Chapter Forty-Eight
Blair spent most of the morning at her desk, Roman locked away in back-to-back meetings. Her body still ached from yesterday, but the heat from the shower had helped, along with Roman’s skilled hands. She glanced at her phone, debating whether she should call her sisters now or wait until lunch.
She decided to wait until lunch and sent them both a message in their group chat:
Blair: Can you both talk during lunch? Something happened yesterday. I want to tell you myself before you hear it elsewhere.
Keira responded first.
Keira: You can’t just say that and expect me to wait. I already feel a stroke coming on.
Sutton: Is it Roman? Because if he’s being a dick, I’ll come down there myself.
Blair rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips.
Blair: It’s not Roman. I’ll call you at lunch. Is noon okay?
Sutton replied with a simple: Fine. That meant she wasn’t happy about waiting, but she would tolerate it… barely.
Keira: Okay, but my brain has gone into overdrive.
The day moved slowly, tension thrumming beneath Blair’s skin. Between checking emails, reviewing documents, and forcing herself to focus on work, she kept glancing at the clock, counting down the minutes. Finally, lunch arrived.
Blair grabbed her phone, took a deep breath, and dialed Sutton first. As soon as Sutton answered, she linked in Keira, putting the call on speaker.
“Alright,” Keira said the moment she was connected. “Talk before I lose my mind.”
Blair exhaled, gripping the edge of her desk. “Something happened yesterday. I wasn’t going to say anything until I knew more, but if you heard it from someone else, you’d kill me.”
“Damn right we would,” Sutton muttered. “Spill.”
Blair recounted the near miss, how she had been walking to the bus stop, how Ethan had shoved her out of the way just in time, how the car had jumped the curb.
Silence.
Then, “Someone tried to run you over?” Sutton’s voice was sharp, dangerously low.
Keira, however, let out a nervous laugh. “Okay, so we’re just casually living in a crime thriller now?”
“It might have been an accident,” Blair reasoned. They still didn’t know, but the creeping unease in her gut told her it was wishful thinking.
“Might?” Sutton snapped. “Are you serious? Do you think cars just lose control and jump curbs where you’re standing?” It had happened, but in Sutton’s eyes, things like this didn’t happen to them. They had already had their tragedy of fluke accidents when their parents died.
“Ethan was there. He got me out of the way. Roman is handling everything.” Now they knew she had a personal bodyguard.
Keira groaned. “Oh, sure. That makes me feel better. Let me guess, you didn’t tell us immediately because you didn’t want us to freak out?”
Blair winced. “That may have been part of it.”
“Newsflash, we’re freaking out,” Sutton deadpanned. “Are you safe right now?”
“Yes. I’m at work. Roman had security escort me if I leave the building. But I only leave when I go home. There will always be a guard on the top floor now.” They normally ordered lunch in. When she had been with Dan, they would sometimes go out to the café down the road.
Keira let out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, that’s something. Still, B, you have to be careful. You’re not invincible.”
“I know.” Blair’s voice softened. “I promise, I’m taking it seriously.”
“Good.” Sutton’s voice was still tight with frustration. “Because if something happens to you, we will personally hunt down whoever is responsible before Roman even gets the chance. Do you have any idea who it might be?”
Blair had no doubt they would hunt them down. “No idea. It could still be an accident. Let’s wait and see.”
Just as she ended the call, the office door opened, and Kara walked in. She took one look at Blair’s expression and crossed her arms. “That bad?”
Blair sighed, rubbing her temples. “My sisters, I just told them some news. And they are pissed I didn’t tell them sooner.”
Kara smirked. “Sounds about right. Family is like that. So, are you interested in lunch? Or do you have plans with Roman?”
Blair hesitated, glancing at his door. Roman was still in meetings, and she had already let her sisters know what happened. What could possibly go wrong in the middle of the day? She wanted to get some fresh air.
“Yeah, let’s go. I’ll send Roman an email so he doesn’t freak out.”
Kara grinned. “Good call. He’d probably send a SWAT team otherwise.”
Kara didn’t know that right now he might just do that after what had happened yesterday if she left without letting him know.
Blair pulled up her email and quickly typed:
To: Roman Kingston From: Blair Warner Subject: Lunch
Hey, I’m heading out to lunch with Kara. I’ll pick you up something to eat. Don’t work too hard. – B
Hitting send, she grabbed her coat and followed Kara out of the office, Ethan trailing at a discreet distance.
As they walked, Kara glanced at her. “So, is it official yet? You and Roman?”
Blair gave her a look. “You already know.”
Kara smirked. “Yeah, but am I the only one that knows?”
Blair sighed. “You and Dan. But that’s it. I’m not ready yet to tell everyone. I would look flaky.” A small smile played on her lips. “We’re getting married.”
Kara nearly tripped over her own feet. “Holy shit. When were you going to tell me that?”
Blair laughed. “Now, apparently.”
“Damn, girl. You don’t waste time.” Kara grinned.
Blair smirked. “Neither does Roman.” She just hoped it was for the right reasons.
Kara snorted. “I bet. I wouldn’t worry about Dan. Since that little scene you had in the foyer the other day, it’s going around the office what a low-life dog he is.”
“That’s because he is a low-life dog.”
They ate at a small café, chatting about everything from when the wedding would be something Blair still couldn’t answer to the current work dramas.
Blair told Kara what had happened yesterday after she left work. Kara went a little pale because she walked to the bus as well, but in the opposite direction.
“Holy shit, do you have any idea who it could have been?” Kara asked.
Blair shook her head. “No, it could have just been an accident.”
On their walk back, Blair was mid-sentence when Ethan gave a sharp command from behind her. “Move!” before his hands shoved her hard.
Blair barely had time to react before something massive crashed down mere feet from where she had been standing. The impact sent dust and debris flying, people screaming as they scrambled away. Kara stumbled, clutching her knee, blood trickling from a cut.
Her phone buzzed, but she was too shaken to answer it. It soon went quiet. Next, Ethan’s phone started ringing. She watched as he answered on the third ring. “Mr. Kingston, we have a problem.”
Her hands trembled as she realized someone was trying to kill her.
Well, that sucked.