Chapter 27

My cheeks flushwith anger as I watch Roman leave with that other girl. I mean, sure, I'd looked him dead in the eye and told him I wished another girl would take him away, but fuck. Did he have to be so quick to call my bluff? What was that, thirty seconds?

Jealousy burns hot in my chest as I make my way back to the tables. Everyone is watching me, whispering to each other as they try to figure out what just happened.

I walk over to Elliot first. "I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have involved you."

He flashes me a friendly smile, leaning back against the tufted backrest. "Don't worry about it. I hope it doesn't create any trouble for you, though. Looks like it might have."

I glance up at the front door of the restaurant, but Roman and the girl are long gone. My throat feels thick, and the unshed tears sting the backs of my eyes. With a nod, I clench my jaw and sheepishly move back to my seat next to Wyn.

She scoots over to give me room. "What the hell happened out there?" she whispers. By now, everyone has gone back to eating, and chatting.

"I may have said something I shouldn't have," I whisper back.

"What'd you say?" Wyn asks, chewing on a french fry.

I purse my lips, then say, "I may have implied that I wanted him to find another girl."

"You implied that?" she asks suspiciously.

I sigh. "Okay, I said it in those exact words."

She pops another fry in her mouth, then nods toward the front door. "So…mission accomplished. Looks like he's giving you what you wanted."

I narrow my eyes at her, remembering my anger toward Roman. "Yeah, but did he have to be so fucking quick about it?"

She laughs, and shakes her head. "Sounds like you don't know what you want."

Yeah, whatever. I said what I said, but I didn't exactly mean it. Maybe a little, but not entirely.

I stare at Wyn's french fries. I was starving just a few minutes ago, and now I can't even stomach the thought of food. "Who was the girl he left with?"

"Jennifer Strong," she answers matter-of-factly. "Everyone calls her Jen. She's a sophomore, and a major in business, I think. Sweet, but a little too focused on catching a Sacred Son. Though, honestly, so is every other girl in the circle, so I can't really blame her for that."

And she's beautiful, and elegant, and basically everything I'm not. I can't fault her for any of that, but it makes me want to burst into tears. It shouldn't even matter, though, because I'm not in a relationship with him, right? That's what I keep telling Roman and myself.

But five minutes ago, he jumps all over me for talking to another guy, yet…he gets to leave with a random chick? Let's forget for a second that I may have goaded him into that. It's still fucked up.

"Where do you think he's taking her?" I ask, still staring at the door.

Wyn snorts. "Well, he's not taking her to bible study." Then she must see the look on my face, because she immediately softens, "Sorry. I didn't mean that. He's probably just trying to make you jealous."

"Yeah, that could be it." He's just calling my bluff. That's what this is. He did say something about punishing me, the asshole.

I try to push Roman and Jen out of my thoughts, and enjoy Wyn's company. We also chat with a couple of the other girls at the table, and I'm relieved to discover they're actually pretty nice. We avoid the Roman topic and connect mostly on the frustrations of juggling classes, and homework, and everything else.

When everyone is done eating, Lucas approaches our table. He holds his keys up. "Ready? Roman wants me to take you home."

"I can take her home," Wyn pipes up.

Lucas shakes his head. "Roman wants me to take her, so I'm taking her."

I push out a breath. "If I'm the one being carted around, don't I get a choice in the matter?"

"No," Lucas says with finality.

Perfect.

I glance at Wyn. "There's no use in arguing. Thanks for the offer though."

"I'll text you in a bit," she says with a wink. Lucas misses it, though, because he's already heading toward the front door and his back is turned to us.

I follow Lucas out to the parking lot, and Lucas waits for me, unlocking his car so I can slip inside.

The ride home is mostly silent, and I go back and forth about whether or not I should mention Roman running off with Jen. Lucas is pretty loyal to his guys, and I doubt he'd tell me the truth about what's going on inside Roman's head, so I decide to throw him a soft-ball question first.

"Tell me, is Roman usually this…" What's a word that won't offend him? Crazy? Unhinged? "…intense?"

Lucas doesn't look at me. "Roman's been going through a bit of a renaissance. I think he's still trying to find his bearings."

Wow, could he be more vague?

"Well, do you think I could help him…with whatever it is he's dealing with?" I ask. I mean, if I'm stuck in this situationship with him, then I might as well try to help. Though, that may not be an issue after today.

Lucas glances at me briefly, like he's trying to figure out if I'm being sincere. "Honestly, you're the only person who can help him," he finally answers.

Oh. Kayyy.

"Really? That's not what it looks like to me. He just left the restaurant with another girl, for God's sake."

He shrugs one shoulder. "Yeah, I don't know. He's a bit of a mystery, even to those closest to him." He flashes me a smile. "But I have faith you'll figure him out. If anyone can get past the walls he builds around himself, it's you."

I smirk. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm not sure I agree. I feel like we bring out the worst in each other."

"Yeah, that's how I know you matter to him. Because, if it were anyone else, he wouldn't care at all. And walking out with Jen…he's obviously trying to prove something to either you or himself."

We pull into Rush House's driveway, and Lucas parks, shutting the engine off. He turns to me. "Just…don't give up on him."

I swallow, and glance away, suddenly uncomfortable by the serious turn this conversation has taken. I can't promise I won't give up on him, because, honestly, I want to give up every single day. I just can"t seem to bring myself to do it.

I try to convince myself it's because of Bree. I need Roman and his connections to help me find her, but I don't know if that's the whole reason.

"Yeah," I finally say, reaching for the door. "I hear you."

We head into the house, and I thank Lucas for bringing me home, then go up to Roman's bedroom. His car isn't in the driveway, so I know he's not home, which is both a torment and a relief. A torment, because I know he's out with Jen somewhere doing God knows what. The possibilities swirl inside my head, and none of them are good. Lucas' words float into my mind…

He's trying to prove something to either you or himself….

Just how far would he go to prove his point, though?

Once I'm inside his room, I throw my purse down, launch myself onto the bed, and scream into his pillow. It smells just like him and that only enrages me more. Reeling up, I slam my fist into the pillow over and over and over until I'm heaving and exhausted.

My phone buzzes from inside my purse. I can hear it clear across the room. With the breath sawing from my lungs, I climb off the bed, and walk over to my purse. I dig inside until I find it, and with my breath held, I glance at the screen. Is it Roman?

I exhale when I see it's Wyn.

Hey girl. I'll be there in ten to liberate you. Meet me in front of Rush House.

I type out a quick response.

I can't. Roman's minions will see me leave.

The reply bubbles pop up a second before her response comes through.

Crawl out the window or something! Be ready in ten.

I blow out a breath, and glance around the room. There are three very large windows and a set of French doors that lead out to a veranda, but I have no interest in shimming my way down to the first floor. I'm not athletic at all and that just sounds like a recipe for disaster.

But Wyn is right. I need to get out of here. I can't just wait around for Roman to waltz back in. What if he brings Jen back with him, and kicks me out, so they can do…whatever?

A cold shiver of disgust trickles down my spine, and I shudder. If Roman thinks he can send me home to wait while he fucks around, then he's got another thing coming. I'm not his plaything. I'm a grown-ass woman, and I'm walking out the front door, come hell or high water.