heavy breath he was holding. Was she dreaming, sleeping peacefully?
Oh thank God she was okay!
Roman turned fast on his heel and was halfway to the door when he heard the clanging of metal scraping against metal and whirled back around...
He felt the air sucked out of the room at that sound and his heart raced in his chest. Metal...he saw then, her arm pulling to be free.
Handcuffs. She was fucking handcuffed to the bed!
In an instant he was across the room and knelt at her side and saw bruises and cuts and blood all along the arm that was trapped against the frame of the bed.
Roman nearly choked on his own breath as he moved her hair back from her face and saw so many more bruises. Her face was covered in bruises and blood.
He fell back on the floor in shock, his hands barely catching him as he fell. Her one eye was nearly swollen shut, her other one looked completely black and blue and she weakly looked like she was trying to open it to see him but it fell closed before she could. Crawling back toward her he was already shaking as stroked his fingers down her hair and he felt stickiness there too.
Jesus, he felt like he just got the air kicked out of his lungs!
The darkness, her not feeling safe...her clinging to him. Begging him, crying to not leave her. Oh God!
"Emily! Em, baby?" he called, gently shaking her.
Her eye opened slightly and she looked like she recognized him. "Roman?" and he saw tears fill her eye and run down her cheek and her arm that wasn't cuffed to the bed reached for him as he was knelt beside her and he felt her fingers in his hair.
"Yes, baby girl. Oh god, did Hunter do this to you?" Roman asked her gently, stroking her face.
She paused a moment before nodded slightly and choking. "I ran away..." She was mumbling a bunch more words but those were the ones he heard loud and clear.
Roman was fuming at those 3 words, she literally sounded like she was blaming herself? Fucking ass, did this cause she ran from him? Roman was broken and livid and wanted to scream and cry all at once. He looked so tenderly into her eyes but his heart was breaking seeing her barely able to even open her mouth it looked like everything hurt so much.
He risked her anger at him and pulled back the covers more and saw blood and bruises and cuts all down her legs too and bleeding by her stomach and side. She was still wearing the tank top and shorts it looked like but it saw a torn spaghetti strap of lace red lingerie too and more red silky yet tighter looking lingerie hidden under the her tank top and shorts.
What the hell had all happened here after he left last night?
He dropped the blanket back down, tucking her back in, like that would make any damn difference right now but it was all he could think of to help.
Roman dropped his head to the mattress, tears flooding down his face and he sucked them up fast. He could not believe someone could be so cruel.
He had just been kissing and touching and dare he say loving this beautiful woman last night. He had his hands all over this beautiful body, and her skin was so smooth, she was so soft and responsive to his touch and now...
Hunter looked like he had tried to scar her for trying to escape him. This was nothing like the merely unhappy marriage he thought it was. He had beaten her. Scarred her. There were bruises and cuts and blood all over.
God why didn't she tell him more?
This was why she begged him she didn't feel safe...
He clenched his fists at the sides of the bed and the tears streamed down his cheeks. He was right here...He was so close.
Fucking headache meds!
Maybe he would have heard something otherwise. He could feel something so dark and somehow knew she needed him.
He felt the tiniest of touches and realized it was her fingers in his hair, caressing his head, running her fingers through the soft locks. She said his hair made her feel safe and now she was seeking just that in that moment and his heart was breaking so much for her.
He lifted his head, swiping at the tears, hating that he was pulling any part of him away from her right now. Her arm and hand seeking comfort in him was blood streaked and covered in cuts and his eyes burned with rage at everything. How fucking dare he hurt her?
Emily must have seen the shift in his expression too cause he felt her reaching for him more and trying to keep him with her.
"No, Roman, he'll kill you...please...don't!" she choked out, trying to get up, trying to stop him.
He paused from her terrified words and was already mid stride to storm out that door and confront the monster and her fear for his life pulled him back.
