Undercover Mistress

Start Reading

I was the exclusive obsession of the most ruthless godfather in the New York underground.

For three years, I played the devoted lover. I stood by his side through every bloodbath, acting like he was the air in my lungs. Everyone in the syndicate treated me like their queen, dead certain I was destined to wear his ring.

Until a rival crew put a hit on Chloe, his first love.

When the crossfire started, he didn't hesitate.

He grabbed my shoulders and shoved me directly into the line of fire.

A human shield for her.

He didn't know I was pregnant.

That day, a Winchester rifle round ripped straight through my abdomen.

Scalding blood soaked into the expensive Persian rug beneath me, and I lost the baby that never even existed in the first place.

For the first time in his life, the cold-blooded monster completely shattered.

He slammed his knees onto the blood-soaked floorboards.

His massive hands shook as he crushed me against his chest, his voice cracking into a desperate, pathetic beg for me to stay alive.

He swore he loved me.

But here's the twisted punchline.

I didn't feel a damn thing for him.

The only man who ever owned my heart wore a badge.

Jude.

Five years ago, exactly twenty-four hours before we were supposed to say our vows.

Roman put a bullet right between his eyes.

Chapter 1

Year three of playing Roman's devoted mistress, and he casually dropped the marriage bomb. When I asked him why, he gave me the usual rundown: I was obedient, I knew the rules, and I looked just like his first love, Chloe.

I always knew I was just a ghost in his bed. On the nights the memory of Chloe clawed at him, he'd pin me beneath his heavy frame, using my body to drown out his demons. Right at the peak, when he drove me to the absolute edge of pleasure and pain, he'd stroke my hair.

"Be a good girl," he'd murmur against my skin. "Cry for me." He told me once that the way my cheeks flushed and tears spilled over my lashes made me look exactly like her. Not a single drop of his so-called love was ever meant for me.

The girls in our circle tried to feed me sweet little lies, swearing that even when Roman was dangerously obsessed with Chloe, he never once offered her a ring. Yet here he was, ready to slap a diamond on my finger and lock me down. They swore he was in love with mehe was just too blind to realize it.

He made me black coffee and eggs in the mornings. He'd coax me out of bed with rough hands and kiss me breathless whenever I wrapped my arms around his neck. Everyone in the syndicate called me their Queen, treating my future status as the boss's wife as an absolute certainty. For a fleeting second, I was the most untouchable woman on the East Coast.

Then, right before the wedding, Roman and Chloe crossed paths again.

It was the exact same day I found out I was carrying his kid.

And just like that, I was thrown away.

The night we bumped into Chloe, she was working the floor. Word on the street was her father blew her trust fund at the Vegas casinos, and Chloe was reduced to working as a high-end escort at an underground exploitation club to pay off loan sharks.

She trailed a line of girls into our VIP lounge. The second her eyes snagged on Roman, her entire body went rigid. She jerked her head down, desperately trying to blend into the shadows. She probably prayed he wouldn't recognize her, but some idiot shoved her forward, forcing her to crash onto the leather sofa right next to Roman's muscular thigh.

Roman clamped a lit cigar between his teeth, his hand possessively gripping my thigh. He swept a dead-eyed glare over the room and issued a low warning. "Back the fuck off. Anyone makes my woman frown, I'm chopping them to pieces and dumping them in the East River tonight."

The other escorts cooed, throwing me envious glances over how fiercely the boss protected his territory. Chloe's knuckles turned stark white. She gripped the cheap fabric of her skirt, shooting me a silent, venomous look. The pure, undiluted jealousy radiated off her skin.

The floor manager beside her suddenly shoved her hard against the glass table, barking. "Chloe, strip! The bosses dropped serious cash to see you work the pole, so quit playing the virgin!"

The second that name echoed through the lounge, the heavy bass of the club music suddenly felt deafening in the dead silence of our booth.

Roman's eyes snapped open.

The hand resting on my thigh clamped down so hard my bones ground together, a sharp spike of pain shooting up my spine. Humiliation rolled off Chloe in waves. A harsh tremor racked her frame as she scrambled to get off the sofa and bolt.

Roman shot his arm out.

