Chapter 33

After Roman's brief talk with Macaria, he'd gone out to do his match and defeated Kane in the main event with Ric Flair as the special guest referee. He had no idea how THAT came about or why Ric was involved, but didn't question it. Roman just wanted to get the match over with because he had bigger things to worry about. There was no way in hell he'd allow Nyla to be forced or coerced into sharing a hotel room with Rollins. The mere thought made his skin crawl and he could only surmise the amount of turmoil she suffered.

Enough was enough.

Roman did not bother showering or changing, not even going to his dressing room. No, he made a beeline for Nyla's office and didn't knock, simply pushing open the door. She was startled out of her wits, staring up at him through watery amber orbs, her face streaked with tears. That terrified look on her face would probably haunt him for weeks to come. She'd been thinking it was Seth coming for her or someone from the Authority instead of him.

"W-What are you doing in here?" Nyla asked in a shaky voice, seeing the intensity in his stormy greys. "Roman…"

"Macaria paid me a visit and told me what the fuck was going on. It's not happening, Nyla. I won't let you do this." Roman informed her, not giving her a choice in the matter and folded his arms in front of his chest, kicking the door shut behind him with his boot.

Nyla frowned, not believing Macaria had gone to Roman behind her back after confiding in her. "Damn it…" She whispered, looking away from him and began packing up her things. "Roman, I don't have a choice. I have to do what they say or they'll go after my daughter, my family." Why did he care this much anyway?

The frustration was clear as day on his face. "But I can help you! I can get you out of this and protect them!" He growled, closing the distance between them and grabbed her upper arms tightly in his strong hands, yanking her flush against his sweaty, muscular body. "I swear to you, Nyla, nothing will happen to your family if you leave the arena with me tonight."

"And go where exactly?" Nyla shot back in a softer voice, her whole body shaking with tears in her eyes. "Roman…"

"My room. They won't bother you if you're with me." Roman was confident, knowing the Authority steered clear of him because of Seth. They didn't want their golden boy targeted and, at the moment, he wasn't due to the crappy feud with The Big Show he had to somehow pull off. "I will tell you my plan once we're out of here. I won't talk about it with the Authority in the same building."

"If I do this…and I'm not saying yes or no, but if I do this…can you 100% guarantee the safety and security of my daughter and parents?" Nyla necessitated, folding her arms in front of her chest while Roman still had hold of her upper arms. "If you can't guarantee they'll be safe 100%, I'm not going back to the hotel with you. I will…go with Seth…"

After the phone call he had earlier that night, Roman could now ease her mind and was 100% confident in his ability to protect Nyla and her family. "Yes." He answered, not an ounce of hesitation in his voice or grey-tinted contact-lensed eyes. "Now let me help you. Come with me…"

There was so much on the line. Her daughter and parents' safety and if this all backfired, they would feel the consequence of her choices. At the same time, however, Nyla was tired. She was tired of being pushed around, controlled and raped by the Authority. Even if she was consensual, it was out of fear and she'd only done it to ensure her family's safety. For the past year, she had BEGGED someone to help her, anyone, and her prayers were finally answered in the form of a 6'3, 265 pound Samoan man. Nyla still didn't fully trust him, her mind and heart battling with each other, but the Authority had backed her into an impossible corner. If they would've left her alone to travel and room with Macaria, she wouldn't be this desperate to actually take Roman up on his offer.

"Okay. I have to pack up my things, so give me a little while and I'll meet you in the arena parking lot."

Roman nodded, releasing her upper arms, but not before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Try to hurry." He advised, taking her hand to give it a gentle squeeze and headed out of her office to grab his stuff from his locker room, deciding he would shower at the hotel.


Snapping out of the memory, Nyla continued staring out the window of the moving Lincoln Navigator and texted her mother to ask how Neela was doing. She needed some kind of reprieve from worrying what the ramifications of her actions against the Authority would have. Roman assured her everything would be all right, but Nyla wasn't so sure. What exactly was this plan of his? Why was he so confident in his ability to protect her? There were so many unanswered questions and Nyla really hoped Roman had an actual plan instead of talking out of his backside.

