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Maybe we should have just stayed inside the room.
As soon as Benson pulls up in their Durango, Carter climbs in the cramped backseat of Tahani's Jeep, muttering under his breath when he has to practically fold himself in half to get inside.
"I'll sit in the back," I tell him, taking pity on him when he can't seem to get comfortable.
"I'm fine," he mutters.
"I don't mind."
"I'm fine, darlin'," he tells me, his voice a little less gruff.
"Darlin'," Tahani snickers beside me before latching her seatbelt.
If Carter hears her, he chooses to ignore her. I do the same and click my seatbelt into place, breathing a sigh of relief when we pull out of the parking lot and merge into early morning traffic, with Benson following right behind us.
The sun shines brightly overhead. I rest my head against the seatback and close my eyes, soaking up the warmth. I've felt like I've had a block of ice in my chest for most of the last twenty-four hours. Knowing that Tahani doesn't hate me thawed a little of it, but I don't think the chill will evaporate entirely until I feel Roman's arms around me. Rationally, I know he's okay, or he was two hours ago because he called Trent to get Tahani here.
Until I see him for myself, touch him for myself…I don't think I'll believe it entirely.
"Thank you for letting me crash at your place," I murmur to Tahani, turning my head to look at her.
She worries her bottom lip between her teeth, her shoulders tense. She's as worried about her dad as I am. For as long as I've known her, she's been a little mother hen when she's stressed out or upset.
When I told her I couldn't sleep in the hotel, she decided I was staying with her. I think, had Carter not given in, she would have bulldozed right over him. She hovers and fusses just like Roman.
"You're my best friend," she whispers fiercely, reaching over to squeeze my hand. "You don't have to thank me for anything. You should try to rest. We'll be there soon."
I offer her a tired smile and then lean back in my seat again and close my eyes.
The next thing I know, Carter's cell phone jolts me awake. I sit up and blink, trying to get my bearings. We've left behind shopping malls and hotels and entered a residential area on the far side of the city. Elaborate homes with landscaped lawns and security gates line both sides of the roadway. I've only been here once, back when Trent first bought the house for Tahani a few months ago, but I recognize the area. Their house is at the end of the block on the left.
It's a huge white colonial with massive columns, a swimming pool, a basketball court, and enough room for his entire basketball team. Tahani would have been happy living in a tent with Trent, but he's a little over the top when it comes to her. He's been that way since the day he met her.
She fought him for the longest, refusing to give him a chance because she thought he was just another manwhore, but he was relentless. Eventually, she realized the rumors about him weren't true. It didn't hurt when he told the whole world he was madly in love with her. The man worships the ground she walks on.
My phone rings while Carter is still trying to fish his out of the pocket on his bulletproof vest.
I jump, startled by the unfamiliar ringtone, and then pull it out of my pocket. Tears fill my eyes when I see Roman's number on the screen. I suck in a deep breath—my first since he put me in Octavio Hernandez's car and sent me here. My hands shake as I swipe to answer and put it to my ear.
"Roman," I whisper, relief flooding through me in massive waves.
He's okay. Thank God.
Tahani takes a deep breath beside me as soon as I say his name, and I know she feels the same exact way I do…like she can finally breathe freely again. I reach out and clutch her hand, clinging to her.
She clings just as tightly, grasping my hand like it's a lifeline.
"Mila, baby, where are you?" Roman asks me. The urgency in his tone sends my heart plummeting to my feet. He may be okay, but something is wrong.
"I'm with Tahani. We're about to pull in at her house," I tell him, fear beginning to whisper through me.
"No! Don't go there, baby."
"Roman, what's wrong?" I sit up straighter, trying not to panic.
"Motherfucker," Carter growls from the backseat at the same time.
I glance in the rearview mirror to find him scowling, his phone clutched to his ear. Whatever he's hearing on the other end isn't good, not if the thunderous look on his face is any indication.
