ROMAN (Lane Brothers Book 5) Read online

  The pause in my heart’s stuttering rhythm almost brings on hysteria when the total silence in the apartment finally penetrates the fog of fear gripping me and I realize that Bee, my pregnant soon-to-be sister-in-law, hasn’t made a sound.

  I want to attack him in that moment, my terror forgotten, but I freeze, looking anywhere but the bathroom. Is it possible she’s hiding in there and he hasn’t seen her yet?

  Probably not, given his lunacy, but if there’s even the smallest hope, I can’t betray her position—

  “I already got to that whore, so you can start breathing again bitch.”

  “Bee—”

  “Is carrying your brother’s bastard. Yeah, I know,” he sneers, leveling those dead eyes at me. “I knocked her out in the bathroom before she could warn you. Now you and I are gonna play a little game. Move, bitch. I want you in the living room,” he snarls, stepping away from the door and waving the gun at me to get me moving.

  Every step I take rattles my fear-soaked mind, making it impossible to think past the need to give in to the urge to bolt and just run for dear life before he goes totally nuts and just shoots me.

  But I can’t, not if he’s telling the truth and Bee is indeed knocked out in my tiny bathroom.

  “Eric—”

  “Shut up! Just move.”

  Okay. There’s no way to play this that can possibly get me out of this alive. I’m just hoping to get Bee out of this before he realizes that she’s still alive in the bathroom.

  I think of the unborn child she’s carrying and the devastation that my family—Justin—will go through if this maniac manages to kill not only me, but Bee and that innocent little life she’s carrying.

  And then, inevitably, I think of Vincent and the stark regret I feel that he’ll never know just how much I regret abandoning him and that I’ll never have the chance to tell him that I’ve never stopped loving him.

  And then, I think of the babies I wanted to have, little boys with midnight black hair and mischievous eyes the color of mint leaves.

  I breathe deeply, harshly, fighting the tears as he shoves me into the straight-backed wooden chair from the desk and pulls a length of rope from what I now recognize as overalls emblazoned with the building’s crest.

  Henson’s words jump out at me, and I grind my teeth when I squint at his name tag and see ‘Tony” embroidered in off white stitching over his left breast pocket.

  “You’ve been watching me this whole time? You’ve been this close since I moved in?” I ask, flinching when he grabs my wrist in a steel-tight grip and starts winding the rope, binding me to the chair with a final length, crushing my ribs and looping to the back.

  Obviously a boy scout.

  Stop joking around, Cecelia, this guy’s just tied you to a freaking chair and he’s got a gun. Think of something!

  When he’s finally done securing me to the chair he flops down onto the sofa and stares at me, an eerily joyful smile curling his lips. It gives me the freaking creeps because it reminds me of that Joker guy from one of the Batman instalments.

  “I’ve been so close at times I could smell your perfume, Sis,” he chuckles, waving the gun loosely. “Just had to wait for you to finally stop inviting that bodyguard of yours up here so regularly. See, I’m a lot smarter than you think.”

  “Vincent will kill you.”

  Not the best thing to say in this situation, but I’m helpless at this point, and there’s no getting out of this alive. Hopefully I can give Bee enough time to wake up, if she’s still alive—please, Jesus, let her be okay—and get out of here in one piece.

  The chair I’m sitting in is facing the door, leaving Eric on the sofa facing me with his back toward it. If Bee’s okay, I can keep him distracted long enough to get out before he loses what little marbles he’s still got.

  “Ha! I was listening at the door when you kicked the schmuck out last night. That ship has sailed, thanks to you. It’s not like Mr Moneybags’ll come running to your rescue now, is it?” he asks, laughing loudly. “And just think! If you’d listened to him last night you’d be behind the walls of his fortress and I wouldn’t have gotten to you. And you even did me a favor by getting that little bitch over here.”

  My stomach churns at that statement, and I work a little harder when he scowls suddenly and turns towards the bathroom, his finger tightening on the trigger.

