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Roman laughed sheepishly. “It did.”
“Also the mark of a Dom. Look, Ro, you can take this as far as you want and are comfortable with, but it’s also okay to keep it light. As long as you’re strict about safewords, it’s all good with me. Caleb has enough experience to call red when he has to.”
“Okay.”
“I just want to say one more thing.” Wander leaned forward, his eyes drilling into Roman’s. “You can play with his body, but don’t play with his feelings. He’s getting attached to you, and I’ve never seen that from him. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. He’s a big boy. He can handle that. But don’t string him along. If you see it heading in a direction you know you can’t reciprocate, cut him loose. Because if he ends up with a broken heart, I’ll pick his side. We clear?”
Damn, Wander had never looked more like a Dom than in that moment. “Crystal clear. You have my word. I’ll treat him well.”
“Good. Now, let’s talk about the case. Ryan and Alex headed to Boston this morning to spend a few days there and do some digging.”
Roman needed a second to put his brain in work mode. “Please tell them to be careful.”
“Ryan’s a former homicide detective. He’ll be fine. He’s got good instincts. And Alex is a better shot than Ryan and me combined.”
Roman rubbed his forehead. As soon as Wander mentioned the case, the tension flooded right back in. “Sure, but it’s hard to shoot at what you can’t see.”
“True. But they will be careful, so don’t worry. What’s happening?—”
The abrasive trill of Roman’s phone cut Wander off. Roman checked the caller ID and held up a finger to Wander. Julie McKay, one of his junior lawyers.
“Julie?”
“Roman, we’ve got a problem.” Her words, delivered in a clinical, detached tone, came as a punch to the gut. “The deposition with Dorian Firestone and Leo Capatelli didn’t go as planned.”
His stomach sank. “What happened?”
“Well, I went to depose them this morning, and it quickly became clear they never actually witnessed anything illegal. It’s all hearsay and inadmissible.”
“Hearsay?” Roman’s voice was a serrated edge, sharp and dangerous. He felt like the office walls were closing in, the leather-bound books and polished steel mocking him with their silent, judgmental presence.
“All they had for me were rumors they’d heard, other people’s stories. In your notes, you stated they had firsthand, personal experience with several illegal activities, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Fuck. Roman’s mind whirred, trying to piece together this new, jagged puzzle. He’d spoken to both men personally. Had questioned them extensively. Firestone had proof a developer had paid Whitman to secure a winning bid on a new apartment complex in Boston, and Capatelli had testified he’d been forced by Whitman to hire people without the right qualifications because they’d paid Whitman large sums of money. Witnesses didn’t just flip. They were flipped. Pressure, threats, or worse.
“That makes no sense,” he said, fighting to keep his voice level.
“I don’t know what’s going on?—”
“Neither do I, Julie,” he said, his voice icy, anger simmering beneath the surface, but he held it in check. Barely. “But I’ll find out.”
“Look, I’m just saying, maybe you pushed too hard. This case…it’s taking its toll on you.” She didn’t say it out loud, but her tone hinted she questioned his competency, his grip on reality.
He clenched his fist so hard around the phone he was surprised it didn’t snap in half. “I’m fine, Julie. There’s nothing going on with me.”
“You haven’t been in the office in over a week. Be careful, Roman. This doesn’t look good.” The finality in her warning made his blood run cold.
“I appreciate your concern, Julie, but I promise you, I’m fine.”
He ended the call with an angry growl, then threw his phone onto the desk. “Fuck!”
He clenched his jaw tight, a vise of frustration that threatened to crack molars. He turned to face his brother, who had been watching him with hawk-like intensity. “You lost a witness?”
“Two. Both claimed to have seen illegal activities firsthand, but now they’re backtracking and stating it was only hearsay and rumors. Julie had to end the deposition.”
“Whitman got to them with either threats or bribery.”
“Yeah.” Bitterness filled Roman’s mouth. “God, I hate that son of a bitch. Every time I think I’m making progress, he makes a move, and I’m right back where I started. He’s not giving up.”