Christmas was just around the corner and she had gotten a few things for her family, but Nyla wasn't nearly done with shopping. She had tried finding time to go out shopping at the various towns and cities she traveled to, but it was hard with how hectic her job was. Online shopping was an option too, but her mother was a snoop and Nyla didn't want her opening any of the boxes or Neela for that matter. It was stressful being a single parent sometimes, but she wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Roman was thinking about Christmas as well, drumming his fingertips on the steering wheel. Dean would be coming to Pensacola for the holidays, refusing to let him spend it alone after what happened with Macaria. Granted, he was tempted to invite the honey blonde as well, wondering if Dean would mind that. Otherwise, he knew she would be spending Christmas alone as well. Nyla wouldn't allow that, he could tell the women had gotten very close in a short period of time and they relied on each other. If he was being brutally honest, Nyla needed all the help and comfort she could get, especially after everything the Authority put her through over the past year.

Pulling into the hotel parking lot, Roman stepped out and grabbed their bags before guiding her inside. There was no house shows scheduled for tomorrow, which was the only time Roman would have to pull this off. One day – it would be busy and hectic, but they would get it done, even in the winter. Once they were inside his hotel room, Roman checked the bathroom to make sure no ambushes would take place. It happened before and he was a little paranoid ever since, back in the Shield days. Some veterans thought they'd get the best of the boys, but they didn't realize they had decided to room together in order to save money on the road.

"All right, I know I reek, so I'm gonna take a shower and then we'll sit down and discuss what's going down in the next 24 hours." Roman felt disgusting and grimy from his match, desperately needing to be cleaned before this talk happened. "Order us room service, if you want."

"I'm not hungry." Nyla quietly replied, lowering her eyes from his and felt his finger hook beneath her chin to raise apprehensive amber to understanding grey.

"You need to eat. Order something, please." Roman requested, wishing she would calm down and relax a little.

"I don't even know what to order you." She mumbled, pulling away from his hand and moved over to sit down on the bed by the phone.

"Just get me a grilled chicken sandwich, extra tomato and mayo with some steamed vegetables for the side." Roman figured they'd have to get to know each other a lot better and cracked a small smile. He planned on getting a lot closer to Nyla Miller if she let him. "I'll be out shortly."

Nyla snorted, not believing that. The man had insanely long hair and she knew it would take time to wash the soap out. Why did she suddenly want to join him in the shower? No! Now wasn't the time to drive her mind in the gutter! Nyla pushed thoughts of Roman, soaking wet and naked in the shower, out of her mind for the time being and ordered them some dinner from room service. She just ordered a salad, not sure her stomach could handle anything else and got Roman fries instead of steamed vegetables since the kitchen didn't have them.

It would take a good hour before the food arrived. Nyla walked around the room, fighting the urge to leave and go back to Seth. "What if I'm making a mistake? What if he can't help me like he thinks?" She muttered to herself, pressing her forehead against the window and could see the snowfall increase. It was beautiful to watch and somehow soothing at the same time.

Roman stepped out a half hour later, in a pair of dark grey pajama pants and stopped at the sight of Nyla standing by the window. She looked deep in thought while watching the snow fall outside and it made him smile. Walking up to her, he took a chance and let his hands rest on her hips, his chin resting on top of her head. She was at the perfect height for him to hold her like this and no words were spoken between them while they continued watching the snow. It wasn't the type of snow that was heavy and the entire city of Sioux Falls was blanketed in glistening white. Tomorrow would be hell on earth getting to the airport and Roman hoped their flight wasn't canceled or delayed. They would cross that bridge when they came to it. He would check the radar to see just how long this snowstorm was supposed to last later, after they ate and talked.

Another half hour later, the food arrived and Roman tipped the server well, rolling the cart into his room. They ate in companionable silence, each in their own thoughts with Nyla barely nibbling on her salad. Roman was starving and didn't want to talk while eating, inhaling his grilled chicken sandwich and fries. Nyla did explain why she'd ordered them instead of steamed vegetables, which he didn't mind. Fries were fattening, but it was nothing he couldn't work out in the gym. After they finished eating, Roman stood up and extended his hand to Nyla, pulling her out of her chair as soon as she took it.

