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“Anonymous phone calls, text messages. You know the drill.” He wasn’t sharing the rest with Wander. Yet.
“What do they say?”
“They all boil down to ‘drop the case or else.’”
Wander cursed softly. “And you know who’s behind them?”
“I have a strong suspicion but no evidence.”
“If you’re correct in your hunch, how powerful an enemy are you facing?”
Leave it to Wander to immediately drill down to the core of the case. “The most powerful you can imagine.”
“Get the fuck out of Boston,” Wander said without hesitation. “I told you last week you’re always welcome with us. Come up here and lie low for a while. I won’t let anyone get to you, Roman. We’ll keep you safe.”
The offer was tempting. Too tempting. Wander owned a private security firm called Dwyer Security, and his offer to keep Roman safe wasn’t an empty one. Still, Roman shook his head, even though Wander couldn’t see it. “I can’t just leave. I have too many open cases, and if I suddenly take off, it’ll look suspicious.”
Wander scoffed. “Your safety is more important than any of that. Besides, you’ll always have open cases. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for me. Please.”
Roman wavered. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for a week, safe in his brother’s protection. But the people of Boston were counting on him. “Wander, I?—”
“Don’t make me come down there and drag your stubborn ass up here myself,” Wander growled. “You need rest, and you need security. So get your ass on the road. Now.”
A bone-deep exhaustion swept over Roman. He was out of arguments. “Okay.” The word was like an exhale of tension. “I’ll come.”
“Good.” The relief in Wander’s voice was palpable. “Drive safe. I’ll be waiting. I’ll text you the code for the gate.”
Roman ended the call. Doubt still gnawed at him, but the promise of refuge won out. If he could relax for a few days, catch up on sleep, maybe talk through some stuff with his brother—the details he could share anyway—maybe he’d feel better. He needed an energy boost to finish this marathon. A couple of days with Wander would do the job, right?
He swung by his apartment—cold and sterile since he didn’t spend much time there and hadn’t taken the time to decorate after his divorce—and grabbed a weekend bag with clothes and some personal items. He’d only be gone for a few days. After watering the spider plant his ex-wife, Yolanda, had given him, he got back into his car and started the three-hour drive west to where Wander lived, twenty minutes north of Albany.
Oh great, it had started snowing. Fat flakes swirled in his headlights as he left the city lights behind him and took the Mass Pike toward Albany. The drive seemed to take forever, his head as chaotic as the snowflakes spinning into whirlwinds under his wheels.
By the time he pulled up to the iron gate of the mansion Wander and his team were staying in—Roman was a little blurry on who owned it, but it sure as fuck wasn’t his brother—he was strung as tight as a bow. With unsteady hands, he punched in the security code Wander had sent him. The gate swung open, and Roman drove inside, exhaling a breath he seemed to have been holding since Boston.
He parked his car in the driveway and climbed out with stiff legs. Wander stood in the doorway, backlit by the glow of the hallway. Roman nearly wept at the sight. Before he could say a word, Wander pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.
“You’re safe now,” Wander murmured. “I’ve got you.”
Roman clung to him far longer than he should have, the fears and stress of the last weeks getting to him. Wander held him, solid and steady as a rock. Dawn was almost breaking, but Wander didn’t look tired.
When Roman finally drew back, scrubbing a hand over his face, Wander gave him a small smile. “Come on. Let’s get you settled. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“You mean later today.”
“Whatever. You need sleep. You look like shit.”
Roman nodded, swaying with fatigue now that the adrenaline had worn off. Leave it to his brother to confront him with the truth. Wander had never been one for mincing words.
“Get some sleep,” Wander said gently. “Things will look better in the morning.”
Roman didn’t argue. He followed Wander up the grand staircase to a guest room bigger than his living room. After another hug, Wander closed the door behind him, and Roman was alone. Too exhausted to undress, Roman kicked off his shoes, collapsed on the plush king bed, and pulled the thick duvet over him. He closed his eyes, comforted by the knowledge that his brother stood guard.
For the first time in weeks, Roman slept through the night.
2
He’d slept like the dead. Normally, Roman had a hard time sleeping in, no matter how much of an all-nighter he’d pulled, but this time, he didn’t wake until noon. After a quick shower, he dressed in jeans and a Boston Bruins hoodie and headed downstairs, following the murmur of voices into a large dining room.
