Rome (Marked Men #3)(56)

“Yeah. What’s going on?”

“The place got robbed.”

I felt my eyes go big and I understood the underlying panic in his tone. He was really close to Brite, the owner of the bar, and if something had happened to the older guy, it wasn’t going to be pretty for Rome. He needed me to keep him grounded; I knew it even if he didn’t say it. He was asking for help and my heart turned over in my chest.

“I’ll be there in ten.”

I felt him release a breath and he sounded less anxious when he spoke again.

“Asa called me, the cops are already there. I don’t know anything else.”

I frowned and stood as Shaw signed for the bill.

“Who would rob a dive bar on a Sunday in broad daylight?”

“I don’t know. But I sure as f**k don’t like it.”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks, Half-Pint.”

“Anytime, Captain No-Fun.”

Shaw followed me as I hurried out of the restaurant. I was practically running to the Cooper when she stopped me with a hand on my elbow. Her eyes were still big and unsure, but now there was a different kind of understanding shining out of them.

“Are you in love with him, Cora?”

I didn’t know how to answer that, so I just stared at her for a minute. It was a question I was actively avoiding asking myself every day. The answer scared me because if I was in love with him and he bailed on me again, there was no way I would be able to forgive him for that and now our futures were inexorably linked through the child I was carrying, so that wasn’t a viable option. If I kept my feelings in check, denied how important he was, if he broke apart on me again, I could still move past it and not fall apart like I had before. My kid deserved a parent who was always going to be present in every way possible.

“I’m having his kid, Shaw.”

“But do you love him?” Damn, she could be persistent when she wanted to.

“I don’t know. Last time I loved someone he nearly destroyed me and that didn’t feel half as intense or as important as this thing with Rome does. I think loving him could be the end of me if it doesn’t work out.”

“What if it does work out, though? What if he’s your imperfect Mr. Perfect?”

I pulled away because if I was in love with him or not, it was irrelevant to me right in this moment. He needed me, and I wasn’t ever going to leave him hanging if I could avoid it.

“Then he’ll be the first to know. Call Ayden and tell her Asa just got robbed. She might want to check in on him.” I didn’t bother to say good-bye; I was in too much of a hurry to get to my guy.

When I got to the bar, everyone was standing outside. Rome was with Brite talking to a couple of police officers, a few of the regulars were huddled together looking lost and nervous in the bright light of day, but what really had my attention was the fact that Ayden and Jet were also there. Only instead of worrying over her brother, she seemed furious. She was pointing a finger in his chest and Jet was doing his best to hold her back.

I walked up to Rome and put an arm around his waist. He had on black track pants and a black T-shirt. Clearly, he had been at the gym. He looked like he should be on the cover of a men’s fitness magazine.

“What’s that all about?”

“I don’t know. She laid into him as soon as she got out of the car.”

He gave me a squeeze as I pulled away.

“I’m going to see what’s going on. You okay?”

He nodded and Brite just grunted.

“I’m getting too old for this shit. Bar brawls with bikers, armed robbery on a Sunday, this is getting to be too much.”

I saw Rome wince a little but the older guy just clapped him on the shoulder and shook his head.

“I’ll finish up with the cops; you go check on the Southern Casanova.”

I took his hand in mine and led him across the parking lot. He nodded at a couple of the regulars and looked down at me.

“Thanks for dropping everything and racing over here. I couldn’t get ahold of Brite. I was worried something happened to him. Asa only said he was robbed and then hung up. Every worst-case scenario I could think of started running through my head.”

I bumped his shoulder with my own and grinned up at him. “But instead of going off the deep end, you called me and asked for help. That’s all you can do, big guy.”

He looked like he was going to say something back but ended up grunting in surprise when Ayden shoved Asa in the chest with both hands so hard that he actually stumbled back a few steps into us. Jet swore and wrapped his obviously angry bride up in a tight grip.

“Ayd, cool it. There are cops everywhere and I don’t need to spend one of my few days home getting your fine ass out of jail.”

She was breathing hard and her light eyes were glowing in a way only pure fury could provide.

I grabbed Asa’s elbow and turned him around to look at me. His mouth was pulled down tight in a frown, and he was meeting his little sister glare for glare.

“Hey now. What’s all this noise about?”

He pulled away from me and shoved his hands through his tousled blond hair.

“Ask her. It’s not bad enough I just had a gun shoved in my face and had to hand over the entire till to some ass**le in a ski mask, but Miss Perfect Timing has to show up and accuse me of being in on it.”