Promiscuous (18 page)

“I . . . there was nobody to tell. He threatened me. God, Roman, it was horrible. I was so scared.”

“I can’t believe you went through this alone,” I murmured, holding her tight. I wanted to protect her. And I wanted to make him pay.

I swear on my life, that fucker is going to pay.

***

Beth lay on the bed when I entered the room, her eyes swollen and red. I zipped up my jacket, then leaned over her, kissing her tenderly.

“I’ll be back soon, okay? Scarlett is here if you need anything. I promise I won’t be long.”

“Where are you going?” She sat up, terror in her wide eyes.

“I have to take care of something,” I muttered, scowling.

“No! Please, Roman. Don’t do anything stupid, please.
Please
.”

“Beth, he has to pay. He needs to pay for what he did to you,” I growled. “He’s not going to get away with it.”

“Please, just let it go,” she begged. “I don’t need you to fix things for me.”

“No?” I said, my voice rising. “Who the
fuck
is going to do it if I don’t, Beth?”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Beth

Pacing around the bedroom, I didn’t know what to do. I was so worried about Roman, that he’d do something stupid or get himself hurt. I felt dizzy, sick, faint, and anxious—all the classic signs of a panic attack. Scarlett being there didn’t make me feel any better. How was she going to protect me if Ivan found out where I was? She was tiny, smaller than me. She looked like she’d have trouble lifting a fork.

I grabbed my phone, my hands shaking like crazy. Punching in one of the few numbers I knew by heart, I waited for Coop to answer.

 “Beth, what’s wrong?” he asked.

I could hear the alarm in his voice. The words froze in my throat. All that would come out were sobs—loud, frantic sobs.

“Baby, you’re scaring me. Where are you? Tell me where you are, and I’ll come to you.”

“I don’t know. Some little cabin up on Forster Lake. Opposite the gas station,” I added, remembering the abandoned complex just before we turned at the cabin. Dropping the phone, I curled up on the bed. Wrapping my arms around myself, I shivered. I was so cold. What if Roman got hurt? Ivan was dangerous. I knew that, better than anyone. Or what if he killed Ivan? Or what if Ivan killed him?

The thought made me sick. Ivan had ruined my life enough. I didn’t want to lose Roman because of him, too.

***

“Beth?” Scarlett knocked gently on the door. “Are you okay? Can I come in?”

“Yes.”

She walked over and climbed onto the bed, curling her arms around me.

I exhaled, my hand gripping onto her wrist. “This is so messed up.”

“It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.”

I turned to face her. “You know, then?”

She nodded.

My lip quivered. All the progress I thought I was making had gone. I felt like I had right back in that moment: Powerless. Hopeless.

“Nobody should go through what you did alone.” She stroked my arm. “And that bastard should pay for what he did. Roman’s not stupid. You don’t need to worry about him.”

“Beth!”

A knock at the front door startled me. I sat up, relieved. Coop. He was here. Turning to Scarlett, I gave her a hug.

“Thanks for being here for me.”

She smiled and hugged me back.

I stood up and raced for the door. I was so scared to see him again. The last time, at the restaurant, had not gone well. What if things felt awkward? I really needed a friend right now.

Taking a deep breath, I swung the door open. He threw his arms around me.

“God, Beth. I’ve been so fucking worried about you.” He kissed my cheek as I hugged him back. The emotion I felt was relief. If things had been strained I don’t think I could’ve handled it. “You look good.”

“You too,” I smiled. Fuck, I was almost in tears. I took his hand and led him inside. “Do you want a drink? A coffee?”

“Nah, I just had one not long ago.” His eyes grew concerned. “What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?”

I nodded. “Maybe a little.”
God, where do I start?

“Coop, it’s such a mess. I’m scared. I think he’s going to kill him,” I whispered.

“Who?”

“Ivan. Roman’s gone after him.”

“Ivan? What the hell—” He stopped and turned to me, his expression one of disbelief. “Did he hurt you?”

I began to cry. The whole story tumbled out in a flood of tears.

“Jesus, Beth, why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was angry. I needed someone to blame and I…”

“You blamed me,” he finished quietly.