Roman knelt back at her side and kissed her forehead all over, tasting her blood on his lips and almost broke down again. "Okay... But I will be back and I am getting you out of here. Believe that. Hold onto that baby, okay?" His words were so shaky on his tongue. "Emmie, I am so so sorry baby girl. Don't be scared. I am coming back and I am never leaving you again!"
Emily barely nodded weakly, her smile fighting to reach her broken and tired eyes, before they fell closed as she sunk back onto the bed.
He heard a car door slam in the distance and he swung his head fast to the sound and literally jumped as he was still knelt as her side. He was across the room, opened and quietly closed the door, zipped across the hall into their bathroom. He quickly flushed the toilet pretending to have just been done in there and then started running the water.
He looked down in shock at the blood, her blood on his hands and started frantically washing it off him to hide it from Hunter.
Roman was scared that he had no idea what to do and he just promised her that he would not leave her again. Whatever he had to do, he was damn well determined to keep that promise.
He stared in the mirror above the sink at his reflection and wiped away the tears that were already pooling at his lashes. He did not even recognize the man staring back at him. He wiped at the blood on his lips, all over his face too. Jesus he felt like he was going into shock.
The good man his mother raised he felt just died right there in that room after seeing that sweet woman so beaten and bloody.
This man staring back at him right now wanted to kill a freakin cop with his bare hands. And he almost would have tried, if she had not begged him to stop.
Roman fought to control his breathing. He had to calm the fuck down. If he killed her husband he would go to jail. Hell he wasn't even the one with the weapons here. The one that just beat his precious beautiful wife and handcuffed her to her bed, THAT was the man with the damn gun in the house strapped to his belt right now.
He would be no good to her dead or in jail. No he needed to calm down and think.
He was still shaking when he stepped back out of the bathroom and walked back down the hall toward the main area and he saw Hunter just open and close the screen door and see him. Thank God he had not come in sooner!
Roman cleared his throat and tried to sound normal. "Oh sorry. I uh drank too much last night too and hope you don't mind I used your bathroom a minute. I didn't realize I would still have more to throw up from drinking on an empty stomach." There that should cover him looking flushed and teary he hoped.
Hunter looked him up and down and shrugged and Roman fought to keep his look even and his breathing calm. "Yeah. no problem Doc. I feel pretty hung over myself but duty calls and I'm on the way out, so what had you come by for?"
Roman heard his question, but from the last time he had been asked that his whole fucking world had been turned inside out by what he had seen. There was no way in hell he was leaving her now or ever. What had he come by for?
He came by to rescue the beautiful woman that did not deserve one fucking second of being bloody, beaten and bruised and cuffed to the bed back there.
He came by to beat the ever living shit out of a damn cop and bury him in his back yard never to be seen from again.
Roman scrambled for something to say...something that made sense.
"I uh, just wanted to ask you if you had extra keys. I just usually keep some at work and at home and Seth only gave me one set and I just wanted to clear it with you first if I made copies?"
There, that sounded legit and normal enough didn't it? He was freaking proud of himself for actually making full sentences, make actual sense, way his heart was racing so fast he could barely hear anything from the pounding in his ears.
Hunter nodded absently and looked like he didn't care. "Sure. Whatever you need. Go ahead. Look Doc, I really have to go. The guys will be here soon and I got to pack and who knows how long we will be chasing this bastard out there. Might be gone a week."
A week. How about forever. He wished he said he was never coming back and got transferred to the center of a volcano.
Roman nodded trying not choke again on the breath in his own throat. He wished the damn serial killer killed him and he never came back. How the fuck could he be so damn calm? He just beat his own wife and cuffed her to their bed and was just going to leave like it was nothing? Roman wanted to jump on him and beat him till nothing could identify him but fucking dental records!
Was he just going to leave her there like that? For a week? Roman had to fight with his own head not to look back down that hallway as Hunter spoke. His longing for her before had been emotional and physical and he knew he was falling for her.
