Page 29 of Roman

“Either way we will ride tonight.”

“I need to go and tell Pria. Fuck this is going to hit her hard. That damn bar meant so much to her.” If it weren’t for me, she’d still have it and probably would have never met that fucking prick named Mike. We wouldn’t have Rhylee either. Suppose shit happens for a reason. “I will most likely be heading out tonight, you good with that?” Rock nods his answer and I get up to leave his office. The last thing I want to do is tell Pria that I will be leaving soon.

That may be a battle in itself.

* * *

I fully expectto see Pria still in bed, preferably naked when I step into our room. Instead, what I find is Rhylee sitting at the foot of the bed doing something on the phone I gave her. “Hi,” she says glancing up only once before going back to the small screen.

“Hi to you too. What is so interesting on there?” I ask and take a seat next to her. I get a glance at the phone and see she is playing a game. I let some of that internal tension go, knowing it’s a game she is playing and not a boy she is texting. She won’t be doing that shit until she is thirty.

“Just a game.” She lets out a huff then tosses the phone to the bed. “I lost.”

“Just a game.” I echo and shrug my shoulders.

“I’m going to head downstairs,” she tells me but before she can get up, I put my hand on her shoulder and sit her back onto the mattress.

“I need to tell you something first.” Clearing my throat I try to find the right words that won’t scare the hell out of her. I find no better ones. “We had a building in Rhino burn down today. It could be nothing but it also could be Mike.” Rhylee’s color drains to a pale white at the information but she doesn’t speak, so I continue. “Me and a few other guys are heading up there tonight.”

“No, dad you can’t leave us here.”

“You will be safe. Stay inside at all times. I mean this one Rhy. No running out to get smoothies or whatever it is you teenagers do. This is very important. Both you and your mom need to stay put. This place is built to withstand any type of battle. If anyone comes, they won’t be getting in.” After years of modifications, this place has become a fortress much like our clubhouse in Rhino has. A person would need a tank to take down the walls.

“Mom is not going to like this at all,” Rhylee says making me laugh.

“When has your mom ever liked anything I did?” I wrap my arm around her and pull her into my chest. “I just got you two in my life and I intend on keeping you in it. You understand me?” her head tips up so she is now facing me. Them big blue eyes of hers look so much like my sister’s I nearly choke on my breath. “You look so much like your aunt.”

“I thought I looked like you?”

“We were identical twins, but she was much prettier than me. She died when she was about your age, so whenever I look at you I see her again. So carefree and kind. Just like you Rhy.”

“What was her name?”

“Masie, she was so smart. I thought she was going to be a doctor or something one day.”

“Heaven is filled with too many people who left too soon,” my daughter tells me.

“You are very right on that one my girl.” I squeeze her to me one more time. “Where is your mom?”

“Standing outside the door.” Rhylee points to the cracked open door that shows a pair of feet standing outside.

“Busted,” Pria says coming into the room. “I didn’t want to interrupt father-daughter bonding time.” She comes and sits down on the other side of me, then takes my spare arm to loop around her shoulders.

“You want to get in on this too huh?” I squeeze them both close to me knowing full well that if something were to happen to either of them that it would be the end of me.

29

Pria

I knew something was up when Roman told Rhylee to go downstairs so we could talk. What I didn’t expect him to tell me is that he plans on leaving tonight. “It’s stupid and I don’t want you doing it. How’s that for a reason?” I snap at the man.

“It’s stupid? Going to the last known location-”

“You don’t even know if it was him! The guy is a salesman he wouldn’t know anything about making a fire look like an electrical fire. You give the man too much credit.”

“Maybe I haven’t been giving him enough. He took out one of our brother’s Pria, while wounded. An animal is more dangerous when wounded and right now the guy is hurting bad. He lost his method of payment and his buyer has just been confirmed dead. The guy is unhinged and has made this personal. Who knows what lengths he will go to.” He might be speaking the truth but having him leave right now just seems so wrong.

“Going there isn’t the answer though. Splitting up isn’t the answer. You should know better than this by now.”

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