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“I was careful,” Teague defended himself. He turned pleading eyes to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”
Angela didn’t want to hear it. There was no amount of ‘sorries’ that could make up for betraying Roman.
“How did you know it was me?” Teague asked, looking at Roman.
“We were suspicious when Angel and Claire were almost run down. Angel wasn’t being followed. Morrigan is right, she’s too good at her job. Someone must have told Godfrey where Angel would be that day.”
“That wasn’t me!” Teague shouted as if it would save him. “I didn’t even know Angel was going to stop there.”
“You’re innocent of that, I’ll admit,” Roman said. “A different bastard is responsible for that incident. But we didn’t know that at the time. So, when Armando commented about Angela moving in before anyone had been told, it added up to a rat in the house. That’s when we started investigating the possible culprit. Thanks to Luca, we had it narrowed down to you or Alaric. But when you showed Angel the ‘message’ from Godfrey, we knew it was you. Colt volunteered to take you into custody while we sped here as quickly as we could.”
Teague shook his head. “No, that’s not right. You and Angela had a fight about coming. I heard you.” He turned to Angela. “You don’t like how protective he is. He’s smothering you!”
He looked so confused that she almost felt sorry for the man. Almost. “I’m an independent woman, and it’s been years since I’ve had anyone I can rely on. It was a hard adjustment initially. But adjust I have. I love how protective Roman is. I love that he wants to keep me safe.” She flashed Roman an impish look. “I also love the way he smothers me, especially when he’s naked.”
Roman choked on his own saliva, making her laugh. She couldn’t believe she was making jokes about sex under the current circumstances. But there was no fear left in her, and she wanted to prove to the man from her nightmares that she was unbroken. That she was strong. And that he would never win. Ever again.
“It was all an act?” Teague looked like he was about to cry.
“Not everything,” Roman admitted. “I wasn’t expecting Godfrey to message me so soon. I assumed we had days to iron out the details, not hours. Luckily Morrigan stayed on your ass, Godfrey.” He kicked at the man half-heartedly, making Godfrey swear and scoot back. “But Angel second-guessing me, me ordering her to my apartment, Angel approaching you about the message... that was all planned. Allowing Angel to play such an integral, dangerous role was difficult. But at the end of the day, it’s her right. I respect that. I respect her.”
“Roman and I are a team,” Angela stated, endlessly proud of them as a unit.
“A team,” Roman repeated, bringing their clasped hands to his lips and kissing the back of hers.
“Nauseating is what you two are,” Morrigan spoke up. She gave an exaggerated shudder before gagging. “Angel, get your Academy Award-worthy ass into the car. We’ll deal with this shmuck.”
Angela gladly walked away, her hand still in Roman’s. She didn’t think he’d be letting her go anytime soon. She was okay with that. Still, she checked, “Do you want to stay?”
Roman stopped, kissing her on the forehead. “No. The others will make sure Godfrey and Teague make it to the penthouse. For now, I want to be with you.”
“I want to be with you, too,” Angela whispered, the beginnings of lust unfurling in her belly.
A sudden commotion drew her attention. She looked over to see Teague making a run for it. She wondered what the desperate man was thinking. He was completely surrounded. As expected, he was caught easily enough—tackled to the ground by Abel. Several men were mere seconds behind, acting as backup. Unfortunately, his stupidity was enough of a distraction that Godfrey was able to reach for the hidden gun in his ankle holster.
Angel saw the whole thing as if in slow motion. Godfrey brought the gun up, a maniacal grin on his face. He aimed it straight at her. Shouting met her ears as Roman turned his back, wrapping her up in his arms and placing his body between her and the oncoming bullet. She ducked, dipping her head under Roman’s arm and firing her Smith and Wesson without conscious thought.
She’d aimed at Godfrey’s chest—the biggest surface area—but instead got his head. It had the same effect, though. And that was him being dead and Roman not being shot in the back.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Roman stared dully at Teague, feeling some pity for the doomed man. Godfrey’s body was already in the incinerator sixty floors below. Which meant Teague was facing all of Roman’s wrath alone.
He turned his back on the cowering security expert, resting his forehead against the window and staring blindly at the city below. He didn’t see the way the lights created an intricate pattern in the dark of the night. Nor the way the reflection of the full moon shimmered on the surface of the ocean in the distance. He was stuck seeing Godfrey aiming a gun at Angel and knowing he was going to be too late to stop it.
When Godfrey brandished the weapon, all Roman could do was grab Angela and pray his body would be enough to shield her from the bullet. When a loud boom echoed in his ears, he flinched, expecting to feel the impact of the bullet any second. But it didn’t come. He’d looked down frantically, finding Angela with her arm still outstretched underneath his, and her gun grasped steadily in her hand. When he turned, Godfrey had been on his back with a hole off-center in his forehead.
Angela killed Godfrey.
He hoped like hell she was going to be okay with it. That’s what concerned him the most. Sure, he was annoyed that he wouldn’t be able to inflict the pain Godfrey so rightfully deserved, but his fears for Angela’s mental health overrode it. Besides, he still had Teague.
Turning back around, he asked his first question. “Why did you do it?”
“Do wh-what?” Teague stuttered.
Abel scoffed, leaving Sal and Morrigan where they had been talking quietly amongst themselves and giving Roman space. “What do you fucking think?! Why did you rat us out?”
Teague’s gaze bounced around the four people in the room. “The money was too good. I got stupid. I’m sorry.”
