The Auction House Deal: Bought by A Billionaire

Chapter 166: Next Steps: Roman

As soon as my eyes opened the next morning, I was already plotting my call to Ed and Marcus. I would go through the details of the day and try to get them over to the house so that Hannah could talk to them, too.

A great blessing was that Hannah had slept all through the evening and night. The panic had really seemed to take it out of her, and I was understanding of that. I wanted her to rest and feel better, even if there was still danger out there that needed to be sorted.

Before Hannah awoke, I slipped out of the room and moved down to the kitchen to get coffee. As I sipped it, I moved out onto the deck and pulled out my cellphone.

I sighed greatly. I was having flashbacks from the case. How I had often called them in a panic with new developments and dangers that were taking place around us.

It had been a couple of months since we had needed to talk to them. I wondered if he was even still in this part of the country. Their investigation into the Auction House and their cohorts could have taken them anywhere in the country, or hell, in the world.

My thumb hovered over the call button on Marcus’s contact.

I felt a hesitation that my mind couldn’t wrap around. I should have been jumping at the opportunity to call them and get the ball rolling. Yet, it was just that.

I knew that calling them would confirm it wasn’t just happenstance, what happened to Hannah. It wasn’t just some lunatic downtown. It was something nefarious and something that was really trying to get at her with purpose.

Calling them would mean we were going back to square one. The investigations, the danger, the need for guards and everything would come back. The last few months, while they hadn’t been for nothing, would have been in vain. We moved in ignorance that things were fine and we were going to be normal.

Well, maybe I had been alone in that.

I felt foolish and weird about it, but there was no way forward but to rip the band aid off.

Taking in a breath, I hit the call button and rose the phone to my face. The phone rang a few times before it clicked. "Roman?" Marcus answered.

"Yeah, it’s me," I breathed. "Something’s happened."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Someone tried to grab Hannah downtown yesterday," I stated, my voice void of emotion. It was the only way I knew to protect myself and to not seem so vulnerable. "She was walking around her new business, and someone grabbed her. I’m not sure on all the details, I think it would be best to get them from her. I don’t know who in the hell would have tried to grab her if not..."

"The Auction House," he sighed.

"Yeah," I muttered, biting my lip.

He took a deep breath. "It is possible. We’ve tracked a few loose members of the Auction House. It’s possible it’s a rogue agent just trying to hatch their revenge. I take it they weren’t caught."

"Nope," I frowned. "Her bodyguard wasn’t around when it happened. I let him go."

"You know what I’m going to say next," Marcus said.

It was my turn to take in a deep breath. "Yeah. Up security."

"Ed and I will come by as soon as we can. We’ve been out of state trying to track down the suppliers. With no luck, of course," he grumbled. "For now, I hate to say it, but go back to the way things were before. Lay low, add in bodyguards and a security detail. What’s the name of the security agency you went through? So I can track down the bodyguard that was assigned to her and get his statement."

"Stratton’s Security," I informed him. "Thank you."

"Keep me posted on anything and everything that happens. Alright? We will be there when we can."

"I appreciate it, Marcus. See ya."

With that, we hung up and I slid the phone into my pocket.

My heart was aching with the anticipation of telling Hannah that we were going to have to go back to the way things were before. We had just started really getting used to our freedom, and it was going to come crumbling down.

Things were never meant to be easy, were they?

Stepping back inside, I found Hannah sitting at the counter in the kitchen, her own coffee in hand.

She was a sight for my tender heart, mending it just with her easy beauty. Messy bedhead, leggings and an oversized shirt, and tired puffy eyes.

"Morning," she squeaked to me.

"Good morning," I breathed, moving to sit next to her.

She picked at her bagel and didn’t yet look over to me. "Who were you on the phone with?"

I swallowed hard. I guess I was going to have to pull that band aid off as well.

"Marcus."

"What did he say?" Hannah asked, her voice cautious.

"We need to up security and lay low. I’m so sorry," I frowned, putting an arm around the back of her chair.

"It’s not your fault. You shouldn’t feel guilty," she stated, patting my knee. "It’s the Auction House’s fault, not yours."

"If it’s any consolation, Marcus seemed to think it was just a rogue agent, rather than the organization themselves. So, hopefully, this guy can be caught, and we can find some peace again," I said, hope oozing in my voice.

Maybe it was false hope. Maybe I thought if I said it with enough conviction, it would be true.

"Are they on the case?" Hannah asked.

I tilted my head side to side. "They’re going to be. They are just out of state right now. Said they will be returning soon."

She leaned her head on my shoulder and didn’t say anything.

A twinge of worry panged my heart. I couldn’t imagine how this must have felt for her.

While everything had put me in danger, and I had been shot, this was all revolving around her. I had been just as much of an agent in bringing down the Auction House, but their anger seemed to be against her. She had been the cargo that had gotten away and came back swinging.

I didn’t want to push her to talk, but I longed to know what was going on in that head of hers. I wanted to know she was actually okay, and not trying to hold a brave face for my sake.

I kissed the top of her head and held her close. I had never been a religious man, but I prayed then. Prayed that she was okay, that we would be alright, and that all of this mess we found ourselves in would subside in time.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," she replied softly. Putting her bagel down, she stood from the stool. "I think I’m going to shower. Want to join?"

"Absolutely," I nodded.

We moved together back up to the room and undressed to get into the shower. The steam filled the glass walls.

We stepped inside, and I lingered near her, but gave her space. If she wanted me close, she would make it known. It comforted me just to be around her, to see she was okay both physically, and at least okay, emotionally.

It was silent, but she eventually turned to my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and rubbed her back.

I loved that woman so much, I would have gladly died for her. She was the purpose in my life that I had been missing. I could get wrapped up in work and get distracted, but it was her that I always came back to.

Even though things were surely to stay complicated for a while longer, I would love her through it all. We would get through it together, there was no other way to do it.

It took me a moment to realize she was shaking. No, not just shaking, crying. My heart broke and I could only hold her tighter.

I didn’t know what she needed and it made me feel completely useless. I would have bought her the moon if that would make her feel better. I would quit my job and run away to the country if that was what she wanted.

It wasn’t that simple, though. She had started her own endeavor. She wanted her life and the life we were trying to have together. I knew that much from our previous conversations. It was going to take time to get there, and I just hoped she had it in her to hang on.

Happiness was just around the corner, we just had to have a little more patience—and be careful in the meantime.

We stood there until she had stopped crying and the water ran cold.