But now, hell, now it was mad pure rage to protect her and get her safe. To hide her from anyone and everyone that would dare hurt her. She was hurting right now and he was aching inside as every second ticked by that he wasn't with her.
But he was pushed out the door without another word.
Roman stood still a moment just outside their door hardly knowing how to move. Every fiber of his being told him not to leave her like that. But the other part of him had no idea how to face off with a damn cop and it sounded like more assholes were coming.
No, he needed to take a minute and think and reign in his anger or he might just burst back in there and get himself killed.
His feet felt like lead as he walked away from her, knowing how badly she needed him. But he was seconds from exploding too. He half ran up his own walkway and unlocked and slammed closed his door.
Finally he was alone and he let out a snarl of pure anger and stormed around the empty house. There had to be something in there he could break. Anything. He raced down the stairs to the basement area and saw a bunch of boards and empty paint cans.
Perfect.
Roman picked up a large board and swung it hard at the line of paint cans on the table and they all crashed against the cement foundation wall and fell with loud clatters to the floor. He slammed the board over and over till a couple of the cans were dented and all banged up and finally felt himself gasping for breath and fell against the wall.
He slipped down to the cold floor and leaned his head on the edge of the stairs panting hard. That helped. A little. He imagined the cans being the damn cops head getting smashed in after what he did to her.
God, Emily.
And just like that the anger was gone and replaced by an indescribable need to hold her. He needed to protect her from ever getting hurt again.
He quickly headed back upstairs and sat in his SUV. Turning it off he waited and watched her house for the monster of a man to get the hell away. He saw another police car pull up and watched more men go in and then they all headed out and Hunter was with them, suitcase tucked in the trunk before he slid into the passenger seat of the running vehicle.
If there was ever a time to thank a serial killer for their work Roman didn't give a damn right now as long as something got that man far far away from the precious woman in that house.
A couple of the guys saw him watching them but Roman just nodded to them and smiled fakely and pretended to be busy in his car. He lived here so they would think nothing of him being here and they could not leave soon enough.
Both police cars drove around the corner and out of sight and the silence in his SUV was deafening as he stared at her house. He was gone.
He opened the door and stepped out, not sure what he was even going to do next. Was he planning to break in? To a cops house? Was there even another option? He wasn't sure they had any kind of alarm system. He hadn't thought to check when he had been in there before. His head had barely been focused on stringing words together that made sense then.
But as he kept studying the house not sure what his next move was another car pulled around the corner and a single cop got out and hadn't even looked his way. A decent sized guy but just one.
Oh hell. He had to do something. He had no idea how fucking long she had already been lying there like that. He was done being careful and he needed to get to where he could hold her and fix everything that was wrong.
One cop. That was all that stood in his way and that was too much.
He quickly crossed the yard and got up behind the guy just as he got to the door and wrapped his arms around his neck in a fast head lock. He could feel a shoulder holster behind his back so he knew the guy could not get at his gun from this angle.
Roman yanked his head up fast and felt the man's arms start to fall at his sides. "Don't you try anything!" he hissed against his ear. "Do you have a way to open the door? If you do..do it fast."
The man nodded slightly and Roman heard keys jingling and in a seconds he had gotten the door unlocked and was pushing him inside. He stayed behind him, keeping his grip on his neck. "Who the hell are you?" the guy started to snap at him.
Roman growled again angrily. "Don't you worry about me!" he snapped and his grip tightened. "Give me your gun..,slowly. Toss it on the floor behind you," he demanded. The guy nodded and gasped for air and Roman loosened his grip a bit and waited for the man to toss the gun back.
Once he had done that he knelt down with him and picked it up and cocked it quick. He knew how to shoot and held it up against the guys throat and released his hold on him. "What are you doing here?"
