Page 29 of King of Ruin
“I can’t even begin to tell you what a nightmare it was, but the long and short of it is Vigo is a criminal and a murderer.”
“Maddie! You’re not serious.”
“I couldn’t see, but I could hear and?—”
“Wait. You’re not saying you saw him murder someone?”
“I don’t know if Luke is dead or not, but I heard the pops.”
“I’m confused. Who is Luke? Where are you now? Who are you with?”
I sigh. “Yeah. Like I said, it’s a really long story. But Roman is the guy who rescued me from Vigo.”
She’s silent on the other end of the line for a second, two, three. “Lucia?”
“I mean…” I hear her draw in a deep breath, “you’re not with Roman Kincaid are you?”
I start, my entire body jolting with the reaction as my head snaps up.
“Maddie,” Roman whispers as I drop his phone, scurrying away. How could I be so stupid?
That is why he was outside my house, he lied to me.
He wants my property and now he’s got me all but trapped in his apartment. Wherever the hell that is…
I keep sliding back, doing some reverse crab crawl as I try to escape.
But I’m not used to the contours of the bed, and I’m not really judging my surroundings. Where I think there is going to be bed, there is air, and suddenly I’m falling.
I let out a scream, even as strong arms wrap around me, pulling me against a hard chest.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” Roman rumbles, holding my almost-naked body against his. My instinct is to throw my arms around him as I try to anchor myself. Which is so fucked up.
“Are you okay?” Lucia cries, her voice filling the room from where I dropped the phone on the bed.
“I’m fine,” I answer, my whole voice trembling. “Roman caught me.”
“Where are you? I’ll come get you,” Lucia sounds as panicked as I feel, and I unlace my fingers from around Roman’s neck to scramble for the phone again. I want to keep her on the line. If I lose Lucia now, I don’t know, I’m somehow worried I might never find my way back.
“Lucia,” Roman calls, not moving despite my frantic searching. “Last night Vincent Vendetti shot my cousin and tried to shoot me, all while Maddie was a witness.”
“Witness? She’s fucking blind.”
“It’s not safe for her to go back to her house, nor is it safe for her to be at yours if the Vendettis know who you are.”
“Shit,” I gasp out. “Is Lucia in danger?”
“I should have never made you go out with him,” Lucia cries. “I’m so sorry, Maddie.”
“Lucia,” Roman soothes. “I need to be clear. If you think your safety is at risk, I need you to call me. I can have you stay here. We have plenty of open apartments where you would be safe.”
Some part of me unwinds. Did Roman just offer to bring Lucia here? To have her live in this building? My body stills, relaxes. It’s exactly what I needed to hear.
“Vigo doesn’t even know my last name,” Lucia huffs.
“Good,” Roman reaches for my arm then, gently pulling me toward him until my chest is against his once again. Then he wraps an arm about me, keeping me in his arms. “Stay away from Maddie’s place. Call this number whenever you need to until we find her phone. Call me if you need me to come get you.”
“Okay,” Lucia sounds as confused as I feel.