He caught her with a ruthless grip, slamming her back down onto the leather. Without missing a beat, his massive fingers locked around her throat, dragging her face mere inches from his.

"Chloe," he said, his voice a lethal drop in temperature. "Didn't I tell you I'd put you in the ground if I ever saw your face again?"

Everyone in the underground knew Chloe was Roman's first love. They also knew the epic, blood-soaked fallout of their breakup. Back when Roman was ready to burn the city down for her, Chloe threw a massive tantrum and slept with another guy just to spite him.

That year, Roman drank enough straight bourbon to hospitalize a small army. He bled internally and nearly flatlined on an ICU monitor. After that, her name was completely dead and buried in his presence. We all thought he hated her guts.

One of the low-level enforcers sneered, throwing a sick insult at Chloe. "Where's your man? He too broke to keep you, so you gotta spread your legs to pay his rent?"

The trashy comment scraped against my nerves. I narrowed my eyes, shooting the guy a cold, dead stare. His ugly smirk vanished instantly. I casually placed my hand on Roman's rigid forearm, a silent signal to drop the heavy atmosphere.

He slowly turned his head. His gaze hit me like a wall of ice. "What happens between me and her," he stated, his voice devoid of any warmth, "is none of your damn business."

I blinked once, processing the sudden freeze. Without a single word, I let my hand slip right off his skin.

Chapter 2

Chloe hid a tiny, triumphant smirk, a flash of pure disdain in her eyes as she looked at me. She reached out, her pale fingers lightly trailing down Roman's jawline.

"Roman," she murmured, her voice practically vibrating with fake sympathy. "Don't marry a woman you don't even love just because you're trying to numb the pain of missing me. It kills me to see it."

She bit her bottom lip hard. Fat tears spilled over her lashes, splashing directly onto the back of Roman's scarred hands.

"Roman, I've been dying to tell you about that night the day you caught me in bed with that guy" She choked on a sob. "He drugged me."

Roman's brow furrowed sharply. The lethal tension in his grip instantly evaporated. The murderous aura that had suffocated the entire room vanished without a trace.

Chloe's hands shook as she grabbed fistfuls of his tailored shirt collar. She collapsed against his chest like a broken porcelain doll, her shoulders heaving with hysterical sobs.

Roman didn't push her away.

In reality, her little sob story was impossible to verify. The guy from that night had already been tortured into a living nightmare by Roman's enforcers and dumped in a nameless landfill years ago.

But none of that mattered. Roman's iron walls crumbled anyway. He didn't demand a shred of proof; he just wiped the slate clean.

Right in front of the entire crew, his massive hand cupped the back of her head, threading his fingers through her hair. "Stop crying," he muttered, his voice low and incredibly gentle. "Come on. I'm taking you home."

Hushed whispers immediately sparked up from the back of the room.

"Boss and Chloe are back together where does that leave Juniper?"

"Where do you think? In the trash. The real deal is back. The knock-off needs to pack her bags and get the hell out."

Roman definitely heard them. The muscle in his sharp jaw ticked, but he kept his mouth shut.

Back in the day, he treated me like royalty. He would have broken someone's jaw for breathing a wrong word in my direction. But now that the girl he actually wanted to protect was back in his arms, I was instantly invisible.

That night, Roman drove Chloe straight back to our estate. I trailed behind them up the front steps. Right before crossing the threshold, Chloe glanced back at me.

She swung Roman's hand and offered a sickeningly sweet smile. "Roman, let's just wait until tomorrow to have Miss Juniper pack her things. It's getting way too late, and it's really not safe for a girl to be out on the streets all by herself."

She couldn't wait a single second to kick me out.

I let out a cold, sharp laugh.

In a fraction of a second, I whipped the Glock straight out of my thigh holster and shoved the freezing steel barrel dead center against her forehead.

"In my house," I stared right through her with absolute murder in my eyes, "you keep your damn mouth shut."

All the blood instantly drained from Chloe's face. She cast a panicked, desperate look at Roman.

Roman casually flicked his silver Zippo, lighting a fresh cigarette. A lazy, amused smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as his large hand wrapped securely around my wrist, slowly but firmly pushing the barrel of my gun down. He reached out and ruffled my hair.

