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My head was swimming now. It felt like I’d just been plunged far into the deep end of something I hadn’t even considered.
It seemed so simple, but immediately I knew why I hadn’t considered it before. Because without Roman, none of it felt possible at all.
Before he was in my life, even entertaining something like this as a possibility would have been terrifying. I wouldn’t have been ready. I still didn’t feel ready. But Roman seemed like he was born ready to do things like this. And I had to trust him, even if I felt like I was walking into a lion’s den.
“It… it could work,” I repeated, because right now I had no idea what else to say. My brain couldn’t process the enormity of it all. “I am going to invite my stalker into my life.”
A chill ran through my core as I said it. Immediately Roman moved in, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me in tight.
“Invite him in only for a brief moment, so we can catch the fucker forever.”
“It’s crazy to think it’s even possible after everything I’ve been through.”
“I know,” Roman said.
“I think it’s the right thing, though,” Madeline said over the phone. “And we need Roman for this.”
She was right. I was starting to think I might need Roman for everything.
I pulled in a slow, shallow breath. “Okay,” I said. “Let’s do it.”
17
Roman
For a lot of my life, I hadn’t been certain that what I was doing was ever really that important. Sure, clubs needed bouncers. And being a security guard at least made me feel some sense of responsibility, making sure the college campus had been safe and secure.
But nothing could have prepared me for the feeling of purpose I had in the week leading up to what Theo, Madeline, and I had decided to call “Operation Bait.”
I’d always been a little obsessed with work, but it was on a whole different level this week. From the moment Theo and I got back to Kansas, we started in on preparations and didn’t stop. I called my old buddy Tim, who was now a captain on the police force for the region. He was as kind as he’d always been, and apparently he’d even heard of Theo’s stalker problems in the news, and was excited for the opportunity to help.
A few days after we’d gotten back to Amberfield, I arrived at Theo’s house to see him deep in conversation with Jack Damien, his general contractor. They were hunched over a bunch of tile samples on the kitchen counter, and Jack was giving Theo his big, beautiful smile.
A pang of jealousy shot through me.
I could tell that Jack was attracted to Theo. Anyone would be. I had no idea if Jack was gay or straight or who the hell knew what, but I knew that nobody could resist being in the same room as Theo.
“Morning,” I said. “Looks like we’re going to be all set for the weekend, right?”
“I hear you guys are planning a big sting operation for this weekend,” Jack said, nodding at me. “I told Theo I’m willing to do anything I can do to help out.”
“I never knew so many people would be so willing to help catch a crazy, maybe murderous stalker, but here we are,” Theo said, turning to me.
He looked so beautiful it was almost painful. He was still in some fancy, dark blue pajamas that seemed like they must have been pure silk, and his hair was a little wonky on one side from sleeping on it, his curls kinked up into an adorable swoop. It reminded me of how he’d looked the morning after we’d spent the night together.
Since I’d told Theo that we should cool things off, it was as if my brain and my dick had decided that he was a billion times more appealing.
But I could also see the dark circles under his eyes. I could tell he was probably sleeping poorly. It made my heart ache, wondering how he was doing in the middle of the night, all alone in this home. He was safe, I was sure of it. I’d been the one outside his house most nights, protecting the perimeter and seeing nothing out of place. But I wondered every night how he was doing up in the bedroom. I’d look up, seeing his light go out around one in the morning, hoping that he wasn’t anxious.
“So tomorrow is the beginning,” Theo said, leaning on the kitchen island.
“Yes,” I said, snapping out of my murky thoughts.
“Theo tells me you’re going over to Botanica Gardens in Wichita?” Jack said.
I nodded. “We begin there. Botanica is a beautiful tourist attraction. So Theo posts that he’s visiting Wichita for a few days, posts photos of the gardens, then an identifiable photo of the hotel. Then, if we see any action, we start the bait.”
