As if he could read her mind and knew that her mouth had gone dry and her brain had seized up, Roman drew her into the shelter of his body. “When will Suzanne be able to get back inside?”
“Not tonight, that’s for sure. We’re doing our best to save your things, but it looks like the fire may have been smoking for a while before it lit. Fortunately, a neighbor downstairs smelled smoke and called 911.” She could easily read the concern in the man’s eyes. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Ms. Sullivan. Your entire floor is uninhabitable at present due to the smoke damage and ongoing investigation. Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”
“She’ll be staying with me,” Roman answered before she could reply that she had three brothers nearby. Roman also gave the fire chief both his cell and landline numbers. “Please also call me with any updates, in case Suzanne is unavailable.”
“Is that all right with you, Ms. Sullivan?”
“Yes.” It was more than all right. “Roman will look out for me.”
After the fire chief shook their hands, then moved away to talk with one of his crew, she looked up again at her windows. A shiver ran through her despite the warm city weather.
“I’ll get over losing my clothes and furniture. Junk calls and attacks to my corporate servers are one thing, but if this fire isn’t an accident, someone is deliberately trying to destroy the things that are important to me. My father’s and brother’s paintings. The blanket my Aunt Mary knitted for me. The sculpture my cousin Ryan’s wife, Vicki, made me. The family reunion pictures that always make me smile when I’m sitting at my kitchen counter.”
Roman pulled her closer, as if he wished he could use his body to shield her from the sight of the fire trucks and firemen working to put out the fire in her apartment.
“When this just seemed like it was about me and my work, I knew I could take care of myself, take care of my company. But the apartment isn’t mine. It’s my cousin Ian’s. And family and friends often stay with me. What if someone I love had been staying in my apartment while we were gone? What if they’d been hurt because someone has it in for me and they got in the way?” Anger burst through her shock and exhaustion. “If it turns out that this fire wasn’t an accident, I’m going to give one hundred percent of my focus to figuring out who’s after me and nailing them to the wall. They’ve gone after the wrong woman.”
“Yes,” Roman agreed, “they most certainly have.”
But even as determination solidified within her, the combined feelings of violation and fear hit her so hard that her legs started to feel shaky and the blood drained out of her face. The next thing she knew, Roman had gently moved them back toward his car and they were headed away from the fire trucks and police vehicles.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Roman had never seen Suzanne like this. Despite her fierce words—and his sure knowledge that she would prevail—she was clearly shell-shocked as they drove to his loft. He held her hand the entire time, never wanting to let her go.
He wanted to tear apart whoever was responsible for making her so pale and quiet, wanted to make that person pay for causing Suzanne even one moment of stress. She already had more than enough to deal with between her company, her pro bono work, and her big family. She didn’t need anything else to add stress to her life. Especially not a bodyguard who had let himself get too close. Too attached.
He’d been planning to convince her to accept another bodyguard on their drive back, but she’d been working so hard there hadn’t been any time to talk. And then when they’d seen the fire trucks outside her apartment, Roman accepted that there was no way he could leave her until they’d neutralized the threat.
He had just gotten her settled on his couch with a large glass of wine when she said, “Don’t tell my brothers or my father what happened yet.”
“They need to know.”
“Of course they do. I just need a little more time to process things before they come swarming in even more overprotective and domineering than ever. Plus, they’ll insist I stay with one of them. I don’t want to leave you, Roman. Not tonight.”
Though his first instinct had been to call Alec with the news of the fire, Roman understood why Suzanne wanted a night to let what had happened settle. Not only would she be working full time to corral the four Sullivan men if they were here—but there was simply no way Roman was going to let her stay with anyone else tonight. And not only because his loft was as secure as a fortress.
He needed to be able to look at her, needed to be able to touch her, and know that she was safe.