THREE - JAMESON #2
“Not at all,” Roman said. “Seems like Ivan left out the part about who it was that needed my help. I just assumed it was him.”
“Assuming was your first mistake. It seems like he left a lot of relevant parts out. So sorry to disappoint you.”
He tilted his head ever so slightly. “I’m not disappointed,” he said with a tone that felt like it had some underlying softness to it. “Just surprised…and a little confused. That’s all.”
Aren’t we all?
Ivan lit up a cigarette right there in the middle of the hallway like he owned the place. I swatted it out of his hand and stepped on it, smashing the whole thing into the carpet.
“What the hell, James? I’m dying here. Y’all are killing me.”
“You’re killing yourself with those things. Take it outside.”
“Fine.” He threw his hands in the air. “I’m going to the docks. I’ll be back in a few. Y’all handle this on your own.” He looked at Roman and grinned. “She’s all yours, kid.” Then, he bent down and picked up his squashed cigarette, stuffed in his front pocket, and walked away.
“Bastard,” I mumbled.
Once Ivan was out of sight, Roman spoke first. “What the hell is going on?”
“Why don’t you tell me. Hmm? Y’all seem to know a hell of a lot more than I do.”
“It would seem so.”
“I thought you were dead,” I whisper-yelled. “Let’s start there, then we’ll come back to why you’re here.”
He briefly closed his eyes. “Assuming was your first mistake,” he said, mocking me. “And honestly, I don’t fucking know what’s going on anymore.”
“Where have you been? Hmm? You at least know that much.” I gave him a moment to collect his thoughts, see if he was going to tell me.
He didn’t. “Roman. I called you; I texted you—at least a thousand times. You never once responded. Hell, you didn’t even open my texts.
Every message I’ve ever sent was left delivered and unread. ”
He took a slow, deep breath in and gazed down at the floor. “It’s just,” he started, “it’s business.”
“Business? Huh. Interesting. That’s how you saw us? Business?”
“What? No. But how else do you want me to look at it? I’m just a pawn used to carry out tasks in a game I can’t fucking win. I was given a job, and I did exactly what I was told to do. Again and again.”
“Right. So, in the span of less than forty-eight hours, I lose the two closest people to me in my entire life, only to find out after months of mourning, one of you didn’t actually die? And it’s just business to you? No, Roman,” I seethed, “this is very fucking personal.”
He let out a huff. “I don’t know what to tell you. If you don’t like my answer, then find somebody else to do this.”
“Believe me, I wish like hell I could. If Ivan had told me he was bringing you here to protect me, you wouldn’t be standing here right now. But we both know you’re the only one who can do this.”
“I do, and I hate it. Did you ever think that maybe you’re not cut out for this kind of work?
” He stepped forward, standing less than a foot away, never once taking his eyes off mine.
It was like he lured me in and held me with a single stare.
I wanted to punch him and kiss him—because, yes, we’d once had that kind of relationship.
Apparently, I still found him sinfully attractive, even though he’d been resurrected from the dead.
That was until he opened his mouth to speak again. “This is a man’s job.”
My intrusive thoughts won.
“You sexist pig.” I reared back, and with as much force as I had, I swung my arm around to slap him across the face. It was long overdue.
His hand reached up out of nowhere, grabbing me by the wrist before I could make contact. He jerked me forward, causing me to stumble straight into him.
“I meant,” he spoke in a low tone, “this isn’t a job for you.” The way his words rolled through his chest sent chills down my spine.
I could feel each rise and fall of his chest as it pressed against mine.
Power radiated off every square inch of him.
Hell, it practically seeped through every pore of his body.
Then, I made the mistake of taking a deep breath, causing his cologne to invade my senses.
Whatever he was wearing made him smell so damned delectable. That pissed me off even more.
“I’ve been training for this job for half my life, Roman. Rest assured, I can handle it. But if we’re going to be stuck together, I’ll make every minute of your time here a living hell.”
“I’m looking forward to it, but you’re taking your misplaced anger out on the wrong person.” He dropped my arm, and I took a step back, putting space between us.
I massaged my wrist where his fingers had been. “Then who should I take it out on?”
Just then, Ivan walked up. “Y’all two get everything worked out here?”
Roman stared Ivan down as he approached. I would have given up this entire casino to know what was going through his mind at the moment.
“He’ll do,” I tossed over my shoulder. We all knew if anyone could keep me alive, it was Roman. Hard as it was to admit, hiring Roman to protect me was the smartest thing Ivan had probably ever done in his life and subsequently the dumbest. Because I wanted to know where the hell he’d been.
I’d already wasted enough of my time. I held out the manila envelope clutched in my grip. “Everything you need to know about your new role is outlined here. You’ll need to sign the contract and separate NDA.”
“Seriously? You want me to sign another contract and an NDA?” He arched an eyebrow. “I’m already on payroll.”
“New day, new rules. Besides, I can’t risk anything at this point. Even with you.”
He took the envelope from my hand, rubbing it between his fingers. “It’s awfully thin.”
“That’s because all the bullshit has been cut out. So you shouldn’t have any trouble understanding it. I’m giving you exactly twelve hours to read it over. Make sure we agree on everything and have a very clear understanding.”
He gave me a suspicious look.
“I’ll be back in the morning.”
“That’s like five in the morning,” Roman protested.
“Is that a problem?”
He shrugged. “Don’t you want to sleep in?”
I almost laughed in Roman’s face. Ivan let out a grunt from somewhere behind me. He’d experienced his fair share of waking up before the sun. Now, it was someone else’s turn.
“This is a 24/7 operation. I can sleep when I’m dead…and hopefully, that doesn’t happen on your watch.”