“I know all about your little plot to show Alex for the slut you think her to be. Getting Antonio, Marlo, and Cash to bed her. To take her in turns!”
Alex covered her mouth and took a step back, then another. How did she confront him after this?
With the files in her hand, she felt even sicker. This was all a lie. Roman had told a lie. He’d only taken her to bed at the orders of her father.
She had to get away.
The file fell from her hands, and luck wasn’t on her side as it landed on the floor on the edge of its bind. The noise seemed to echo, sounding more like a hammer than a simple file.
The birth certificates spilled out, and she stared down at them.
The door opened, and then she was looking at Roman. “Alex.”
He took a step toward her, and she moved back.
There was no way he was touching her again.
“Shit, you heard that.”
Words failed her. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him, and she knew it was all true. The lies had been with her. He hadn’t believed her or her diary. He was going to hurt her by getting his friends to manipulate their way into her bed.
Only, she had never lied.
“Alex, please, let me explain.”
“Don’t … come near me.”
“Alex, baby, you don’t understand.”
She tilted her head back and looked at him, then laughed. “I don’t understand. Tell me, Roman, what is so complicated about what I just heard. You were ordered to make me fall in love with you. To help you, you used fifteen children. Did you know they were all your capos’ … unwanted children?” No matter how much pain she was in, she wasn’t going to call them anything cruel or mean.
“What?”
“Of course, you’d probably lie.”
“I had no idea,” Roman said, turning toward Lucas.
“They’re bastards, Roman.”
“Don’t call them that!” Alex screamed and stepped away. “Oh, my God, I can’t believe…” She was going to be sick, but she wasn’t going to fall in front of him. She was not going to vomit.
Turning on her heel, she had no idea where her father was, but she ran, going for the front door. She managed to pry it open and took several steps out into the cold air.
“Alex, don’t do it,” he said, grabbing her arm and trying to stop her.
“Let go of me.” She jerked out of his hold. “You don’t get to touch me. Not ever. Not fucking ever.” She hated to curse, but she had to make him stop. To leave her alone.
Roman held his hands up.
“You were going to make me fall in love with you? And then what? What was going to happen?”
“I wasn’t going to do it.”
“What about your friends? What about that? I always knew something was going on, but I figured I was just weirded out by your friends.”
Roman ran a hand down his face and released a sigh. “We need you to come inside. You can’t go out there. It’s dangerous.”