“No! I was trapped in this neverending nightmare. I needed to project the hurt and anger I was feeling somewhere, and I felt deserted by you since you met Mia.” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to continue. “You canceled that night at the bar, and Ivan was there. He drove me home.”

Coop’s face went white. “
That’s
when this happened? Fuck, Beth, I’m so, so sorry.”

“I don’t blame you, Coop.
He
raped me, not you.” I threw my arms around him and wiped my damp cheeks.

“For what it’s worth, I hope Roman fucks him up really bad.” He shook his head. “That fucking bastard.”

The door opened, then slammed shut.

We both looked up as Roman walked into the room. I edged slightly away from Coop.
I’m not sure why I did that.
Roman stared at Coop, his expression hard. I swallowed.

“Roman, this is an old friend of mine, Coop. Coop this is…a new friend of mine, Roman.” They stared each other down, neither of them looking particularly pleased to see the other. “How did it go?” I asked nervously.

“You don’t need to worry about Ivan anymore.”

I stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate. He didn’t. I watched as he walked out of the room.

“Wait,” I said, getting to my feet. “What does that mean?”

 “It means he won’t be bothering you again.”

I shot Coop an apologetic look and ran after Roman. I had no idea what his problem was. I caught up with him and grabbed his arm. He turned around, his face softening.

“What happened? What do you mean I don’t need to worry anymore? Did you…” I shuddered. I couldn’t even bring myself to say it.

“Beth, just let it go. You can finally work on getting over what happened. What I said or did to him, it’s better you don’t know.”

Well, that makes me feel better.

He sighed and took my hands in his. “He’s not dead, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Good.” I placed his arms around my waist, and my own around his neck. “Thank you for not giving up on me. I still don’t know why you were so insistent on helping me, but thank you.” I lifted my mouth to his, our lips melding together. I felt him relax.

 “Mmm. I could get used to this.” He smiled, planting another kiss on my lips.

“Ahem.”

We both turned. I blushed. Shit. I’d forgotten about Coop. We all stood there awkwardly.

“I might go into town and get some food. Do you guys want anything?”

I shook my head, and so did Roman.

“Okay, I’ll check into my hotel too. If it’s okay, I’ll come over later?”

I glanced at Roman, who shrugged.

“Sure,” he said.

I squeezed his hand and smiled at him, appreciating the effort he was making.

“Hey, why don’t you stay here? There’s a spare bedroom. Doesn’t make sense for you to be staying in a hotel,” he said gruffly.

Wow. I glanced at Roman, a huge smile on my face. I was so proud of him.

“Thanks.” Coop met my eye. “I’ll do that.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Beth

“You seem really happy.”

I smiled at Coop. “I guess I am.”

“I’m glad, Beth. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you. Every time I think about how hard it must have been for you going through that alone…” He stopped and shook his head.

We sat on the beach a short walk from the shack. Roman refused to let me leave until he had sorted out the coke money. Not that I wanted to go anywhere just yet. The thought of the bad guys coming after me…I shuddered.

Roman knew someone who could track down the guys who owned the drugs. Ivan had given up their names in exchange for keeping his balls, according to Roman.

I kind of wished he hadn’t.

“I wanted to say to you that I’m sorry for ignoring your calls and texts for so long,” I said, reaching for Coop’s hand.

He turned to me in shock. “Are you serious? Beth, I don’t blame you for one second. I’m just glad I didn’t give up on you.”

“I’m glad too,” I mumbled. I hugged him. “So, how are you? How’s Mia? Are you still studying?”

“Yep, still studying. I’m liking it, but it’s much harder than I was expecting.”

“And Mia?” I asked again. Why did I feel nervous all of a sudden?

“Mia is good,” he finally said. “We’ve had our problems, but we’re getting there.”

I nodded. Was I the cause of their problems? Coop had spent so much of the last couple of months consumed with me…I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I was over Coop. Wasn’t I?

Yes. You’re with Roman now.

“Mia is a good girl, Coop. Don’t lose her, okay?” I said carefully.

“I don’t know anymore, Beth. The last two months, all I’ve thought about is you. Not having you in my life…” He shook his head and stared at the sand.