The man coughed and tried to suck in another breath and choked more. "The boss is going kill you for being here. Who the hell do you think you are?" the cop hissed at him. Roman didn't have time for this and didn't care right now. He slammed the butt end of the gun into the guys temple and the man crumpled to the floor right there in the kitchen.
A quick search of his person and he found keys for handcuffs, thank goodness and a phone he could use at least for now and tucked it in his pocket after using the guys thumbprint to open it. Then he quickly changed the setting so it didn't lock up again. And on his belt was another pair of handcuffs that Roman quickly put on him, wrapping his one arm around the frame of an old radiator on the wall and cuffed him to it. He lifted his head and the guy was out, his head lolling back down to his chest when he let him go.
Fun morning, breaking and entering, assaulting an officer. What other laws could he break before the day was done?
Standing back up Roman quickly tucked the gun in his pants, and ran out the front door to his SUV and moved it to back it up to park it on the driveway and ran back in leaving it running. He locked the front door and then ran back to the bedroom, swinging the door open and nearly falling onto the bed beside her. He shrugged out of his jacket and dropped it to the bed as he heard her moan and turn toward him.
"Em, Baby girl, I'm here, I'm getting you out of here." He stroked his fingers down her cheek and saw the one eye that was not swollen almost shut blink and her mouth opened in a weak cry.
"Roman? I was scared I was dreaming before when you found me...I thought it was a dream," she cried out and her arms were already reaching for him as he struggled with the keys to unlock the handcuff from her wrist. He practically threw the cuffs away off her and from the bed and pulled her into his arms. "No one has ever found me," she sobbed.
He was sitting in the middle of her bed, the bed she shared her monster of a husband that had beaten her last night or this morning he had no idea and he broke down in tears, burying his head against her neck as her arms wound so tight around him. He was shocked at the strength she showed him with how weak she looked, but her arms were vise like around his neck. He didn't care if she strangled him with her grip, he was going to be everything she needed.
"Of course I found you. I could feel there was something wrong last night baby and I was worried about you and I came back this morning early and I was so close and I still couldn't stop it. God I am so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know..." he cried and felt the tears just flow down his cheeks and into her hair and she started rocking him when she was the one broken and bruised and he could literally see her blood smearing over his gray shirt.
He wanted to keeping holding her like this but this was not the place. He could break down more later. This was not the time either. They needed to get out of here and he had already decided he would take her to the motel. He needed to check her wounds and make sure nothing was broken and he should stop by the hospital for supplies yet too.
Cupping her face in his palms he sniffled back his tears. "I need to know if you trust me? Hunters gone, at least for now...he had case in New York." She nodded instantly to his question and he smiled tenderly back at her and pressed a kiss to her head. "I promise I won't let him hurt you again," he mumbled against her skin.
He pulled his jacket over from where it was laying beside them and helped her into it and suggested they pack more based how little she was wearing.
"No I don't need anything. Just you. I trust you Roman. More than anything or anyone. Please just get me out of here."
He nodded and moved to figure out how to pick her up without hurting her more. She cried out as he lifted only gently and yet she gritted her teeth and they both knew they needed to get out of there.
"Okay, I'm just going to wrap you up in the blanket i think then and then we both need to be strong here and fight through the pain baby. I am so fucking sorry. I would trade places with you in a damn heartbeat if I could." Roman felt another tear slip down his cheek and he swallowed again, feeling such a lump in his throat he could hardly breath it hurt so much to see her like this.
Yet she was being so strong and he was in awe of her right then. She ran her palm down his face and wiped away the tear and he leaned into her hand, nuzzling it, his eyes ready to flood with more tears at the next second.
"I know, and I'm sorry too. I was trying to protect you too. I didn't want to drag you into my nightmare of a life. It's too dangerous for you Roman. Hunter will..."
Roman cut her off with finger to her lips. "No baby. Don't worry about me right now. Let me take care of you. " He smiled through more tears he could not stop from slipping down his cheeks and she smiled back at him covered in bruises and cuts and blood. He again could not believe how strong she was.