"I taught you how to shoot to keep you alive, not to throw tantrums in front of my face," he drawled. "Let's go inside."

He led Chloe through the massive double doors, leaving me standing completely alone on the dark porch like an abandoned stray dog.

Any sane woman with a shred of dignity would have turned around and walked away right then. But I couldn't. I had to secure that wedding ring from Roman. I had to play the good, obedient, shameless little pet who was blindly obsessed with him.

I stood out in the freezing night air just long enough to swallow down the bitter taste in the back of my throat, then finally stepped inside.

Chloe had already changed into sleepwear. It was my favorite silk slip dress, clinging to her curves perfectly. She walked right up to me, plastering on a fake, overly-apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry, Juniper. I really wasn't trying to kick you out earlier." She sighed softly.

"Roman told me you saved his life once. He values loyalty, and so do I. Don't worry, you can stay here as long as you need. We'll just treat you like a little sister and take care of you."

She casually pointed a manicured finger toward the guest wing. "You can take that room down the hall. Make yourself at home, no need to be shy."

A dark, genuine laugh ripped straight from my chest. I looked her up and down, taking in the sheer audacity.

Without a split second of hesitation, my hand cracked across her cheek in a brutal, ringing slap.

"Who the hell do you think you are, giving me orders?"

I shoved right past her stunned body, marched straight down the hall to the master suite, and slammed the heavy mahogany door shut behind me.

Chapter 3

Midnight. The heavy mahogany door clicked shut. I kept my eyes locked on the pale moon hanging over the city skyline.

"What's this?" I asked, keeping my voice dangerously soft. "Coming to punish me for your little pet?"

Roman didn't say a single damn word.

His massive hand brutally fisted the delicate silk of my slip dress.

With one effortless surge of raw power, he dragged me up and pinned me flush against the freezing floor-to-ceiling glass.

I glared up at him, chest heaving like a cornered wildcat. A low, gravelly chuckle vibrated deep in his chest. His rough thumb clamped down hard on my jaw, tilting my face up.

I could feel the scorching heat of his skin a millisecond before his mouth crashed down to devour mine.

"Here to play with my bad girl," he rasped against my skin.

Tears instantly spilled over my lashes.

I opened my mouth and sank my teeth viciously into his lower lip.

The sharp, metallic tang of hot blood exploded between us, mixing into the suffocating heat of the kiss.

My knees turned to liquid under his relentless assault. Right when the heavy friction and his bruising grip had my body practically melting against him, his lips brushed the shell of my ear.

"Go apologize to Chloe," he murmured, his hot breath sending violent shivers down my spine. "I don't like it when she cries. It ruins her eyes."

His massive hand slid down to grip the back of my neck. "Be a good girl, Juniper. Don't make things difficult for me while I'm still in a forgiving mood."

I let out a soft, hollow laugh. The silence stretched between us for a long, suffocating second. "Fine," I whispered.

Word that Roman forced me to bow my head to Chloe spread through the North Side syndicate faster than a wildfire. He bought her a luxury penthouse downtown, setting her up like a prized trophy right out in the open. The whisper network was relentlesseveryone placed their bets on exactly when the boss was going to finally kick me to the curb.

I tuned out every single word. I just swallowed the ash in my throat and played the role of his submissive fiance.

Our wedding was locked in for one month from today. I counted down every agonizing hour on the clock.

Roman lazily wound a strand of my hair around his knuckles. "You really want to marry me that badly?"

I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, burying my face against his collarbone. "It's the only thing I've ever wanted in my entire life."

A dark smirk played on his lips. Without any warning, he pulled a massive, flawless diamond ring out of thin air and slid the heavy platinum band onto my ring finger. "Happy birthday, fiance," he drawled.

Today was my birthday. Roman had cartel business and couldn't spare the time, but the five-carat rock weighing down my left hand was the ultimate armor. He booked out the entire waterfront deck at a Michelin-starred lakehouse and invited the inner circle's wives and girlfriends to entertain me.

But the second I stepped onto the terrace, my eyes locked on Chloe.

