Page 67 of After The Storm
He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “The house is incredible. I’d say your friend beats my friend in the house department hands down. As for Jasper, I don’t know yet. I haven’t been able to get a read on him. All I know is he has money, doesn’t work, sleeps with lots of people but never with you, and even though I’m a man, I can say I don’t think I’ve ever met any more attractive man in person in my life. Oh, and the chandeliers are nice. Not my style, but nice.”
When Roman finally spoke, he certainly did have something to say.
Kate focused on the part about her friend’s appearance, amused at how Roman had described him. Jasper certainly had been blessed in the looks department. From his thick, light brown, wavy hair to his crystal blue eyes and tanned, chiseled face, he was a knockout from the top down. And below the neck was pretty damn nice too. Never someone who had to worry about his weight, he kept in top physical shape and it showed. The fact that he could afford to dress well in the finest designers only accentuated what he’d been born with.
That Roman had chosen to mention his looks told Kate he still harbored some jealousy about her and Jasper, so she quickly moved to quash that once more. Taking his hand in hers, she brought it to her lips and kissed his knuckles. “He definitely is good looking. No wonder everyone in town can’t wait to sleep with him. That and the money, of course. But not me, and he has no feelings for me that way either.”
Roman smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. “You sure, Katybird?”
“Yes, and I think that sounds very strange coming from you. You’re more of a Kate kind of guy, don’t you think?”
He thought about the question for a moment and nodded. “I think you’re right, Kate.”
She wanted to lean over and give him a kiss to show him he had nothing to worry about, but at that moment Jasper returned with her white wine, his cognac, and a glass of water for Roman. He set each one down on the table in front of each of them.
“You should have something for when I make the toast.”
They lifted their glasses in the air, and Jasper said, “To my dearest and oldest friend, who I suspect has gotten herself in deep this time. All the best!”
As the three of them clinked glasses and the two men around her took a drink, Kate wondered if his toast referred to the trouble she’d gotten into or her feelings for Roman. Jasper always had seemed to have a sixth sense about that kind of thing.
He sat down in the brown leather club chair to their right and smiled. “So, guess whose picture I saw on the news this morning. How about you tell me what’s going on?”
“It’s better you don’t know, to be honest.”
Jasper shook his head and frowned. “Oh, Katybird, I hope you’re being careful.”
She patted Roman’s arm. “Not to worry. Roman here is protecting me, so I’m in the best hands possible.”
“I can definitely see you’re in good hands. My question is, what did you get yourself into and why do you want to get into the governor’s campaign headquarters?”
Kate turned to look at Roman as if to ask if she could tell her friend everything, and he nodded, giving his silent okay. Turning back to face Jasper, she gave him the condensed version of the whole ugly thing that had happened to her since she found out about Jonas’s death.
“Well, I don’t know what they’re saying on TV, but Jonas and one of his clients is dead. At first, I thought the cops in town here had something to do with it because he’d warned me if anything happened to him to not trust the police. But now we think it’s much bigger than just the New Orleans PD. We think whatever this case was that Jonas was working on with his client, it goes all the way up to the governor’s office. That’s why I need to get into his campaign office in town so I can look for some proof that we’re right.”
“I did see that they said Jonas had been murdered. They’re looking for you as a suspect, Katybird. I didn’t catch any more than that, but this is big. Are you ready for what could happen if you do find proof? Because that will be stumbling into one of the biggest hornet’s nests you ever saw. Politics is an ugly business to start with, but in this state? It’s downright cutthroat, honey. Trust me. I know. And not just from a hundred years ago either. These people play for keeps.”
Kate swallowed hard and tried to keep a calm look on her face while her insides began to shake. Until that moment, everything had seemed almost too surreal, too bizarre to really grasp. Now that her oldest friend in the city and a man who knew many dangerous people in high places was lecturing her on how terrifying her situation was, she didn’t know if she could go through with all this.
As all these thoughts tore through her brain, Roman reached down and took her hand in his, calming her instantly. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. Just knowing he would be by her side made her feel brave.
“So can you get us into the campaign office?” Roman asked in a low voice that showed no hint of fear or concern.
Jasper nodded. “Yeah. I can do that, but I hope you two know what you’re doing. This is the deep end of the pool. I just need one thing from you before I do.”
“Name it,” Roman said without missing a beat.
Kate wondered what Jasper could want. He had more than enough money and influence. He literally wanted for nothing. So what could he possible ask for from Roman?
His face grew more serious than she’d ever seen him look. With a slight frown that frightened her, he said, “Take care of her. She won’t admit it, but she needs it. I’ll only help you two if you promise you won’t let her get hurt.”
Roman squeezed her hand and answered, “I swear on my life I’ll protect her.”
Never before had Kate believed something without a shadow of a doubt, but she believed him. He’d shown her every day since they met that he’d do just as he promised to protect her.
Chapter Twenty-One
At just aftereleven-thirty, Roman followed behind Kate and her friend Jasper as they made their way through the streets of New Orleans toward the governor’s re-election campaign headquarters. He led them through back alleys and side streets for what felt like nearly an hour until they reached the plain looking storefront on a street Roman had never heard of.