Page 33 of Born Chaos

“I assume you have your phone turned off?” he asks. “I’d guess that’s how he tracked you before.”

I nod. “It was. I got rid of my phone that night. But yeah, I turned my phone off last night when we left the hotel. I won’t turn it back on until I know what I’m doing.”

Roman gives a nod of agreement. “I suggest you don’t use your cards to pay for anything until then, either. If he’s desperate enough, Sebastian could use that to track you as well.”

I swallow once, looking out the window. I hadn’t thought about that. But I’ve seen just how desperate Sebastian can get. “I’ll pay you back.”

Roman simply gives a noise of acknowledgment.

Just then, his phone blares out, and the Bluetooth connection to his car displays Elena’s name on the dash screen.

“How many times has she called?” I ask. My throat suddenly feels dry.

“About twenty,” Roman answers as he declines the call.

“Mason?”

“A dozen or so. And Sigrid has called at least ten times.”

So there must have been at least a little bit of a scene when Roman walked back into the hotel last night. “Did you call him out in front of everyone?” I ask numbly.

I see his grip on the steering wheel tighten. “No,” he answers, and I can tell he’s being honest. “I simply informed him that you wouldn’t be coming back to the party. Maybe I could have been more discreet, but it seems apparent others overheard me.”

Somehow, I doubt it was as simple as he’s making it sound. When it comes to Roman De Luca and Sebastian Vincent, things are never cool and calm.

I don’t press the subject, though. I stare out the window, and Roman cuts through the light traffic.

Honestly, I have no idea where we are when we pull into a parking lot. I just know a smile crosses my lips when it isn’t some high-end store he heads to. Good old Target. When life gets tough, you can always count on Target.

“Don’t let me forget, I need to grab some eggs while we’re here,” Roman says as we climb out of the SUV.

It makes me smile. It’s so damn normal. Maybe one of the most normal things someone has said to me since we arrived in this city.Don’t forget the eggs.It isn’t life or death. It isn’t something that costs hundreds or thousands of dollars. It isn’t some big, extravagant gift.

He just needs eggs.

“Got it,” I say as I slip out of the car.

I feel ridiculously overdressed as we walk through the doors—as I grab a red shopping cart and start pushing it through the aisles. But no one says anything. That’s the beautiful thing about strangers. You might have to endure their glances, but are they really going to come up to you and ask? Usually not.

I wander through the clothing aisles. Roman leaves me to it for a bit, heading to the other side of the store for his eggs. I grab two bras, considering the dress I’m currently wearing doesn’t allow for one. A pack of underwear. A package of socks. Three pairs of pants, a few simple shirts. A jacket. One pair of shoes.

Elena would laugh at my humble selections. Okay, maybe not laugh, but definitely cringe. But it’s nice. It feels more like me. And I think maybe I’ve lost touch with that a bit recently.

Roman rejoins me as I head toward the toiletries. He ends up putting a bottle of some hair product in the basket while I’m grabbing the bare essentials of makeup. There are perks of being a blonde, but there are certainly downfalls. Invisible eyelashes and eyebrows are two of those.

Gloriously, I find a toothbrush and my own tube of toothpaste.

“Good?” Roman asks though he doesn’t make me feel rushed.

I stand in the middle of an aisle, scanning the store. “I think so. This should get me through a few days.”

Roman simply nods, and together, we head to the checkout.

I don’t like letting others pay for things for me. My pride has gotten me this far in life. No one ever took care of me as a child, not really. If I needed a new pair of shoes in high school, I had to work my butt off to get them.

But there’s a lack of guilt as Roman pays for my things. And maybe it’s because he understands. For the first time, I have a witness who has actually seen the shit I’ve been through. And weirdly, I trust him.

I wouldn’t have said that a few months ago.