I have to fight to keep myself collected so he doesn’t see how rattled I truly am. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.
“What do you want from me?” I ask.
“I came up here to offer you a proposition. And I guess an apology.”
“An apology?” Honestly, I’m shocked he even knows the word.
“Yes.” He chews the inside of his cheek. “I guess I haven’t been as friendly to you as I could have been, especially since you saved Ty’s life. And if you took it that way, I’m sorry.” The way he trips over the words is a dead giveaway that he isn’t used to apologizing.
A sharp laugh escapes my lips.
“Something funny to you?”
“That’s not how you apologize to someone.” I cross my arms over my chest, refusing to back down. Now that I know nothing I do will sway his decision to let me go, I won’t let him walk all over me.
“Excuse me?”
“You can’t say that you’re sorry for the way I took something. Apologies are about taking responsibility for something you did, and all you did was pass the blame off to me for how I interpreted it.”
He scoffs. “You’ve got a lot of nerve for a woman bargaining for her life.”
“And you’ve got a lot of nerve for a man who needs me and my medical degree to take care of his son.”
Roman stiffens. “I guess that brings me to my next point.”
“The proposition.”
He nods. Fantastic. Now what is he going to make me do?
“You’ve got $200,000 in school loan debt.”
“Do I even want to know how you found that out?”
He ignores me. “I want you to live here and work for me for the next six months. Rehabbing Ty and dealing with any other potential…emergencies that might come up. You’d need to stay here, but obviously your room and board would be covered in addition to any payment. If you agree, I’ll make sure that your debt disappears and you have your pick off positions at St. Luke’s once that six months is up.”
I can hardly believe what I’m hearing.Potential emergencies. Is he serious? He wants me to patch up his guys after more issues like today? I don’t know if my nerves can handle another day like this one.
Still, the amount of money he’s talking about is sickening, and in such a short time frame. It’s life changing, and I’ve eaten just enough Top Ramen the last few weeks to entertain it.
“You have that kind of pull at St. Luke’s, but you won’t take your son there?”
“St. Luke’s and I have a history.” He clenches his jaw. “None of that matters, though. Trust me, they’ll do whatever I want.”
I don’t know what’s crazier—his offer or the fact that I’m actually considering it.
“What exactly would this entail?” I ask cautiously.
“Exactly what I said. My team has unique needs that come up from time to time. I need someone who is good under pressure, understands discretion, and has enough medical knowledge to make do.”
I didn’t go to medical school tomake do. I went to be a trauma surgeon. To save lives. But the idea of having my loans paid for is too attractive to ignore. Wanting to prove myself to my parents, I’ve been adamant about putting myself through medical school and now I’m drowning under bills.
It’s not like Roman would be paying me for sex or as some sort of escort. I’d still technically be using my degree and have a legitimate job, but how exactly would I explain this to my parents? To my friends?
“I also need someone that I can trust with Ty. Regardless of how I acted today, I appreciate what you’ve done for him. Not just removing the bullet, but the way you were with him earlier. You really put him at ease. He’s comfortable with you, and if I have to find someone else, it’ll be like starting from the beginning. You and I both know that wasting time isn’t in his best interest.”
Jesus, what is wrong with me? Am I actually considering this? Less than five hours ago, the man kidnapped me and held me here against my will. The more time I spend with Roman, the more entangled in his web I get—a deceitful, unlawful, dangerous web. At best, the things he’s involved in are illegal. At worst, they’ll cost me my life.
Although, I’m still not sure that isn’t my fate, regardless. “What happens if I don’t agree?”
