The doors quietly opened, and I came to a group of men inside. A small lamp hung in the corner, illuminating each of their faces.
I was still too panicked to realize that I recognized a lot of these faces. And in the far back, near the left corner was…
Roman!
I cried and struggled harder in the man’s hold. His grip tightened as he twisted my arms behind my back and pushed me down on the floor until my knees knocked on it.
I gritted my teeth to keep in the pained noise.
Roman’s nostrils flared, turning angry eyes on the man holding me.
He took a step forward when Micah placed a hand on his middle, stopping him.
“Found her wandering around, prez. She doesn’t look like she belongs, so I brought her here.”
The man pulled my hair back, so that I was looking up at the group of men.
I found Dominic right away.
His eyes flared in recognition.
Of course, he would know who I was. I had a feeling most of the men here knew who I was.
Dominic looked to the side at Roman before he turned back to me, smiling. I resisted the urge to shudder in revulsion.
“My, my. What is the judge’s daughter doing here?”
Roman shoved off Micah’s touch and walked over to me, and even though he’d be outnumbered if he tried to protect me from Dominic, a sense of safety still settled upon me.
My bottom lip trembled as he turned to the man holding me.
“Let. Go.”
The man’s hold loosened on me marginally, but he didn’t let go.
Roman didn’t give out another warning. He pulled his hand back and punched him.
The man let out a cry as he fell back. I would have gone with him, too, had Roman not taken hold of me and pulled me into his arms. My legs shook as I stood, and I clung to him, tremors working their way up and down my spine.
We turned to Dominic.
“Roman. What are you doing?” Dominic asked.
Roman tightened his arms around me. “She’s mine. I’m protecting what’s mine.”
Dominic didn’t seem surprised by that, and I wondered if he knew about this—about us—all along.
“Against the club? Against me?”
“It doesn’t have to be against you. I’m still loyal to you,” Roman answered carefully.
“Yeah? Have you decided what you’re going to do with the flash drive?” Dominic asked.
Roman stiffened beside me. He didn’t say anything for a moment, and his hold on me was getting tight, enough that it was starting to hurt.
I didn't say anything. I didn't dare to make a sound.
I was so afraid of something happening to him, or me, that all I could do was stand there and try to follow along with their conversation.