  “You’re so fucking pathetic,” I hiss, lunging against the ropes, while rubbing my wrists raw to get loose. “Is this all you’ve done since trying to kill me? Running around playing James fucking Bond and rubbing your hands at the thought of killing two defenseless women?”

  He turns back to me and lunges, planting his hands and getting right in my face with so much aggression I rear back and focus over his shoulder.

  “You know nothing about what I’ve been through! I spent weeks recovering from broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder after that animal attacked me! I’ve spent my nights sleeping on piss-soaked mattresses and eating ramen noodles just to stay alive. You ruined me!” he shouts, splashing strings of spittle across my cheek.

  The bathroom door handle wiggles, inching down slowly, and a minute later I see Bee’s face peeping out, a long line of blood trickling from her temple down to her chin and onto her neck.

  That one glance is all I need to release the tight band of tension in my gut, and I laugh, a manic-sounding shriek that scares the daylights out of me. It’s one thing to accept death and all of the regrets that come along with it, but it’s quite another to be so actively playing a part in it, forcing my murderer to go psycho on me in an attempt to save another.

  “I didn’t ruin you, you piece of shit! You mentally and physically abused the woman who loved you. You made her feel worthless and ugly and took delight in it. You were fired for sexually harassing female colleagues and for just being a generally pathetic excuse for a human being!”

  “Shut up!” he yells, backhanding me with the gun so hard my head snaps back and starts spinning. “That English prick blackballed me. I’m the man I am now because of you.”

  “You’re not a man,” I wheeze, blinking rapidly to clear my vision. “Vincent and my daddy are men. They cherish the love of their women. They would never hurt those they love. I feel sorry for you, Eric. You threw away something good because you’re too immature to be happy with what you have.”

  That really pisses him off, like majorly, and he grabs my hair, shoving his face into mine.

  “I’m not gonna kill you, Sissy. No, what I’m going to do with a stuck up little bitch like you will make you wish you’d never opened your filthy mouth. And I’m really going to enjoy it,” he says, his voice becoming a sing song of eerie delight.

  My head is throbbing so badly I can’t follow his movements that well, but I notice two things. One, the front door is slightly ajar—thank you, Jesus—which must mean Bee got out safely. Two, Eric has put the gun down on the little side table beside the sofa and is coming my way holding what I recognize as the butcher’s knife from my kitchen.

  “No…”

  There are a lot of ways to kill a person, and me being me, I’ve broken down the ways to die in a morbid little list of least favorite to somewhat bearable.

  Number one on my list of ‘please don’t let me die like this’ is definitely death by knife. Hands down. I’d rather be gut shot than stabbed or sliced to death, and since Bee, Eric, and myself played this game a couple of years ago, he knows that I am deathly afraid of knives.

  “I’m gonna ruin that pretty little smile of yours and make you so ugly no man will ever look at you again.”

  “Get away from me!” I yell when he grabs my hair and wrenches my head back at a painful angle.

  The knife whispers over my cheek, a teasing caress that makes my skin crawl and pale.

  “Please. Please don’t do this. I don’t deserve this,” I sob, crying now. “You’re not this guy.”

  That’s such a lie. Obviously Eric is the guy; he’s just been h
iding the maniac for years and no one knew it.

  The knife twists at my hairline, skimming over me with a hiss that I feel more than hear, and a small trickle of warmth dribbles down the side of my face.

  “Why couldn’t you just stay out of it?” he asks mournfully, looking like the old Eric for a beat. “I didn’t want to hurt anybody. All I wanted was her and my job, that’s all.”

  No, I think, feeling tears stream freely down my cheeks, you wanted to be in control of everything. You had what you wanted and you weren’t satisfied.

  Vincent had been. No matter how goofy or clumsy or just plain weird I’d been at times, he’d been satisfied just to have me. Shit.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” I whisper brokenly, begging him with my eyes for mercy.

  I’m almost hopeful at this stage, which is so stupid because I should know not to hope for anything, when he tightens his grip and rips my head back, raising the knife menacingly.