She spotted me immediately. A sickeningly sweet smile stretched across her face as she practically skipped over. "Juniper! You're not mad that I crashed your little party, right?"

She pitched her voice high and breathy, playing the innocent victim. "When Roman forced you to apologize to me last time I literally begged him not to. But he just kept saying he couldn't stand seeing me wronged. It's all his fault you got humiliated."

She took a step closer, clasping her hands together. "I actually really like you. I just want us to be friends. Don't hate me, okay?"

I stared at her in dead silence. I didn't say a word. I just casually lifted my left hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

The massive diamond caught the blinding afternoon sunlight, shooting laser-like reflections straight into her eyes. Chloe froze. All the fake warmth drained from her face, her eyes instantly brimming with red-rimmed tears. "Roman Roman gave you a ring?" she choked out.

A cold, razor-sharp smirk cut across my face. "I'm his fiance. Who the hell else is he going to buy a diamond for? You?"

The rest of the girls instantly swarmed around us, their voices buzzing with chaotic excitement.

"Oh my god, Juniper, that is insane! After all these years of bleeding for the boss, he finally locked it down!"

"I saw that exact stone at a Sotheby's auction. That's a multi-million dollar rock! Roman is literally obsessed with you."

"Take it off, let us see the cut!"

Chloe's face contorted into an ugly, pale mask of pure venom. I slipped the heavy platinum band off my knuckle to show the girls.

Without warning, Chloe lunged.

She shoved me hard in the chest.

My heels slipped on the polished teak deck. I crashed hard onto the wooden planks, the sudden impact jerking my hand open.

The multi-million dollar diamond flew straight out of my grasp, arcing through the air before sinking silently into the dark, freezing waters of the lake.

Chapter 4

The impact knocked the wind right out of my lungs.

As I pushed myself up off the teak deck, a sharp, terrifying cramp suddenly seized my lower abdomen.

Chloe immediately switched on the waterworks, scrambling to play the panicked victim. "Oh my god, Juniper, I am so sorry! It was an accident!"

She grabbed my arm, projecting her voice so the entire deck could hear. "Don't worry, I'll tell Roman to buy you a bigger, better diamond to replace it. He's always been so generous with me. He buys me whatever I ask for."

I stared at her, my expression flat. "Don't make this complicated," I said, my voice dead calm. "You drop it, you fetch it. Simple."

I didn't waste a single word of breath.

I grabbed a fistful of her perfectly styled blonde hair, violently smashed her face into the freezing lake water, and watched with cold eyes as she screamed and thrashed like a drowning dog.

Total chaos erupted on the deck. Suddenly, a panicked shout cut through the noise. "What the hell are you doing in front of the boss!"

The second Roman's name dropped, the entire terrace froze. He stood at the edge of the deck, holding a massive bouquet of black magic roses. A surprise for me.

Chloe ripped herself out of my grip. She launched herself straight into Roman's chest, sobbing hysterically.

"Roman! She ripped off my necklace and threw it away! She threw away the only thing my mother left me!"

In reality, her cheap little chain probably snapped during the scuffle and fell into the tall grass bordering the lake.

My fingernails bit so deeply into my palms they practically broke skin. Fighting through the sickening cramps radiating from my stomach, I forced my voice steady.

"I didn't touch her necklace. But she just tossed our wedding ring straight to the bottom of the lake." I looked right into his eyes.

"Roman, the ring you gave me is gone. I can't find it"

"Is a damn ring really that important?" Roman cut me off, his voice dropping to a freezing sub-zero.

I stood paralyzed. A harsh, hollow laugh ripped out of my throat. "Roman. It's the wedding ring you put on my finger. Does it not matter?"

He stared me down, dropping every word like a heavy stone. "Juniper, Chloe's necklace is an heirloom from her dead mother. I can buy another ring. Can I buy her a new mother?"

Without breaking eye contact, Roman casually tossed the massive bouquet of roses straight into the nearest trash can.

"Find what you lost, Juniper," he ordered, his tone leaving zero room for negotiation.

One of the enforcers nervously cleared his throat. "Boss, Juniper doesn't look so good"

Chloe expertly talked over him, playing the magnanimous saint. "It's fine, Roman. I know Juniper hates me. If destroying my things helps her let off some steam, it's okay.

