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Roman gaped at her. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to let you anywhere near that man.”
Her expression became mulish. “This is about me.”
He stepped into her personal space, towering over her. “You’ll stay here where it’s safe.”
“Didn’t I already prove myself with Wayne? Wasn’t that enough for you to see I’m not made of glass?” she huffed out.
“This is different, Angel.” He thrust a finger in her face. “And you know it.”
She smacked his finger away, taking a step back. “Clearly I don’t. Because all I hear are orders. I know you want to avenge me. And I’m grateful, I really am. But I have a right to be there. I have a right to look him in the eyes and tell him how I feel.”
“Your feelings are going to have to wait.” He ignored her indignant gasp, striding to the door and gesturing to Colt. “Take her back to my apartment. She’s not to leave it until I return. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Colt answered grimly.
Angela’s expression was furious. But the hurt in her emerald eyes was worse. She turned and marched from the room without another word, Colt following close behind.
“You’re getting very close to the point of no return, Roman,” Sal warned him. “Think very carefully about this.”
Roman knew Sal was referring to Angela and not Godfrey. Nerves skittered in his belly, but he told himself to suck it up. “I don’t need to think. It’s already done. Suit up, Abel, and be ready to leave in twenty minutes. We don’t want to be late. We stick to Godfrey’s schedule. For now.”
Exactly eighteen minutes later, Roman entered the security office. Teague gave him a respectful nod, which he returned. He refused to be embarrassed for arguing with his lover. “Pull up the feed to my private foyer.”
Teague didn’t ask questions. He typed swiftly, pointing to the central monitor. Roman leaned closer, looking for any sign of Angel. The camera in his entrance hall, directly across from the elevator doors, was the only surveillance footage he had in his apartment. His home was private, and being on the fifty-ninth floor almost guaranteed security. But almost wasn’t good enough. Being able to access a feed of his entryway was an added layer.
After a minute of Roman staring at the screen, Teague cleared his throat. “Are you looking for something in particular?”
Roman blinked, forcing his gaze away. There was nothing to see. “Angel. We’re just about to head out. I wanted to let her know, but she isn’t answering my calls or texts. I wanted to see her before I left. Just in case...” He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.
He knew he had pissed Angela off good and proper. And although they had heated discussions and disagreements in the past, this time was different. This was likely their first real fight. “But she’ll be safe. That’s the important thing,” he murmured to himself.
“Uh, safe in your apartment?” Teague inquired.
“I was talking to myself,” Roman said, his eyes fixed hopefully on the screen once more.
“Right,” Teague agreed, shifting in his seat. “The thing is, you won’t see her in the surveillance footage.”
“Apparently not,” Roman agreed. “She’s no doubt giving Colt a sound tongue lashing. I’ll have to give him a raise for this.”
Teague winced, suddenly looking a little pale. “No. It’s because she isn’t there.”
Roman frowned, not understanding what Teague meant. “What?”
Teague stood up slowly, glancing between Roman and the dozen monitors with concern. “Dr. Hawthorne left the building. I saw her.”
Roman froze. “That’s not possible.”
“I’m sorry, sir. But it’s the truth. Do you want me to pull up the feed?” Teague started banging on the keyboard immediately. “Here...”
Roman watched as Angel strode from the elevator on the ground floor like a woman on a mission. The guard on duty stopped her, and a brief conversation followed. She patted him on the arm, and the pair laughed before the soon-to-be-fired security guard waved her on her way. She paused at the entrance, taking one last look into the complex before pulling out her phone. Roman saw the way her spine straightened, and her expression turned hard. Then she simply walked away.
Roman thought he might vomit all over the control center. His hand shook when he called Abel, ordering him and the others to get to the main security office. Abel, Sal, and Luca charged in, demanding to know what was wrong now. He had no words, so he pointed to the footage of Angel instead.
“Is that from today?” Luca asked.
“Yes,” Roman croaked. “She’s gone.”
“Let’s not panic,” Sal said, staring at the screen. “It’s not like she knows where Godfrey is.”
