Chapter Sixteen

Roland's throat stung with the need to cry when he saw the lone tear fall out of the corner of her eye and slide down her cheek after she fell back to sleep. Fuck, he hated this. He could see her point, so now he had to find a way to show her the truth.

The late-night meetings were with other men from the Good Knight Society. Women were going missing, and they thought it was human trafficking. The Society was the one thing he'd never be able to tell her. It was a strict rule that no one outside the group knew about them—even wives.

He walked across the room and looked outside. He had some calls to make, but it was too late at night. He'd have to wait a few more hours to talk to the people.

He turned and stared at the one person in his life he couldn't live without. He'd never felt this deeply about anyone, and now he had to fight to keep her with him. He'd do everything in his power to make her see.

There were a few things he'd change. He'd have the meetings at his house from now on. That way, he wasn't away from home. That was one step. Now, he had to come up with others.

Late morning the next day, he was able to take her home. She was quiet during the ride, but he guessed most of it was from her injuries. He held onto her arm on the way up the steps and into their room.

"I'd like a shower," she said.

"Do you need help?"

"No, but thank you."

He nodded and released her. Within a minute, the shower turned on. He pulled the bottle of pain medicine the doctor gave them from his pant pocket and set it on her nightstand. While she showered, he got her a glass of water and turned down the bed.

Roland heard the hair dryer and waited. He was surprised when she opened the door. It usually took several minutes to dry it. When he saw how pale she was, he rushed to her and helped her to the side of the bed.

He pulled the towel from her and watched her slide under the blankets. He tucked them up around her chin. "Are you warm enough?"

She nodded and yawned.

"Get some sleep, Love. I'll check on you. I'm going to sleep for a bit. If you wake up and I'm not here, use the phone on the nightstand and dial two."

"I will. Thank you."

He bent and kissed her forehead before turning and walking away.

Roland stripped off his clothing and showered. He scrubbed himself before toweling off. He couldn't stop yawning. He brushed his teeth before going into the bedroom. He closed the curtains and walked back to the bed. The towel was dropped on the floor before he got in bed. He rolled to his side, facing her, and stared at her for a few minutes. He hated seeing the bruises and scrapes on her body. The staples in her head looked obscene, and he wanted them out as soon as possible.

He thought he'd have a problem falling asleep with all the things and details that filled his head. He woke once when she cried out in her sleep. He didn't want to move her and possibly hurt her, so he laid his hand on her stomach.

"Everything's okay, Love."

She sighed and turned toward him, still sleeping. How was he going to get through to her?

She wouldn't leave. She'd never leave him, but he also wanted to have their marriage be a good thing. He saw how miserable his mother had been, and he'd vowed he would never do that to his wife.

An hour passed before he pushed himself out of bed. He made sure she was covered before getting dressed and heading down to his office. He had several people to call, and he wanted to get it done before it got too late.

Roland felt like he was fighting for his life, and in a way, he was. He wanted to be happy with his wife and several children. If he messed up now, he might lose it all.