Chapter 35
I can feel Roman staring hard into the side of Oscar’s face, and I squirm as he moves my chin, his hand lingering while he takes photos of the bruising that has darkened considerably since yesterday.
He drags his finger over my skin when he finally releases me, a knowing smirk on his mouth when he glances to Roman.
I clear my throat and put some distance between us, letting Roman pull me to his side.
“We have a judge signing off on a warrant for your father’s arrest,” Oscar scribbles on his notepad. “Until then, hang tight. We’ll update you once he’s in custody.”
“And what are you charging him with?” Silas’s voice has an edge to it where he leans on the door, arms folded.
“Assault.”
“Not murder?”
“An investigation needs to be opened or reopened in this case, and that takes time. Assault will stick for now, and once he’s in our custody, we can go from there.”
Roman scoffs and shakes his head.
“It’s okay,” I press my hand to his chest, over his heart, ignoring the way Oscar homes in on my hand but Roman doesn’t. He leans down and seals his mouth to mine, claiming me in front of the deputy in a way that leaves no room for questions.
Oscar clears his throat. “We’ll be in touch.”
“You didn’t need to do that,” I laugh when we’re alone.
“I didn’t like the way he was looking at you. You know him?” Roman frowns.
“Not really. We went to school together, but he left in Junior year. Guess he came back recently.”
“He saw the ring,” Roman grumbles, pouting.
“He knows I’m married, Roman. You don’t have to worry about him.”
“So what do we do now?” Remy sips his coffee. “Just wait around until someone calls us to tell us he was arrested? He could be halfway across the states by now.”
“Anywhere else is better than here,” Silas shrugs. “He knows he was caught. I doubt he’ll stick around, but that warrant will get posted and he’ll be found eventually.”
Unease tightens my stomach, but I push it down. This is hope, and I have to keep it that way. Silas is right, anywhere is better than here. He can’t hurt Roman if he’s not here.
“I think I’m going to go for a swim.” I tell Roman, “Want to come?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. I’ll have my cell,” He tells his brothers. “I’ll call if I hear anything.”
“Us too,” Silas nods, “Just go careful.”
Leaving them to it, I head upstairs and start preparing a bag to take to the falls, but Roman joins me soon after, leaning on the door to the room he originally gave me when I moved in here.
“You should move everything over,” He muses as he watches me.
“You got space in your closet, cowboy?” I grin over my shoulder at him.
“Fuck, I love those dimples.” He groans, “And yes. I have space. We should clear out your studio too.”
I nod, “Okay.”
“I’ll go grab some things.” He heads into his bedroom, and I listen as he rummages around, opening and closing drawers before he comes back with a towel and a pair of swim shorts.
By the time we return from the falls, none of us has heard anything about Jenson’s arrest. It’s only been a couple of hours, so we need to have a little patience, but Roman is getting nervous.
The energy in the house has slowly grown heavier with every minute the clock ticks down, and it only got worse when his brothers returned.
Silas is distracted at least with his kids, trying to put on a show so they don’t pick up on the tension pressing against the walls, but they sense it regardless.
I can see it in the muted way they play, their touches lighter, voices quieter.
It breaks my heart for all of them.
Just a couple more hours, I’m sure, and someone will get the call to put everyone at ease.
Roman’s fingers whisper on my knee, going in circles, around and around as he watches his niece and nephew play, looking but not really seeing while Remy aimlessly scrolls on his phone.
Patience has never been a strength for me, it makes my skin crawl, no matter how much I tell myself that waiting is normal.
“Anyone else about to rip their hair out?” Remy tosses his cell down onto the cushion beside him, and he throws his head back onto the couch. “Fuck, it’s making me itch.”
“That’s a swear!” Rosie gasps. “Pay up, Uncle Remy.”
“You run a tight ship, bestie; nothing gets past you.” Remy reaches for his wallet and pulls out at least five or six ten-dollar bills, slipping them into the jar. “That should cover me for the night.”
Roman chuckles and shakes his head, but it’s tense. “Too used to life moving fast.”
“Maybe we should unfold some garden chairs and sit on the road. Get a front-row seat to the cops moving in,” Remy wiggles his brows. “That would be fun to watch.”
“Is there a bad guy?” Caleb’s ears perk up at the mention of cops, and he swings his gold eyes to his dad.
“No bud,” Silas lies, “Everything is fine.”
I’m just about to open my mouth to suggest we go out for dinner or something for a distraction when my cell buzzes and a number I don’t recognize lights up the screen.
I hit answer and put it on speaker. “Hello?”
“Niamh?” Oscar’s voice sounds through the cell. “It’s Deputy Wright.”
“Is there news?” I press.
“We have the warrant,” He tells me. “Deputies were sent to bring Jenson in, but his wife confirmed he hasn’t been home since last night.”
“So he’s made a run for it?” Silas grunts in frustration.
“His image has been sent out, he won’t be able to go anywhere without someone recognizing him,” Oscar says, his voice crackling over the line. “It may be wise, however, to be cautious until he is caught. He’s unpredictable and desperate.”
“I’ll keep my family safe,” Roman grumbles, scrubbing a hand over his mouth.
“You do that,” Oscar replies with a bite in his tone. “Stay safe, Niamh.”
The line cuts off.
“Stay safe, Niamh.” Remy mimics Oscar with a curl to his mouth. “That dude is insufferable. Could he make it anymore obvious?”
“Not a bad thing to have a cop on her side,” Silas says it like it leaves an unpleasant taste in his mouth but, shockingly, Roman agrees.
“The more people to keep you safe, the better.”
“You think he would have stuck around?” I ask.
“Unlikely,” Roman runs a hand down my arm, touch soft as if he just needed to reach out for something to ground him. “But I won’t take any chances with you.”