  I close my eyes tightly, holding my breath, when a shot rings out, deafening me, causing me to bite my tongue so hard I taste blood. The hand holding my hair slackens, and I open my eyes just as a clatter hits the floor.

  Eric is frozen above me, his face a picture of horrified shock. He looks down, and I follow his eyes, confused when a bright red flower spreads across his chest, painting his shirt an obscene shade of crimson.

  He turns, stepping back, and gasps, his hand extended pleadingly.

  “Are you okay? Oh my God, I was so scared. I ran next door and called security and I was so scared but I couldn’t leave you alone and—”

  We’re both crying and shaking as Bee frees me from the chair, her trembling body all but collapsing into me as I stand, swaying so badly I know I have a concussion.

  “You saved my life.”

  “No. You saved mine. I love you, Sis,” she sobs, pulling me out of the apartment and into the hall just as the elevator dings and people start streaming out.

  “I love you too,” I breathe, leaning my head into her sweet-smelling neck and letting go.

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  “Come on, sugar. Open those beautiful peepers for Daddy. Come on, that’s it, let me see those beautiful blue eyes.”

  That voice and the familiar words make me smile just before I obey and slowly raise my lids to the sight of my father’s own matching blue eyes gazing down at me with so much love and devotion I feel my own eyes mist over.

  He’s been crying, I see, as evidenced by the red rings around his eyes and the slightly pink tinge to the tip of his nose.

  “Hey, Daddy,” I rasp, lifting a heavy hand to his stubble-covered cheek. “You been watching The Notebook again, old man?” I tease, swiping clumsily at his tears.

  He laughs and shifts his arms under me, pulling me up and into his embrace. The comfort takes me back to every memory I have of being hurt or scared or sad, and every time, he’d been there to hug me and make it all better.

  The feeling of being so cherished after what had happened is so sweet I hug him back as hard as I can and cling to him.

  “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

  “Sshh, little girl, ain’t nothing to be sorry for. I hurt ya and—”

  “No. You brought me a miracle, and I was too damned stubborn to look past your bullshit to see it,” I cut in, pulling back to look into his eyes.

  His expression lightens a little, though it doesn’t clear completely. He’s feeling guilty, something my soft heart wants to absolve him of completely just to see him smile, but I stop myself because it’s something he’s gotta face.

  He’d manipulated me and used his business connection to buy me a suitable husband, and he needs to earn back my trust.

  “I’m so goddamned thankful that animal didn’t hurt you,” he breathes raggedly, laying me down gently. “Bee told us how you kept him occupied long enough for her to get out of there, darlin’…”

  I snort and roll my eyes despite the dull ache at my temples.

  “That girl’s really got a helluva big set of balls. She came back for me even though he could have easily killed her and the baby. You better hope that kid gets some of your and Mama’s genes, ‘cause her and Justin seem to be senseless,” I mutter jokingly, and he laughs roughly with a shake of his head.

  “She’ll make a decent addition to the Bennet clan, that’s for sure. Now dry your eyes, ya big crybaby. I don’t want your mama in a tizzy when she comes in here,” he scolds, wiping his eyes.

  “Hah! I’m not a lightweight, old man. You’re the crybaby.”

  “Me? Jesus, girlie, you think I’m a crier? You shoulda seen Blake! That man’s got it bad for you.”

  “And on that note, your wife is calling for you. Bianca is awake.”

  We both look up to see Vincent reclining in the doorway, looking all bad boy chic with his sleeves rolled up and his tie handing loose over his shoulders.

  “So, you’re a crier, huh?” I tease when Daddy gives me a quick peck and walks out, leaving us alone in the silent room but for the beeping of a distant machine.

  “I wouldn’t say that, but I was definitely worried when I got a frantic phone call from Justin and was told to rush to the hospital,” he muses, coming over to kiss my cheek gently as he lowers himself to the bed. “Your face looks like hell.”

  It feels it, I think, probing delicately at my bruised face.

