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Chapter 49

Roman Reigns was many things but careless was not one of them. He was observant, he was sharp, and he was strong. But he wasn't careless. Yet here he was, sitting at the edge of his hotel bed, staring at the bandage wrapped around his arm.

Dean had fallen asleep the moment his head had hit the pillow and Roman had left the man to rest in the adjacent room as he took some time to process everything that had happened. The doctors were keeping Scarlett under heavy sedatives and Roman couldn't blame them. The amount of pain she would be in if she were awake was unimaginable.

For five years Roman had watched over her upon the orders of the man above and never had he been so careless.

He'd sped to the address when he'd been informed of the fire. When he arrived, the house was already up in flames. His orders had been simple: save Scarlett. But he'd thought he'd arrived too late when he tore his way into the burning home and heard the scream as her clothes went up in flame.

"Save her! Leave me and save her! Please!" The older woman had screamed at him from where she was trapped in the room. Roman had grabbed the bedsheet from the linen closet before it caught fire and wrapped it around Scarlett; dousing the flames. The burns would be severe and he only hoped he wasn't too late.

"I'll come back for you!" He yelled at the woman.

"NO! It's too late. Leave me and save my daughter," she yelled at him. She tossed a picture frame at him and Roman caught it with ease as he hugged her body close to himself.

"Give this to her and let her know I love her. Go! Before the ceiling collapses, go and save her!" She yelled at him. Roman grit his teeth and made his way out the building, dodging the fire here and there. The ambulance was already there and he handed over the girl to the paramedics before turning around. But it was already too late. There was an explosion as the foundation gave way and the ceiling collapsed. His phone began to ring and he answered it.

"Where is she?" The voice asked.

"She's with the paramedics, but the woman-."

"Go with her to the hospital. Save her, Roman. Save Scarlett," was all the person said before the call ended. Roman ground his teeth before he turned and climbed into the ambulance, barking at the paramedics that he was family.

It was two hours later that the doctor had informed him she would live. After informing the boss, Roman handed the picture to the doctor and told him to give it to her when she regains consciousness. His orders had been to save the girl and that was it.

But that had only been the beginning. She became his number one priority and he'd been told to keep an eye on her. So he had done exactly that, making sure she never got in trouble. It was an easy assignment with her moving and opening a B&B off the highway where very few people seemed to stop by. There was no threat to her.

In December of 2015, Roman had gotten a call that had informed him he would be needing to make contact with Scarlett without letting her know of his true intentions. It took some strategic planning on his part to make sure that the car Seth, Dean, and him had rented would die near her place and his friends hadn't disappointed him one bit. Seth had easily taken the bait and had made his way to her B&B.

Roman hadn't been surprised seeing the way she was dressed but he did feel an odd pride at the way she handled herself after the accident. As much as he wanted to convey her mother's parting words to her, Roman held his tongue knowing those weren't his orders.

His orders were to protect her and nothing more. Yet, his work with the WWE kept him on the road and there was no way he would've been able to protect her with the extensive travelling. Especially if what the boss had told him had been true.

"I need her on the road with me," Roman told Hunter during a "meeting". Hunter had been assigned as his superior and while Roman initially hated the idea of having a superior, he'd come to appreciate the help Hunter provided. The COO would help him weasel his way out of trouble due to his role in the company and proved to be the best supervisor he could've asked for.

"She has no skill, Roman. I can't go hiring people randomly for a wrestling company," he replied.

"Dean's been getting close to her. Can't you base something off of that?" Roman asked exasperatedly.

"By that logic, I'd have hired every person any of the superstars dated," Hunter said darkly.

But they hadn't need to wait long for Dean's feelings for Scarlett had intensified to the point where he'd asked Hunter to offer Scarlett the job as the head chef. Roman had never been more proud of his best friend than he had at that moment. He knew he was using Dean's feelings to his advantage but nobody besides Hunter and himself knew why her protection was so important.

However, Dean's relationship with Scarlett had made Roman reckless. He'd started slacking with his attention and never noticed the threat that was right in front of them the entire time. CM Punk's intentions weren't always clear to him but the moment he'd laid eyes on that magazine cover, his senses had gone on high alert. He'd confronted her and she had misunderstood his anger to be directed towards her for hurting Dean but his anger was directed at himself for not keeping his eye on her. He'd begun to spend more time with Scarlett and had watched her like a hawk. It was only when she was kidnapped did Roman realise that he'd been far too lenient than he'd thought.

He should've known something was about to go down when Punk had suddenly taken time off, he should've known when Dean had told him she hadn't called that she was in danger, but no. Roman had completely disregarded everything and had chosen to be rather optimistic for a change.

It was the second time he'd saved Scarlett from a fire and both times, Roman had watched her get hurt to the point where he thought she would barely survive. But she'd surprised him yet again, fighting through her injuries to live once more. He was impressed by her strength but knowing the truth, he wasn't too shocked.

He waited for Scarlett to wake up yet he dreaded it at the same time. Punk had opened his mouth and said too much before his death and Scarlett had heard everything. It was a strategic move from the tattooed male for even he knew that Scarlett's curiosity would cause a problem. Punk was allied with the enemy, there was no way he would make things easier for them even after his death.

Scarlett would ask questions, she would do everything to find the answers, and it was Roman's job to make sure she didn't find any. More importantly, it was his job to make sure she didn't know who he was, who he worked for, and more important, why was she the target.

Roman had kept his 'other job' hidden from everyone besides Hunter and he was not about to let his resume be tarnished. There was a reason the man above had picked him to protect Scarlett. Roman was the best of the best. He wasn't about to let all his hard work go to waste. It was his duty and he would see it through.

When she woke up, he'd make sure that she didn't get the answers she sought.

It's time to take a dip into Roman's head, isn't it?

As always, Reviews are much appreciated!

- K.