Even though she threw away my mother's heirloom, I don't blame her. I'll search for it myself. Please don't break her heart over me."

Roman completely ignored her little speech. The icy edge in his eyes melted slightly as he looked at my pale face. "Where does it hurt?"

I forced the corners of my mouth up into a faint, empty smile and shook my head. I didn't say a single word. I just turned my back on him and walked straight into the muddy, water-logged reeds lining the lake.

The early autumn wind cut straight through my clothes like crushed ice.

At 2:00 AM, I finally dug Chloe's silver chain out of the mud. I drove straight to her downtown penthouse to deliver it.

The moment the heavy door swung open, my eyes hit Roman. He was completely shirtless, water droplets tracking down the hard lines of his heavily tattooed chest and abs. Chloe stood right behind him in a sheer, nothing-left-to-the-imagination silk slip.

She flashed a sickeningly sweet smile. "Roman and I just worked up a little sweat. We literally just stepped out of the shower."

She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Juniper, please don't get the wrong idea, and don't be mad at Roman anymore, okay? He just didn't want to see me sad. He really wasn't trying to punish you."

Roman's gaze snapped to me. He took in my mud-soaked dress clinging to my freezing skin, and heard my teeth literally chattering in the cold hallway draft.

A deep scowl carved into his forehead.

He closed the distance in two massive strides, grabbed my arm, and dragged me forcefully against his bare chest, using his blazing body heat to thaw my freezing skin.

"Would it kill you to act soft for one damn second?" he scolded, a frustrated, angry edge bleeding into his rough voice. "Where did all that clever little sweetness go?"

Chapter 5

I gently pushed against his bare chest, breaking the contact. I reached out and dropped Chloe's silver chain right into his palm. The wet metal pooled against his skin. A hollow, self-deprecating laugh scraped up my throat.

"I'm done playing the sweet, obedient pet, Roman. Your heart is a solid block of ice. I can't melt it, and honestly? I'm sick of trying."

I took a deliberate step back. "I know it kills you to see Chloe cry. Here. I dug up her precious heirloom. Go play the hero."

"And stop hiding her in this penthouse like a dirty little secret. It's beneath her." I locked my knees to stop them from shaking. "Give me forty-eight hours, Mr. Roman. I'll have all my things cleared out of your estate."

I turned on my heel to walk away.

Roman's hand shot out, his fingers clamping around my wrist like a steel vice.

The temperature in the hallway plummeted. "We're not getting married?" he demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerously low decibel.

A violent burn hit the back of my eyes. I swallowed the thick lump in my throat and forced a bright, empty smile. "You don't want to marry me, and I don't want to marry you anymore. Works out perfectly."

I fought back like an enraged cornered panther, but Roman's iron grip was a trap locking me in place.

I opened my mouth and sank my teeth viciously straight into the flesh of his wrist.

Hot, metallic blood instantly flooded my tongue.

Roman hissed out a harsh fuck.

Instead of letting go, he effortlessly hoisted me off my feet and slammed my spine hard against the hallway wall.

His massive, rock-hard chest crushed flush against me, pinning me completely.

He leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. His breath was ragged, his voice pure, lethal venom. "Who was the one who said marrying me was the only thing she ever wanted? Was that all just bullshit, Juniper?"

He dragged his nose along my jawline, inhaling sharply. "Because guess what? I took it seriously."

His dark eyes locked onto mine, dilated and pitch black. "You want to run now? Too damn late."

That night, Roman completely abandoned Chloe in her luxury penthouse and dragged me straight back to the estate.

He hauled me into the massive master bathroom and cranked the shower to scorching hot.

He gripped my jaw, forcing my head up as his mouth crashed down on mine, viciously stripping away my freezing, mud-soaked clothes piece by piece under the heavy spray.

His kisses were brutal, a chaotic collision of a ruthless punishment and a desperate plea.

I fought him the entire time.

For the first time in three years, I let my stubbornness completely take over. I refused to yield a single inch.

Exhausted and thoroughly frustrated, Roman finally broke. A low, raspy chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. He backed me against the wet marble tile.