  “Better than last time, though. So, I was actually on my way out the door when that pig cornered me. I was coming to see you,” I say, picking awkwardly at the blanket over my knees. “I owe you an apology for the way I reacted when you came to the apartment. You were concerned and trying to help, and I…I was mad at you.”

  “Dove—”

  “No.” I rush ahead, cutting him off with a finger to his lips. “Please.”

  He nods once and I pull my hand away, feeling so uncertain of myself it’s hard to meet his eyes. I also look a fright and need to brush my teeth like yesterday, which is doing nothing to boost the confidence I’m struggling so desperately for.

  Vanity.

  “I was mad at you for the wedding.”

  “I should never have—”

  I cut him off before he can crush me and tell me what a mistake that had been. The Vincent I’m seeing here isn’t the same frantic, unleashed lover that had rescued me from the rooftop, the same man who’d spent hours at my bedside urging me to wake up.

  This man is being kind and gentle and so friend-like that it’s breaking my heart. I’d almost prefer cold, yelling Vincent to this guy, because at least then I’d know he feels more for me than friendly concern.

  “Because you said you ‘missed this’. You missed the sex, which I have to admit was awesome, but…I wanted you to say that you missed me. That maybe the divorce had been a mistake and that…but I was stupid. I mean, even as I’m saying all this it’s dawned on me that you brought a date… Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for being here, for continuing to be my friend even when I don’t really deserve it,” I finish, feeling prouder than hell that I’ve managed to keep my eyeballs dry through the whole thing.

  “Dove—”

  “God, Sis, can’t you manage to keep out of trouble for a few measly days?”

  Parker and Jules sweep in, putting paid to whatever he was about to say, and we pull apart, me sighing deeply in chagrin and relief because I’m not sure I’m rock steady enough to hear Vincent tell me kindly how over me he is, and him, well, he looks more freaking relieved than I do.

  “The honeymoon was almost over anyway, you big goof.”

  I can fake my way through this. Maybe when I get out of the hospital I can paint some really sad examples of how shitty I feel now. Maybe I’ll join a rock band and scream out my pain. Or maybe I’ll get Marty a companion or sixty to join us.

  By the time I’ve been smothered in hugs and taken a good ribbing about getting caught with my pants down—Jules actually head slapped Park for that one—I look up and he’s gone.

  “The honeymoon was just get
ting started as far as I’m concerned, but you’re right. I had to come back to work eventually, no matter how sexy my wife is in a bikini.”

  “All jokes aside though,” Jules says seriously, taking my hand in her grip and squeezing gently. “You’re my hero.”

  “But I didn’t… It was all Bee,” I whisper, feeling my eyes tear again.

  It’s not this that’s making me cry but the reminder that someone died, that Eric, even in his madness, had lost his life and that no matter how necessary it’d been, Bee will have to live with this for the rest of her life.

  She’d killed a man she’d loved once, and that…I can’t imagine what she’s feeling if even I’m struggling not to cry for him.

  “You kept your head and gave her the break she needed to get out and get help. Now tell me how you feel,” Parker says gently, cuddling in beside me. “You look sad.”

  I am, because Eric isn’t the only thing that’s died, and I need to find a way to move past it.

  Chapter Forty

  I ended up attending the funeral three days later, and it’s truly sad how few people Eric had left to call friend. I’d laid a rose over his casket and hugged his Aunt Lo when she’d broken down and cried, telling me that he’d been a good boy and that he’d just been lost.

  I don’t quite agree with that, but it didn’t stop me from saying goodbye and telling him that I forgive him for everything. Of course, I’d had my hard-eyed daddy standing off to the side, watching everything with a stoic reserve that I was proud of, especially when one of his cousins had yelled obscenities at me.

  Daddy’s eye had twitched frantically, but he’d kept his cool and not beaten the shit out of the guy. He had nodded regally at one of his security guys, and I’m not sure what had happened to that cousin, but I hadn’t seen him at the gathering after.

  Now I’m just plum exhausted and disgustingly grateful that my parents and Justin have left the city—under order from Bee, thank God for her—and that I can sit back on my sofa and relax.