Page 11 of Unstable

Agony ripped through Irina’s heart at her mother’s harsh words, and tears stung the backs of her eyes, burning across the bridge of her nose. She swallowed down the lump in her throat so her mother wouldn’t hear it. “Goodbye, Mama.”

She hit the end button then dropped her phone to the floor as a tear slipped down her cheek. She thought by now she would have learned; people never changed. They put on a show, said all the right words, but deep down it was always the same.

Her mother was never going to change.

Angrily brushing the tears away, Irina pushed up off the floor and headed across the hall to her room. The TV was on in the living room, and she hoped that Roman would stay there until she was out of sight. He and Irina had been taking turns using the workout equipment that she had put in the spare bedroom. So far, they had managed to stay out of each other’s sight. Now, she had to bite the bullet.

She quickly showered and dressed, then made her way out to the living room. Roman’s gaze snapped to hers as she paused at the end of the hallway. “I need to get out for a bit.”

He gave a little shake of his head. “No can do. Orders are to stay here.”

Her anger bubbled up and over—anger at her mother, her anger at whomever was sending her these ridiculous notes, her anger at Roman, the overbearing jerk she lusted after but could never have.

“I don’t care what your orders are. I’m leaving this house. You can either come or sit on the couch and wait for me to get back.”

Cutting at a diagonal across the room, she snatched her keys from the bowl on the hall table and made for the door that connected to the garage. She had just grabbed the handle when his hand appeared over her shoulder and slapped against the cool metal.

“Not a chance.”

She whipped around and shoved against him as hard as she could. The big jerk didn’t budge an inch, and it just pissed her off further. “I’m not your prisoner! This is my house, my life, and I’m done!”

Annoyance crossed his face. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?”

Hearing those words stung more than she thought they would. The bridge of her nose burned as she fought the tears stinging the backs of her eyes. She refused to let him see her upset, so she lashed back at him. “And you’re an arrogant prick.”

Without waiting for a reply, she reached behind her and grabbed the handle, then threw the door open. She stomped down the steps but was spun around as Roman grabbed her elbow, halting her progress.

“Seriously, Rina, stop.”

She glared up at him. “Let me go.”

His jaw tensed, and fire flashed in his eyes as he stared down at her. “No. Stop being a spoiled little brat for once in your life and learn to listen.”

The hand at her elbow tightened a fraction, and she pulled against his hold. He squeezed her arm, just enough to make a point, and she stumbled back as he released her. “You’re such a jerk. Of all the people in the world, why do I have to be stuck with you?”

He scowled at her. “Is that the problem? You want someone else?”

What she wanted was for life to go back to normal. She wanted the police to catch the crazy idiot sending her love notes. She wanted Roman to want her the way she wanted him. She couldn’t stand to have him in her house, sleeping on her couch, knowing how much he despised her. Was it too much to ask for some pot-bellied bodyguard she wasn’t attracted to in the least?

“Yeah,” she snapped. “Maybe it is.”

He gave a slow shake of his head, then finally extended his hand toward her car. “Fine. Let’s go. You and Knox can figure it out.”

She glared at him. “You should count yourself lucky you won’t have to put up with me anymore.”

She spun on a heel, then stormed to her car and slammed the door behind her. Using the app to lock her doors, she wasn’t paying attention and jumped when Roman knocked on the driver’s side window, a dark look on his face.

She cranked the engine and rolled the window down. “What?”

His blue eyes crackled with anger. “Do you even know where you’re going?”

She waved her phone at him. “GPS. I’ll figure it out.”

His jaw tensed and for a second, she thought he might drag her from the car and haul her back into the house. She held her breath until he huffed out a breath. “Fine. I’ll be right behind you.”

She let out a deep breath, then rolled up the window, watching in the rearview mirror as Roman climbed into his truck parked across the street and started it up. She reversed out of her driveway, hit the button to lower the garage door, then put the car in gear and started down the street. Throwing a glance Roman’s way, she saw him on the phone as he pulled a K-turn in the middle of the road and fell in behind her.

The voice from the GPS spoke up, telling her to make a right as the intersection at the end of her subdivision came into view. Beyond the stop sign, cars whizzed past on the busy four-lane road, and she pressed down on the brake. Her foot went straight to the floor, and her heart jumped into her throat as she pumped the brake several more times.