"Are you done keeping me in suspense, big man?" Nyla asked softly, hearing him softly chuckle and lead her down to sit on the bed. The only bed in the room. If Nyla had to sleep on the floor, so be it, but sharing a bed with this man couldn't happen, not with how shot her nerves were. "What's your plan?"

Roman was quiet for a few minutes, trying to find the right way to explain what he had in mind and stroked his goatee thoughtfully. "You know I'm from a famous family, right? The Samoan Dynasty is what they call us. I'm sure you knew my Uncle, Umaga, and my brother, Rosey, who lives in Ohio currently. The Rock…he's also my cousin." He saw her nod in acknowledgment and took her hand in his to lace their fingers together. "First off, we gotta have your daughter and parents moved temporarily to Florida to stay with my family. They'll protect you and won't let anything happen to you and my place has state of the art security." He had to pay for extra security because of all the crazed fangirls, much like Dean. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Nyla?"

"Just back up and rewind."

Could she really trust this man to help keep her parents safe? Keep her safe and, more importantly than anything, keep her daughter safe? One look in his dark eyes -the grey contacts were out- told Nyla all she needed to know and he was serious about this idea.

"I could care less about my own life. I just want my parents and my daughter safe. If I'm going to move forward and give you everything I have, I just need them safe. Because if I do all of this, and it's for nothing and something happens to them, it'll be my fault. Their blood will be on my hands." Nyla's voice cracked, tears pooling in her eyes. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to them…especially Neela."

"Nothing will happen to them around my Familia." Roman assured her, wondering if she knew just how tightknit and protective the Samoan clan was. They always put their family first and they would treat Nyla like one of their own, with his blessing. "That's the first step. There's a second to this."

Nyla felt her mouth go dry and braced herself on what else Roman had up his sleeve. "What is it?"

"You broke things off with Seth. Everyone is going to know that…and you're going to need protection while on the road in-company. If you're with me…if we make people believe we're together, it's less likely you'll be screwed with because of my family." Roman explained, really wanting an actual relationship with her, but pushing Nyla into THAT wasn't an option. "Unless you want to actually be with me." He couldn't stop the words coming out of his mouth if he tried.

"Wait…what?" Now Nyla had an incredulous expression on her face and Roman couldn't stop the chuckle escaping his lips, making her smack his bare chest. "Not funny, Reigns. Be serious, please."

"I am being serious, Nyla." All traces of humor were gone. "We can either make people THINK we're together or…we can actually give this a shot between us."

Her heart hammered against her chest at his words and it took Nyla several minutes to let them sink in, her eyes lowering to their hands clasped together. "W-We don't know each other…you don't know me. How can you want to be with someone you don't even know?" Just holding his hands made sparks flow through every portion of her body.

"Because I've liked you for a while now, Nyla. Even when I'd come into your office yelling about my scripts and storylines, acting like a complete asshole to you. I've liked you since the day I met you." It was his first day on the main roster with Dean and Seth. She had written for the Shield and they loved every single storyline she came up with, especially when the Shield all became champions in a single night at the Extreme Rules 2013 pay-per-view. "And I DO know some things about you, but I'd like to know everything."

"My daughter…"

"Her too. I have one of my own and they're only a few years apart in age. I'm sure they'd get along great."

Nyla frowned, fighting back tremors and looked into his deep dark eyes, her hand pulling out of his to reach up to caress his cheek. "And if they don't? What if they end up hating each other? What if none of this works out?"

"That won't stop me from protecting you and your own. And I think we have a pretty good shot at this." Roman sounded confident again, a hint of arrogance in his tone and it made her eyes narrow slightly. "I know you've been through hell with Seth. If you need time to think about this…"

"There is no time to waste." They were out of time and she was out of options. Roman was literally her ticket away from the Authority. "Roman…" Taking a chance, Nyla knew he wouldn't make the first move and she would have to do it.

Her lips met his a few seconds later, soft and tender at first, but it quickly turned explosive.