Page 4 of Roman

It’s quiet when I step in. No one is in the cafeteria or in the shop. Not even the gym. There could only be one place to check and I hate things even more when I step up to the solid wooden door and rap my knuckles on the smooth surface. Then I wait.

It isn’t long before the door pulls open in a whoosh and someone I don’t know is standing there. “Who the fuck are you?” the man looks me up and down, taking in my haggard appearance. I’ve been driving nonstop all the way from California and had no time to waste on how I look.

“I–”

“Pria? Is that you?” someone I do recognize stands from the table all the men are gathered around, coming to the door. “Shit. What’s wrong?” Show asks me.

“I need help.”

“Okay. How about you hang out here for a minute and I’ll…” Show looks back into the room then over to me. “You okay Pria?”

“No. I need help,” I repeat, trying to hold myself upright. I’m so tired.

“You said that. What do you need help with?” someone else comes to the door. Sage’s face comes into view behind Show.

“My daughter. She’s been kidnaped. Her and a friend were at a party and she went missing. I know someone took her. The cops have told me she is a runaway and can’t help me. Or they won’t. Please. I know the club has connections. I’m desperate.” The men stand there and stare at me wide-eyed as if I’ve been speaking a foreign language.

“Bring her in here.” Someone shouts from inside and after a beat the guys step aside to let me walk through the door. Brood is sitting at the head of a long table that a few other men are seated at. And sitting right next to Brood is the only reason it took so long to come to the decision to bring myself here and ask for help.

“Pria.” Roman doesn’t get up off his seat, at the right-hand side of his president. I glance his way when he says my name then look right at Brood. It’s him I need to plead my case to anyway.

“Brood. Please. I need help. If there was any other way, I would have taken it. You owe me this much.” I don’t miss the slight flinch in Brood’s gaze when I say this.

“Give us all the details you can think of. Place and time she went missing. You got a recent photo?” I nod and pull my phone out of my pocket and dart forward to hand it over to him. “Good. We’ll get this sent over to Wiz. What was the friend’s name?” I give him those details too as well as a picture.

“There were some other kids at the party that heard rumors of girls being drugged then taken. She was grounded and snuck out.” I lose my grip for a second and let a sob break free. “This is all my fault.”

“Sit down.” The sound of a chair scraping across the floor comes at my side then I’m being gently pushed down into a seat. A scent I thought that I had long forgotten fills my senses and I know who has moved me to a chair. Leather with a hint of whiskey. A combination I thought I would never come in contact with again. “Where is the last known location?” Roman bends down in front of me, getting eye level.

“We live in San Diego.” I read off the address of the house where the party was held.

“Good. We can work with this. Does she own a cellphone?” I shake my head. “Take a breath now. We’ll take it from here,” he tries to calm me. “Poe. Take her over to the bar. She can get some rest.” My eyes find Roman’s as he instructs this Poe guy. “I’m not going to argue. You look like you haven’t slept in weeks. Get some rest. We got shit from here.”

“Yeah Pria. Roman’s right. You did good coming to us.” Show reaches down and places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it for comfort. I’m then picked up and put on my feet by Roman who then hands me over to someone I’m assuming is Poe.

“I’ll be by later with an update if there is any,” Roman informs me and all I can do is nod. He is much different from the last Roman I remember seeing. I rather not rememberthatRoman.

I take the steps toward the doors and outside to my car while Poe helps me the whole way, never letting go of me.

The drive over to the bar is a blur and it’s a good thing Poe insisted on driving because I don’t think I could do another mile safely. “You know where things are?”

I nod my head. “This used to be my bar.”

“Shit. You’rethePria? Damn.” Poe whistles and opens up the door to the apartment above the bar. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll stay here for a bit just in case.”

“Thank you.” I close the door behind me and make my way up the steps. This bar belonged to my father years before it belonged to me. It had been all I had left of him after he died. Then, because of Roman, I didn’t even have this anymore.

When I reach the top of the stairs, I expect to find things completely different from when I left only it’s like I never did. Each and everything I abandoned the day I took off out of town still sits in its place. Even the picture of me and my father. That is when I let the sobs break free. Dropping down to the bed I reach out and grab the picture and clutch it to my chest. Then I cry and cry until there is nothing left.

4

Roman

“I need everyone to clear out for a minute,” our president says after Poe escorts Pria from the room. When I start to get up he reaches his hand out and pushes me back into my chair, “not you.”

“We don’t have to have a debate over this. The woman needs help, we can help her.” I shrug and try to brush him off only he won’t relent.

“No brother, not what I'm getting at.” He glances up to see the last brother close the door behind them then he places Pria’s phone down in front of me. “You need to see this before we do anything further.”

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