Chapter 5 - THE RULES OF ROMAN ROSSI
Z
Living under Roman Rossi’s protection was surprisingly boring.
That was the first thing Sadi discovered.
There were no constant gunfights.
No mysterious suitcases of cash arriving every hour.
No dramatic executions happening beneath chandeliers.
There were security briefings.
Encrypted phones.
Men with earpieces.
Three different elevators requiring fingerprints.
And Roman working eighteen hours a day.
By the fourth morning, Sadi was losing her mind.
“I’m leaving.”
Roman looked up from his laptop.
“No.”
“I wasn’t asking.”
“Then why announce it?”
“Because polite people communicate.”
“I’m not polite.”
“I noticed.”
She stood in his kitchen wearing borrowed sweatpants and one of his T-shirts because her clothing had not arrived yet.
The shirt reached halfway down her thighs.
Roman had been pretending not to notice all morning.
His repeated failure was obvious.
“I need clothes.”
“They’re coming.”
“I need my apartment.”
“It’s compromised.”
“I need fresh air.”
“The balcony.”
“I need a life.”
Roman finally closed the laptop.
“You were almost kidnapped yesterday.”
“Technically nobody tried.”
“A Moretti soldier followed the delivery driver bringing your toiletries.”
Sadi sat down again.
“You really need to stop saving these details until the end.”
“I didn’t want to frighten you.”
“You are naturally frightening. Information changes nothing.”
Roman rubbed his face.
He looked tired.
Sadi studied him.
“When did you last sleep?”
“I slept.”
“When?”
“Recently.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
Roman stood.
“I have a meeting.”
“No.”
He stopped.
Apparently nobody told Roman Rossi “no” very often.
“You’re sleeping.”
“Sadi.”
“You can either sleep voluntarily or I’m putting melatonin in your coffee.”
“That sounds like poisoning.”
“It’s wellness.”
His mouth twitched.
Then something darker crossed his expression.
“My father used to drug people’s drinks.”
Sadi froze.
“That joke went somewhere horrible.”
“It usually does around my family.”
She softened.
Roman rarely mentioned his past.
Everyone knew the Rossi name.
Nobody knew Roman.
“What was he like?”
Roman looked toward the windows.
“Efficient.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
“He believed affection created weaknesses.”
“And do you?”
“I did.”
The answer hung between them.
Sadi’s pulse shifted.
“Did?”
Roman met her eyes.
Before he could answer, one of his men entered.
“Boss. We found the connection.”
Roman’s posture changed instantly.
“Who?”
“Derek Lawson.”
Sadi stood so quickly her chair scraped.
“What?”
The guard placed a folder on the table.
“Not intentionally, we think. Derek works for a financial consulting firm. Moretti Holdings hired them six months ago.”
Sadi’s stomach tightened.
Roman opened the folder.
“Derek gave them information?”
“He accessed Miller’s employee records yesterday.”
Sadi felt sick.
“Why?”
Roman’s expression darkened.
“We’re going to ask.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“You’re not hurting Derek.”
“If he endangered you—”
“I said no.”
Roman slowly closed the folder.
His guard watched the exchange with barely concealed fascination.
“Leave us.”
The man disappeared.
Roman leaned against the table.
“He may have given them your address.”
“Then call the police.”
Roman stared at her.
“Oh, right. Forgot who I was talking to.”
“He doesn’t deserve protection because you once dated him.”
“And he doesn’t deserve a bullet because you’re jealous.”
Roman went completely still.
Sadi realized what she had said.
“Well?”
“I am not jealous.”
She almost laughed.
“You looked ready to stab him with a dinner fork.”
“He annoyed me.”
“Because he dated me.”
“Because he treated you badly.”
“Jealousy.”
“Professional dislike.”
“What profession?”
Roman glared.
Sadi smiled.
“There.”
“What?”
“That face.”
“What face?”
“The jealous one.”
Roman walked around the table.
Sadi’s smile faded as he approached.
He stopped directly in front of her.
“You want jealousy?”
His voice was low.
She swallowed.
“Roman…”
“When Derek looked at you at dinner, I wanted to remove him from the room.”
“That seems dramatic.”
“When he mentioned knowing what you were like, I wanted to tell him he clearly never did.”
Sadi’s heartbeat accelerated.
“When you smiled at something he said, I hated it.”
She stared.
Roman leaned closer.
“When he touched your elbow while leaving, I considered breaking his hand.”
“That is definitely jealousy.”
“I’m aware.”
His gaze dropped to her mouth.
Sadi whispered:
“So what are you going to do about it?”
Roman’s restraint broke.
He kissed her.
There was nothing fake about it.
Nothing practiced.
His hand slid around her waist and pulled her against him.
Sadi gripped the front of his shirt.
Roman kissed like a man who had spent days denying himself something and had finally decided denial was pointless.
Then he abruptly stopped.
He pulled back.
Breathing hard.
“What?”
Sadi’s lips tingled.
Roman stepped away.
“This is dangerous.”
“You getting shot was dangerous.”
“I mean for you.”
“Because of the Morettis?”
“Because of me.”
Her expression softened.
“Roman.”
“You don’t understand what happens to people around me.”
“Then explain.”
His jaw tightened.
“My mother died because my father’s enemies wanted leverage.”
Sadi’s anger disappeared.
“I was fourteen.”
Roman looked toward the skyline.
“They took her from a grocery store parking lot. My father refused their demands.”
“Oh my God.”
“They killed her.”
His voice held no emotion.
That absence was more painful than tears.
“My father told me it proved him right. Love was leverage.”
Sadi approached carefully.
“So you decided never to love anyone.”
“I decided never to give an enemy something they could use.”
Her hand touched his.
Roman looked down.
“And then I complained about needing a boyfriend in your kitchen.”
“Yes.”
“That seems inconvenient.”
“Extremely.”
Sadi threaded her fingers through his.
“Maybe your father was wrong.”
Roman gave a humorless smile.
“The note on your door suggests otherwise.”
“No.”
She squeezed his hand.
“The note proves cruel people exploit love.”
Roman looked at her.
“That doesn’t make love the mistake.”
For several seconds, he could not speak.
Then his phone rang.
Of course.
Sadi sighed.
“Your timing is cursed.”
Roman answered.
His eyes sharpened.
“Put Derek somewhere secure.”
Pause.
“No. Nobody touches him.”
He looked at Sadi.
“Yet.”
She glared.
Roman corrected himself.
“At all.”
When the call ended, Sadi shook her head.
“You are learning.”
“Slowly.”
“Very slowly.”
Roman lifted her hand and pressed his lips against her knuckles.
Sadi forgot the joke she had planned.
His expression became serious.
“After this is over, you can walk away.”
“From the job?”
“From me.”
She stared at him.
“And if I don’t want to?”
May you like
Roman’s eyes darkened.
“Then I will spend the rest of my life making sure nobody ever makes you regret staying.”