“I’m happy, Coop. Roman makes me feel alive.”

“And I didn’t?” he asked.

I swallowed hard.
Please don’t ask me this.
“I’m not the same person I was back then. Everything that’s happened, I’ve changed so much.”

“I just want the chance to get to know you again, then, Beth. I don’t want to lose our friendship. You mean too much to me.”

I reached out and hugged him, kissing his neck. It felt good to have my friend back.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Roman

This is not a good idea.

I glanced down the alley on either side of me. At nearly three a.m., the place was deserted.

My heart was sitting in my throat as I picked the lock of the garage that doubled as Carlos’s haunt.

Three hours of scoping the place out, and he had finally left. Who goes out at three a.m.? Not that I cared. I needed him gone so I could get answers.

The lock broke free, and I pushed my way inside. I’d been here often enough to know the positioning of the cameras. There were no alarms to worry about—only Skippy. Speaking of which . .  .

“Come here boy,” I muttered, kneeling down. The ninety-pound Doberman bounded toward me, his tail wagging, tongue hanging out everywhere. He lapped at my face happily. I laughed.
Worst guard dog ever.
I petted him for a good few minutes, and then got my mission back on track.

Pointing my flashlight down the hall, I made my way into Carlos’s office, Skippy right behind me, bouncing around excitedly like he was on crack. I shook my head as he stared up at me with his huge brown eyes.

Glancing quickly around the office, I tried to form a plan of attack. I’d meticulously organized getting myself in here, but had little plan in mind for what to do once that actually happened.

I guessed the desk was as good a place as any to start.

What was I looking for? Anything that would tell me who had hired Carlos. The last thing Beth needed was any more surprises. I had no idea what this person wanted from her, but I was going to protect her, even if it meant breaking the law to do it.

Sitting at the desk, I switched on the lamp and began shuffling through each drawer. Nothing really stood out: papers, work receipts, the odd porn magazine . . . Carlos wasn’t stupid enough to leave anything incriminating just lying around, but I’d hoped he might’ve been a bit careless when rushing out in the middle of the night.

As I stood up, something caught my eye. My brow furrowed as I reached for a framed photo that sat proudly on the corner of his desk.

No fucking way.

I had seen this picture before—in Beth’s box of her childhood memories. Only in this photo Carlos was holding her, smiling as she giggled. She looked about two, maybe younger, tiny blonde curls clinging to her head.

I couldn’t believe this. How had I not figured this out earlier? Carlos was Beth’s father. I was
sure
of it. The only proof I had was this photo, though, and the feeling in my gut. What the hell did he want from her? Was he after money? I snorted. Carlos was always after money.

***

A million scenarios ran through my head, and none of them were good. I wanted answers, and I wasn’t leaving until I got them. I didn’t care if I was waiting there all fucking night: Carlos was going to tell me everything, or I would beat him to a pulp.

It turned out I didn’t have to wait long. Fifteen minutes later, he walked through the door clutching a bag of takeout. Spotting me, he whipped a gun out of his pocket and aimed it at me. I snorted. What, he was going to shoot me?

 “What the fuck are you doing here?” Carlos snarled as he glared at me. He lowered the gun and glanced at Skippy, curled up by my feet, snoring away. “Fucking useless mutt.”

I tapped my fingers on the desk and stared at the photo I was still holding in my hand. His eyes darted toward it, then back to me as he realized I knew.

“It’s none of your business, Roman. I’m paying you for a job—that’s it. None of this concerns you,” he said defensively.

“But it does,” I said, standing up. “It became my concern the day you asked me to watch her.” I walked around to the front of the desk and leaned against it. “What do you want with her? Money? She’s been through enough without you fucking up her life even more.” The words tumbled out of me, harsh and cold.

He dropped the gun onto the table, and sat down. His face grew tired as he sat there, looking defeated. “I’m not after her money, Roman. I don’t want anything from her.”

“Then why all this? Why pay me to watch her?” I asked, shaking my head. It didn’t make sense.

“I’ve been watching her for years. Since her mother kicked me out when she was two. Every step she made, I was there, watching.”