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“Worse. Far worse.” Roman puffed out his chest. “I won.”
“Naturally.” She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. She picked up his hand, inspecting his torn knuckles. She winced, looking at his face. “These are bad, Roman. Why didn’t you wear gloves?”
“Because it wouldn’t have been as cathartic,” he told her simply.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry you felt the need to beat up a bag—as well as your friends—because of me.”
“Firstly, I don’t need a reason to beat on my friends. It’s called sport,” he said seriously, making her laugh. “And secondly, this isn’t your fault. None of it is.”
“It’s not yours either,” she told him. “I’m sorry I left before. I—”
He placed a finger over her lips, quieting her. “Don’t apologize again. You already explained, and I understand. I’m just glad you returned.”
She wanted to ask about the Foreman, to ask Roman more about how he knew him and where he was. But her courage fled. They sat silently for a moment, and she was content to be held. That was until she realized his silence wasn’t nearly as comfortable as her own. He was brooding. “It’s not your fault.”
“Chiedo scusa?” he murmured in Italian, blinking as if just coming back to himself.
“I can hear you thinking,” Angela told him. “I don’t blame you, Roman. You didn’t know.”
His face went carefully blank. “That doesn’t change the outcome,” he responded.
“There is no outcome,” Angela pointed out. “Not yet.”
His eyes bored into hers, looking fierce. “I can tell you what the outcome will be. I swear to you, I will find him. I will destroy him.”
She nodded, cupping his face once again and resting her forehead against his. “I believe you.” She took a deep breath, asking what she already knew. “I guess that means you don’t have him yet, huh?”
“No,” Roman all but growled. “He had already left by the time Colt and the others made it downstairs. Abel and Sal had no luck either.”
“I guess I already knew that. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be sitting here like this,” Angela said, laughing a little, even though nothing was funny about the situation. She sat back up, looking around. For what, she had no clue. She just felt the need to do something, anything.
Roman ran soothing hands up and down her back. “There’s nowhere he can hide where I won’t find him,” he vowed.
“I know that,” she assured him.
“Good,” he muttered. But his frown didn’t disappear. “No matter what I do to him when I find him, it won’t take away from the fact that I’ve been working with a pedophile and human trafficker for years.”
How that must hurt him, Angela thought, mad at the Foreman for an entirely new reason. “How didn’t you know? No shade, it’s just...” She shrugged. “I know how you feel about these types of people. And I know you check backgrounds.”
Roman’s jaw clenched. “He’s an associate of my family’s. He was around a lot when I was a kid. I had no problem accommodating him when he was in town, which hasn’t been all that often. Perhaps six times in total over the years.”
“Your family? I didn’t think you had anything to do with them,” Angela said.
He shrugged. “I don’t. Not really. Other than them sending the odd contract killer or two after me every so often.” When Angela gasped, horrified, Roman cursed his runaway mouth. “Damnit. Sorry. It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
Angela crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “How can being a target for contract killers not be a bad thing?”
Roman held up his hands, trying to calm her. “They just send them for show. You know, to make themselves look good for my competitors. Trust me, if they were serious, I’d already be dead.”
She huffed. “You’re not making me feel any better.”
Roman groaned, his head falling back to rest on the couch. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I’m doing a shitty job of this, aren’t I? I’m supposed to be making you feel better, not worse.”
She stayed stiff for a few seconds more before relenting and melting against his chest. She tucked her head under his chin, happy when he immediately held her close. “I feel better like this,” she told him honestly.
“That’s something at least,” he murmured against the top of her head.
She could have stayed that way forever, wrapped in his arms, and pretending the outside world didn’t exist. But she wasn’t supposed to be ignoring her problems anymore, so she kissed Roman’s pulse on his neck before sitting up. Seeing his bruised face made her wince. “Come on, I’ll clean you up and get some ice for that eye.”