Now it was his turn to be strong and he cringed at the amount times he risked tearing his stitches already now in the last 12 hours. He had not been making good decisions when it came to that and would likely need to get them checked out again. He pulled the blanket up around her, tucked up in his jacket and shifted them to the side of the bed and tilted her back against his chest as he stood up.
A sharp pain ripped through his belly as he stood but he ignored it and carried her out of the room and down the hallway. She laid her head down on his shoulder and closed her eyes as he walked them as quickly and carefully to the door and unlocked it. The man leaning on the radiator lifted his head at the sound of them coming.
"Oooh, big mistake hero. The boss owns her and he will hunt you down for even touching her.."
Roman was done with anyone's crap today and moved forward with her still in his arms. "Well the boss is busy hunting someone else today. Lucky me, " Roman snapped at him, glaring. "So watch me! Or better yet don't!" And he kicked out at the cops head and knocked him out again.
Oh he knew he was in deep shit, taking her out of here but he didn't give a damn even with all the cops he knew he was now up against.
He leaned his head back down to see her weakly smiling up at him. "You aren't his. Not when he almost killed you. No fucking way. He doesn't deserve you or own you," and he bent to kiss the crown of her head again. He saw her one eye fall closed at that and then he focused back on opening the door and headed down the driveway. He leaned himself on the side of the SUV to open the back door and laid her back down like freakin deja vu on his still bloody back seat after buckling her in and was about to close the door.
She grabbed for him, "Roman wait, " she breathed out and before he could say a word, warm, soft lips were covering his. Her hands were tangled in his hair, just like it had soothed her that first night, and they didn't even move or dive deeper into the kiss, she just held it there like that as if suspended in a dream. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her body pulling him in as she pressed those sweet lips to his. She tasted so sweet still, so pure and full of hope and light and sunshine despite how much had tried to destroy her.
Pulling back he saw her smile, so beautifully at him. "Thank you," she breathed against his lips. He nodded slowly and smiled back and tucked her in and buckled her up and she laid down.
He quickly went and grabbed up the guy and uncuffed and dragged him out and cuffed his hands behind him and tossed him in his trunk and made sure that he still had her keys with him before locking up.
Yep, lets add kidnapping a police officer to his list of crimes this morning. No problem there.
With a quick glance in the back mirror he saw her eyes closed and he threw the car into drive. He was just about to pull out onto the street when someone slammed their hands on the hood and he looked up fast!
Right in front of them was Randy. Looking puzzled at him and blocking his way down the driveway. Roman had the windows up so he leaned back slightly to the back seats. "Em, pull the blanket up. You need to hide a minute, K. Just in case."
He didn't know what to make of this neighbor yet. Or who he could trust. And how the hell could he explain pulling off his neighbors driveway right now.
Roman rolled his window down motioning Randy to come closer but it was just to get him to move away from the front on the SUV. "Sorry man, hospital emergency.." Roman called out and stepped on the gas. He had no idea what else to say and left the man standing there at the side of the road with his hands in the air.
Crap, he knew that would be due for an explanation next time he saw him.
He raced around the corner and toward the hospital. He would quickly grab some supplies and then stay safe and do whatever he could for her at the motel. No way he was letting anyone at the hospital anywhere near her either. Someone else could report it to someone who knew someone and that was not happening.
No way in hell.
He prayed that he could take care of any injuries himself cause anyone asking the wrong questions and he had no idea what kind of trouble they would be in.
He had no idea who he could trust at all and that was going to be a problem in a town where everyone might know everyone...
A/N Super nervous and no idea how I did with all that but it felt climactic and needed and I loved how this all came together. I hope you liked it.
Roman needed to find out and as sad as it was for this to happen to her more will be explained too about what all went down that afternoon too. I loved how firey and strong he was here and it will just get better.
Please let me know what you thought.