Page 43 of Nothing to No One

What was it he wanted?

Addicts wanted their next fix.

The way he guzzled the wine suggested, perhaps, a dependence. It couldn’t be nerves, could it? Roman Lowe nervous? Nope, funny, not the man she knew. He’d claimed alcohol wasn’t his drug of choice, that he didn’t have a problem with it. Except, for a time, he’d wanted the high more than his career. He’d almost lost it in lieu of chasing the dragon. Did that drive ever truly go away?

Where did Sway fit into it?

They’d never met, but already she was fascinated. Did the woman crave attention? Play to it? Perhaps take advantage of it? Or was she like almost every other person in Roman’s life, eager to be free of the exhaustion he bred?

“The past is the past,” Ricardo said. “Yeah, you’ve made shitty choices, but the public still want you.”

“They want him to succeed,” she said, though it was more of a question than a statement.

As the girlfriend, fiancée, she should want her partner to succeed. Though, in truth, she didn’t get it. Why were audiences still interested in a man uninterested in their adoration? A man who prioritized his addiction over their fidelity?

“You’ve got it or you don’t,” Roman said, reaching for the wine to top off his own glass, ignoring everybody else’s.

“That’s what they say, but a star can be made, if it serves a purpose.”

“Why go to the trouble?” Roman sat tall. “Everyone is hungry.”

“There’s always someone waiting to take the place of anyone who falls from grace,” Ricardo said. Was there a thread of warning in that tone?Undercover Opswas a big deal. “I’m taking a chance on you.”

“It’s not a chance, it’s a guarantee. The role was written for me. You won’t regret this. It’s fate, and this is only the beginning. Pilot’s going great, soon we’ll be out there on location. I’ll dive deep into the soul of this guy. I see it all. I see the future. Movies, books, online opportunities. This is going to be big! Its own action franchise!”

Nowhere else but in his own head so far.

“We’re here tonight so I can look you in the eye. Your mama meant something to me, and Magnus owes me big for this. He tells me you’re clean. Are you clean?”

“Yes.”

Could be Roman was just a good actor, but she believed that too. Though his inability to attend the event where she met Struan suggested maybe he wasn’t all that free and clear of his issues. She and Struan needed to talk.

Had Roman been drunk that night? Was there more to this man than she knew? She’d asked Struan if she could trust him, if he would tell her the truth. She’d stand by Roman if it meant saving everyone’s jobs, Struan’s job, but she didn’t want her name next to an asshole’s, not for anything.

“I believe in taking a man at his word. The way my dad did deals, and his dad before him. Industry standard doesn’t matter. A man has integrity or he doesn’t. I’m here tonight, looking you in the eye. Roman. Tell me you’re not going to fuck this up.”

“I’m not going to fuck this up.”

Adamant though he was, she suppressed a snort. Without Magnus and Struan, and God knew who else, this guy wouldn’t be able to tie his shoes in the morning.

“What’s your priority? Is it this contract or will you fold if it gets tough?”

“It’s this.Undercover Opsis my priority.”

“No more fucking off to tropical islands with dozens of babes?”

“That was a means to an end.”

“Yeah, and one you fucked up. You said that online contest bullshit would win us fans. Instead, it brought scandal, all the wrong type of scandal.”

“Worked for Lomond.”

Ricardo growled and snatched up his glass. “Don’t say that man’s name to me.”

Touchy. What scandal had the island brought? Was it the same island Mieux and Struan spoke about? What went down with that? And Lomond? Another question mark. Who was he?

Again, she needed answers. And Struan was the only one she’d trust to give them.

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