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But Roman wasn’t Adam. Her dad and Brooke couldn’t see it yet, but to Ruby the differences were clear as day.
“I can see why you’d think that,” Ruby said. “And I know this must look… weird and bad and scary to you.” She looked at Brooke. “To both of you. But if you can’t trust Roman, can you at least trust me?”
“It’s not about trust,” Brooke said.
“Itis,” Ruby said. She looked down at her hands. It was humiliating being the one who was always in trouble. “I know I made bad decisions with Adam. I stayed way too long and I blew you guys off when you tried to get me to see it. But this is different.” She looked up to stop them from protesting. “I know you don’t think it is and I can see why, but itis. It just is. Olivia and I are safe here. I promise I’m thinking clearly about what’s best for her right now.”
“And what about when this is all over?” her dad asked. “Assuming you both survive this fucking mess— ”
“We’ll survive it,” she said. “We’ll survive itbecausewe’re here, under Roman’s protection.”
“Assuming that’s true,” her dad continued, “then what? Will you come home then?”
“I don’t know.” She was almost as shocked to hear the words come from her mouth as her dad and Brooke looked hearing them. She’d never said it out loud, had never even dared to think about staying with Roman, not that he’d asked her to. But she realized it was true. Deep down, she couldn’t imagine returning to her old life with Olivia. To her life without Roman. “I just don’t know.”
26
ROMAN
Roman sat in the car next to Max, his eyes trained on the entrance to the parking garage under Erik’s building.
Mikhail had counseled Roman to find Igor, eliminate him, then deal with Russia.
It had seemed impossible at first. New York City was an easy place to hide and that wasn’t counting the rest of the state, the sprawling open land upstate, the mountains, the neighboring states that also offered ample places to hide, especially for someone like his father who doubtless still had money stashed.
But then Roman had remembered Erik.
His brother thought he was a big man, swinging his dick around the city like he was in charge, daring to suggest to Roman that they unite behind Russia, as if Roman would give his father the time of day after what he’d done to Ruby.
But he was just a puppet. He didn’t see the strings, but Roman did, and he knew they were controlled by his father.
Erik wasn’t smart enough, wasn’t disciplined enough, to hold the bratva together while it was under assault from both Roman and Russia. That meant Igor was giving orders, and if there was one thing Erik couldn’t resist, it was kissing his father’s ring.
“What if they’re communicating by phone?” Max asked from the driver’s seat.
“I’m sure they are,” Roman said. “But Erik will want a pat on the head eventually.”
His brother would want to bask in the glow of their father’s in-person approval, would want to regale Igor with tales of his prowess, see the pride in Igor’s eyes.
“Might be a while,” Max said. He was dubious of the tail-Max-to-find-Igor strategy.
But Roman knew his brother.
“Maybe,” Roman said. “But I don’t think so.”
The electronic gate protecting the expensive cars of the building’s tenants rattled open and a couple seconds later Erik’s candy-apple-red Bugatti emerged from the building.
“There he is,” Roman said.
Max started the car and pulled out of their spot next to the curb. They were two cars behind the Bugatti, enough distance that Erik wouldn’t spot them. It was dark, but Roman and Max were both practiced at tailing.
Erik made his way through Park Slope. They entered Dumbo, the bridge rising high over a chaotic series of on- and off-ramps to the highway, old train tracks crisscrossing the roads through a series of five-way intersections.
Roman had never minded working at night. The lights of the city shone against the pavement, damp from rain, and the brake lights of other cars added an atmospheric glow to the scene.
He felt insulated from the world, from its complications and the many decisions weighing on his mind. The drive was also a welcome distraction from the sexual tension he’d been fighting for the past ten days.
He’d made a point to stay away from Ruby’s bedroom since they’d brought Olivia home from New Orleans. She’d been through a lot, and she was settling into the loft and her new routine. He wanted to give Ruby time with her daughter without the pressure of the relationship she and Roman had been building.
