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Because Athene Cousens had found her. She stood in the parking lot, her pencil skirt and blazer as blue as the ocean, her hair that was the same color as Shay’s streaming down her back in perfect, glossy waves. The night they’d booked the room, Shay had been so sick of Roman’s shit that her mistake hadn’t even dawned on her. It was the kind of stupid slip she’d never made before.
And now, she’d wrecked everything.
She steeled herself with several deep breaths before reaching for the door knob—
Roman’s voice stilled her hand. “Sure you want to do this, pup?”
She swallowed, her eyes stinging. “What other choice do I have?” Her voice quavered. “Tomorrow’s day five. I guess I can consider myself lucky we made it this long.”
“She’s going to take you away fr—” He abruptly stopped. Shay heard him swallow. “From here,” he finished.
“I don’t have another choice,” she whispered. She took a moment just to look at him, to feel his energy, trying to imprint Roman on her brain, just in case she never saw him again. She probably wouldn’t. “I want to thank you, Roman,” she whispered. “For helping me. For…not leaving me.”
Roman’s mouth became a thin line. “I can save you from her.”
Shay gave him a sad smile. “No, you can’t,” she said gently.
And then she opened the door and walked out into the sunlight.
Roman knew he should stay put, but fuck it, he was notoriously bad at doing the opposite of what he should. Shoulda, woulda, coulda—fuck it all.
He walked out of the motel room after Shay, whose arm was already gripped by Athene Cousens’s claws.
Athene looked up at his approach. Blinked. “Shadows.” Her copper lips spread with a smirk. “How…unexpected.” She redirected her poisonous smile at her daughter. “You’re coming home—now.”
Roman’s hands curled into fists. “She’s almost twenty years old, and you’re treating her like she’s your property.”
“Donovan will be very interested to hear of your alibi, Devlin.”
“I dare you to tell him,” he spat. “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear that your daughter was hunting in a Gray Zone and stole directly from the House of Black.” He knew it was a cheap shot—but he also knew that if Don found out about this from Athene’s gossiping mouth, he wouldn’t just hurt Shay, he’d torture and kill her. Better that she face the wrath of her mother than the vengeance of his psycho father.
Athene pulled Shay toward the car. “We’re leaving—now.”
Shay resisted, dragging her hiking boots and pulling her weight the other way. “Wait—my bags.” She yanked on her arm, but Athene held tight. “Let go!” Shay’s voice became desperate, the raw panic in her words boiling Roman’s blood. “Let go—you’re hurting me!”
Roman stalked forward, chest tight and aching with fury. “Let her the fuck go, Athene.”
She pushed Shay toward the open back door of the car, shoving her so hard that she slammed into the door and made it rock on the hinges. “Balthazar, her things, please.”
Her bodyguard headed for the room, and the moment Shay was in the car, door shut, Athene stepped up to Roman. Her ugly-ass stilettos put her at equal height with him as she lifted her chin, looking at him down her bony nose. “If you come anywhere near my daughter again, consider it an act of war.”
“If you touch her again, consider it an act of war.”
Athene’s smile was venomous. “Whatever this is, it ends now. Do you understand me?”
“Do I understand you? Yes. Do I comply? That remains to be seen, Mrs. Cousens.”
“If you don’t stay away, you will be making a big mistake.” She turned on a heel and strutted to the car.
Balthazar appeared, Shay’s bags and jacket in hand. He looked like a drill sergeant with that haircut and square chin. He surveyed Roman with a gaze that could cut, and then he made the mistake of coming close—close enough to breathe on him. “You’d be wise to do as the lady says.”
Roman hawked and spat in his face. “You’d be wise to get the fuck away from me.”
Balthazar wiped the gob off his eyelid and cheek. Smirked. He shook the spit off his fingers, turned, and got in the car.
It took Roman an immense amount of willpower not to follow that car, not to flip it over and kill Athene and her pussy bodyguard and watch as the parched earth lapped up their blood.
Especially when he saw Shay turn to look at him through the back window, tears streaming down her face.
