Page 3 of Possessed By Roman

My stomach tightens. “You think Duggan is going after her.”

“I think if he can’t get to me, he’ll go after the people connected to me.”

“And you want me to protect her.”

“Yes.”

“I can be there before morning.”

“Good.”

The word lands heavily between us. I look around my empty apartment. Protecting someone isn’t new to me. It’s practically the foundation of my entire fucking life. But this is different. This is Dan’s daughter. A woman I barely know. A woman whose father is trusting me with her life.

“Then what?”

“Get the drive from her. Keep her safe. I have a contact I trust, but I need to make sure Duggan and whoever is helping him can’t get to the evidence first.”

“Why not tell me who the contact is?”

“Because…”

Something crashes on the other end of the line. “Dan?”

His breathing turns harsh. Somewhere in the background, a door slams open. “Roman, keep her safe.”

A shout cuts through the phone, followed by the unmistakable sound of a struggle. “Dan!”

A gunshot cracks through the line. Then silence.

“Dan. Talk to me.”

For one terrible second, I hear nothing but faint movement. Then the call disconnects.

“Fuck!” My blood runs cold.

I call him back immediately. Once. Twice. Three times. Each call goes straight to voicemail. Someone has shut off his phone.

Every instinct I have tells me Dan has been taken, but I can’t help him from Atlanta. Not yet. Cora is the one thing he asked me to protect, and there’s no time to waste.

I need to get to Cora Ryke before Duggan does. I dial Royal’s number.

He picks up almost immediately. “What’s going on?”

“I need your help.”

“Shoot,” Royal says.

“I need you to locate Cora Ryke. Dan’s daughter. She’s twenty and away at college, but I don’t know where,” I explain for more context.

I put the phone on speaker, then I move. I hear the rapid click of keys as I grab my jacket, my keys, and the duffel bag I keep packed for emergencies. I don’t bother changing clothes.

“Found her. She’s a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I have her dorm address.”

“Thanks, man,” I say as I put on my jacket.

“No problem. Mind telling me what’s going on?”

“Dan is in trouble and Cora might be a target. I’ll give details later. Right now, I need a jet ready to get me to North Carolina.”