Chapter Forty-Five
Roman helped Blair up, his powerful arms steadying her as she wobbled slightly. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving her legs weak and her hands trembling. Without hesitation, he scooped her up, ignoring her protests, and carried her to his car. Ethan opened the door, ensuring a smooth transition as Roman settled her inside. Roman shut her door. She watched as he thanked Ethan before moving around the car.
She sat in silence as Roman drove, her mind replaying the near accident. If it had even been an accident? It played over and over again in her mind. What if she had stepped off the curb? Would Ethan have been there in time? Would she be laying in the hospital or the morgue? The thought was frightening.
Her pulse was still erratic, her body unable to shake the lingering fear. Roman’s grip on the steering wheel was tight, his jaw clenched, his entire body radiating controlled fury. Blair could see he was thinking of what had happened, or nearly happened. She was lucky, except for some sore muscles and a small scrape on her hand where Ethan had pushed her out of the way. She wasn’t hurt.
When they arrived at his house, Roman wasted no time. He led her inside, his hand firmly on her lower back, guiding her toward the master bathroom. The large tub was already filling with warm water.
“Let’s get you out of these clothes,” he murmured, his fingers already at the buttons of her coat.
Blair swallowed but didn’t argue. Her body felt cold, her nerves frayed. She allowed him to help her undress, his touch careful, not lingering, though his gaze never left her face, as if making sure she was truly okay. Once she was bare, his eyes scanned her body to make sure she was completely unharmed. Then he guided her into the warm bath, settling her gently into the water.
She let out a slow breath, her body sinking into the comforting heat, her muscles slowly beginning to unwind.
Roman didn’t leave. Instead, he perched on the edge of the tub, his fingers skimming the surface of the water as he watched her for a moment or two.
Then he pulled out his phone and dialed. “Peters,” he said the moment the call connected.
“Sir. We found the car.” Blair could just hear Roman’s head of security voice.
Roman’s eyes darkened. “And?”
“It was torched. Whoever did this made sure there was nothing left to trace. No fingerprints, no plates, no identifying marks. The VIN number was removed.”
Roman exhaled slowly, his free hand flexing over his thigh. “Figures. What about the police?”
“They’ve been alerted. A detective will be coming by the house to take Blair’s statement. Ethan will go to the station to give his.”
Roman glanced at Blair. He saw the way her fingers gripped the edge of the tub, the tension still evident in her body. He put the phone on speaker. “Blair needs to hear this.”
Peters didn’t miss a beat. “Miss Warner, I understand this is a lot, but the detective will just ask a few questions. It’s standard procedure.”
Blair exhaled shakily. “I don’t know what to tell them. I didn’t see anything. The headlights blinded me.”
“That’s alright,” Peters reassured her. “Just answer what you can. The footage we’re pulling might give us more. We’ll handle the rest.”
As Roman hung up, he turned his attention fully to Blair. His expression shifted, no longer just controlled fury but something deeper, rawer. His hand moved to her face, fingers tracing lightly over her damp cheek.
“You could have died tonight,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. “Do you get that, Blair? If Ethan hadn’t been there, if you had taken one step further…” He stopped himself, inhaling sharply, his grip on her tightening just slightly. “So please don’t fight having someone watch over you.”
Blair’s breath caught, her heart hammering at the intensity in his eyes. This wasn’t just about control or protection. Roman was scared. The realization hit her harder than she expected. Was it more than just concern for another human being?
Before she could respond, he kissed her.
It wasn’t gentle. It was deep, consuming, filled with all the things he couldn’t say. Blair gasped into his mouth, her fingers gripping his wrist as he tilted her head back, deepening the kiss. Heat curled low in her stomach, chasing away the chill that had settled in her bones since the attack.
She arched toward him, craving the safety of his touch, but just as his hand slipped to the nape of her neck, the sharp chime of the doorbell cut through the moment.
Roman tore away with a curse, his breathing heavy. He pressed his forehead to hers for a brief second before standing. “That’ll be the police.”
Blair blinked, still dazed, but the words grounded her. The police. Right. She needed to give her statement.
As Roman left to answer the door, she forced herself to move, pulling herself out of the bath on unsteady legs. Now not just from the accident, but from Roman’s kiss. She grabbed a towel, drying off quickly before reaching for clean underwear and a bra. No way was she going to face the police, practically naked under her robe.
She slipped on the fresh set, wrapping herself in her robe and pulling it tightly around her before stepping out of the bedroom. She found Roman standing near the entryway, speaking with two officers. His back was straight, his posture commanding as always, but there was a tension in his shoulders that hadn’t left since the attack.
Blair inhaled deeply and walked toward them.
One of the officers, a detective, gave her a nod as she approached. “Miss Warner, I understand you’ve been through a traumatic event tonight, but we need to ask you a few questions about what happened.”
Blair nodded, clasping her hands together. “Of course.” She then led them into the house. They sat down in the lounge room. Roman sat close to her, taking her hand in his.
Roman’s gaze flicked to her, his expression unreadable, but she could see the protectiveness simmering beneath the surface.
Taking a breath, she began to recount the events, hoping that somewhere in the details, they’d find the answers they needed.
The detective listened attentively, occasionally taking notes. “And you’re sure you didn’t see anything? You have no idea who was driving the car?”
Blair shook her head. “No. The headlights were too bright. I couldn’t even see the driver. Let alone know who they were.”
Roman’s fists clenched at his sides, his frustration palpable. “And the security footage?”
The detective sighed. “We’ll have to wait for the analysis. But given how fast this was executed, whoever did this knew what they were doing. It wasn’t random.”
Blair wrapped her arms around herself, the weight of it settling deeper into her chest. Roman stepped beside her, his presence solid, grounding.
“Miss Warner, do you know of any reason why someone would want to harm you?” She wanted to say Dan or Jessica’s name or both, but she really didn’t think it was in them to kill her.
Blair shook her head.
“We’ll assign an officer to patrol near the house for the next few nights,” the detective continued. “But I’d advise extra caution.”
Roman nodded. “She won’t be alone.”
Blair exhaled slowly, exhaustion beginning to creep in. The officers took their leave soon after, promising to update them as soon as they had anything concrete.
The moment the door shut behind them, Blair turned to Roman. “Why would someone try to harm me?”
Roman looked at her, his jaw set, his gaze dark. “I don’t know, Blair, but we will be ready if they try anything like that again.”