"Listen to me, Juniper," he growled against my wet skin, breathing heavily. "No one is taking me away from you. Not even Chloe."

He swore he only felt pity for her. For a split second, looking at his intense, obsessive gaze, I almost believed he had actually fallen in love with me.

After that explosive night, Roman completely iced Chloe out.

He started coming home early every single evening. We ate dinner together, talked, and walked around the sprawling estate gardens. We mimicked a normal, perfectly boring married couple. The entire syndicate was buzzingthey swore Roman had never shown this kind of terrifying patience for any woman alive.

Until right before the wedding.

Chloe announced she was leaving town.

It was Roman's birthday. I had the ultrasound picture hidden in my pocket, ready to finally tell him I was pregnant. But before the words even left my tongue, Chloe shattered the moment.

She dragged a massive designer suitcase straight into Roman's private office. "We promised we'd be together forever," she whispered, her voice trembling. "But I don't think I can stay by your side anymore. Juniper hates me. As long as I'm breathing the same air, she's going to be miserable, and it's going to ruin your relationship. I have to go."

She wiped a tear from her cheek. "Tell Juniper thank you for me. Since I won't be around please ask her to take good care of you."

The relaxed posture completely drained out of Roman's body, replaced by a freezing, hard tension. His jaw ticked as he stared at her. "Didn't we agree we were family now? That I would take care of you?" he demanded through gritted teeth.

"Juniper is obedient. If I tell her to back off, she will. Why the hell do you have to leave?"

A tragic, beautiful smile touched Chloe's lips as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She let out a broken sob, locking eyes with him. "Roman can you honestly look at me and say you only see me as family?" Her voice cracked.

"When we used to hold each other, when we kissed, when we made love all that fire we had. Can you really just erase it?"

She stood there, desperate, waiting for him to deny it.

But Roman just sat there. Complete, suffocating silence. He didn't say a single word.

Chapter 6

Chloe suddenly stepped back, her chest heaving. "I can't! I don't want to just be your family, Roman I'm still in love with you. How the hell am I supposed to stay by your side and watch you marry another woman and have her kids? It's killing me, don't you get that?"

Chloe yanked up her sleeve, exposing the overlapping scars carved into her wrists by razor blades. Her eyes went completely manic.

"I swallow handfuls of prescription pills every single day just to function, Roman! If you dare abandon me, I swear to God I will down an entire bottle and die right in front of your face! But I know you don't even care anymore."

She spun around and bolted for the heavy double doors.

Roman didn't hesitate for a single fraction of a second.

He tore after her.

A torrential downpour hammered against the estate. I stood frozen by the floor-to-ceiling glass, staring blankly as their figures tangled together in the heavy rain until the darkness completely swallowed them whole.

A violent, suffocating panic suddenly gripped my throat.

The realization hit me like a physical blow.

If Roman walked away with Chloe tonight, the wedding was dead. He was never going to marry me. He was going to throw me away for good.

I had to get him back. I had to drag him back to me.

I shoved the front doors open and plunged straight into the freezing downpour, sprinting blindly down the estate's private driveway.

I didn't know how long my lungs burned before my soaking wet boots slammed to a halt. In the shadow of the stone perimeter wall, Chloe sat huddled on the wet pavement. Roman crouched in front of her, his massive frame shielding her from the driving rain as he held her like she was the most precious thing in the entire world.

Chloe weakly pounded her fists against his chest, sobbing. "You don't love me anymore, Roman! Why did you even come after me? Don't you know chasing me is going to break Juniper's heart? It's not fair! She's nothing but a cheap replacement for me, but she stole my entire life!"

"I have absolutely nothing left, Roman! I don't have a mother, I don't have you I don't even have a home. I have nothing!"

Roman let her hit him, absorbing every single blow without flinching. "Be a good girl," he coaxed, his rough voice bleeding with an agonizing gentleness. "Don't hurt yourself. Calm down. I'm right here. Chloe, I will always be by your side. I'm never leaving you again."

"You want a home? I'll build you a home. Every single thing Juniper has, you're going to have. I'll give you more. I'll give you better. And I'll only give it to you. Okay?"

I stood paralyzed in the freezing rain. Staring at this devastatingly tender, soft version of Roman.

He felt like a total stranger standing on the other side of a massive, uncrossable chasm. My mind went completely blank. I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do to keep my grip on him. To stop him from walking out of my life.

Chloe buried her face in Roman's neck, her arms locking tightly around his shoulders. Over his broad back, her eyes flicked straight through the dark and locked directly onto mine. The corner of her mouth twitched up into a sick, triumphant smirk.

"You don't actually love Juniper, do you?" her voice carried through the rain, perfectly clear. "You're just using her to make me jealous, right?"

Roman stayed dead silent.

Chloe immediately pushed against his chest. "Say it! You don't love her, you love me. Right? Roman, if you don't make me happy right now, I'm not going back with you! I'll leave for good, and you'll never find me again!"

Roman let out a heavy sigh. A faint, helpless smile touched his lips as he caved completely. "Yeah. You're absolutely right. I love you, okay? Chloe, I'm still in love with you. Now, will you please come home with me?"

Chloe pouted, her voice dripping with sickly sweetness. "I don't believe you. Unless you kiss me." She slowly fluttered her eyes shut, tilting her chin up in total, victorious anticipation. "Kiss me, Roman."

For the first time in three years, my carefully crafted mask completely shattered.

"Roman, don't!" My voice ripped through the torrential rain, cracking and desperate. "We're getting married! Can't you just save a single drop of that mercy for me?"

Roman's head snapped around. He froze.

Chapter 7

Chloe leaned heavily against his chest, shooting me a smug, triumphant smirk through the rain. Then, on a dime, her face crumpled.

She played the total mental breakdown flawlessly, suddenly pressing the sharp edge of a small pocket knife hard against her own throat.

"Make her leave, Roman!" she shrieked hysterically. "Make Juniper leave! I never want to see her face again! If you don't want to lose me, you tell her to get the hell out of here and never come back!"

Roman nodded without a second of hesitation. He turned his head and shot me a look of pure ice. "Chloe is completely unstable right now. I'm not going to cause her any more pain." He paused, his jaw locked tight. "Leave, Juniper."

My entire body shook against the freezing wind. I bit down on the inside of my cheek until I tasted hot iron just to kill the tremor in my voice. "Roman," I whispered. "I need to tell you something. I'm pregnant."

Roman went completely rigid. Even Chloe was struck dumb, staring at me with wide, panicked eyes.

My freezing fingers brushed the crumpled ultrasound printout in my coat pocket.

Right as I started to pull it out, a gunshot ripped through the heavy downpour.

Chloe shrieked and completely buried herself into Roman's chest. His arms instinctively shot out, locking her into a fierce, protective embrace. Leaving me standing there completely alone, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs as the violent crack of the gunshot echoed in my skull.

I had survived countless cartel bloodbaths by his side, but he knew damn well the deafening pop of a firearm was my absolute worst trigger. Back in the day, he used to cover my ears with his massive hands, laughing and calling me his little coward. But right now, the man who always shielded me from the noise was busy wrapping his arms around someone else, leaving me completely exposed.

The deafening roar of an automatic rifle tore the night sky to shreds.

I instinctively dropped to find tactical cover, but a blinding, agonizing pain instantly blew straight through my abdomen.

Scalding hot blood erupted outward, rapidly soaking the white fabric of my dress in a massive, expanding pool of crimson.

I crashed heavily onto the hard pavement.

"Juniper!" Roman roared.

The sheer, absolute terror in his voice cracked the night wide open.

He lunged, catching my collapsing body before I hit the ground completely. His massive hands slammed over the bleeding crater in my stomach, desperately trying to stem the massive hemorrhage. Hot tears spilled from his eyes, splashing onto my freezing face. He just kept repeating "I'm sorry" over and over, begging me like a broken man to stay awake, to not die on him.

I forced the corners of my mouth up into a faint, exhausted smile. With violently trembling, blood-slicked fingers, I slowly pulled that crumpled ultrasound printout from my pocket. "Roman," I rasped out, the words tasting like copper. "Look. It's our baby."

"It's such a damn shame we're probably never going to meet him now