Janie Crouch - Cease Fire

They walked over to the table where the rest of Roman’s family sat, and introductions were made. Maureen introduced her husband, Maxwell Donovan, who was not Roman’s father but the man Maureen had married after Roman’s father had died fifteen years ago.

Maxwell Donovan was much more interested in the drink in his hand and the football game he had on his smart phone than he was in anything happening at the table.

Roman’s sister and her fiancé had also joined them. They seemed nice enough and by the time everyone had ordered lunch, Keira felt like maybe she had imagined the entire thing with Maureen when they’d first met.

The meal was fine, tasty. Everyone made light, mostly meaningless conversation. Even Maxwell joined in at times, although no one seemed offended when he would jump out of a conversation and back into his game when he felt it necessary. Roman’s smile had Keira relaxing and thinking that she’d allowed her paranoia to cloud her judgment earlier.

Which was why she was so unprepared for the attack when it occurred.

Keira couldn’t fault Maureen in her timing: she waited for dessert. If she had done it any earlier in the meal it would’ve just made everything awkward. Instead, she went for the kill in between bites of crème brûlée.

“So you two met at the wedding last week?” Maureen’s smile didn’t falter at the question.

Roman smiled over at Keira before answering. “Yes, although we had seen each other before the wedding and knew each other through mutual friends. But last week was the first time we truly connected.”

Keira appreciated that he was trying to make their relationship sound a little more respectable than how they’d actually got started. Not that she was ashamed of it, but telling his mother the hot details seemed unnecessary.

But Maureen Donovan had plans of her own.

“So I noticed you were one of the bridesmaids. How do you know Andrea?”

“She and I worked together a few years ago.”

Maureen looked over at Keira. “Was that before, during or after you were a stripper?”

The words were stated clearly, distinctly enough to make sure not only everyone at their table could hear them, but those guests sitting at the tables surrounding them, as well.

Keira realized she should’ve expected it. She knew people like this. Knew what they were capable of. And yet she’d let herself be drawn in here thinking that being on Roman’s arm could protect her.

She wasn’t stupid. She didn’t know why she had made such a stupid mistake.

Maureen calmly took the napkin out of her lap and folded it, placing it on the table beside her plate as chaos ensued around her. At the word stripper , even Maxwell had turned off his beloved football game. Angela and her fiancé had both gasped and gone wide-eyed, looking back and forth between Roman and Keira.

Roman narrowed his eyes and looked at Maureen. “What are you talking about, Mother? Andrea Gordon Han is an agent at Omega Sector.”

Maureen glanced at her son. “But she wasn’t always an agent at your beloved law enforcement agency—” her eyes turned back to Keira “—was she?”

Keira refused to allow herself to be browbeaten by this woman. “I can’t speak to Andrea’s past, but yes, I used to be a stripper. It was quite lucrative, actually.”

Keira could feel Roman studying her, but she didn’t even look at him. She knew where her enemy was and it was right across the table.

And Maureen wasn’t done. “And now you’re a hairdresser? Is that correct, dear?”

“Yes, it is.” Keira took her napkin and folded it next to her dessert plate just as Maureen had.

“I would imagine that’s not quite as lucrative as taking your clothes off—and whatever else you did—for money.” Maureen’s smile never faltered.

“Mother, that’s enough.” Roman’s voice held a cold anger, but Keira honestly wasn’t sure if it was directed toward his mother or toward her.

Maureen strategically knew when not to push. “Of course, dear. I was just pointing out that a new business can be such a drain on the pocketbook. I wasn’t sure if Keira maybe had discussed needing assistance from you.”

In other words, that Keira was using Roman for his money. Ironically, if she had known Roman and his family had such wealth she would’ve never gotten involved with him in the first place. She’d thought she’d just been getting involved with a law enforcement agent.

“I can assure you the salon is doing just fine and in no need of financial assistance from your family.” Keira stood. “As a matter fact, I would like to thank you for the lovely lunch, but now I should probably be getting back to the salon.”

Maureen smiled. “Of course, dear, you should get back to where you belong. A new business owner always wants to be with her business.”

A few minutes later, after tense goodbyes, Roman had the car pulled around by the valet and they both slipped inside, the silence between them thick and heavy. Neither of them knew quite what to say. No matter how much Keira wanted it to be different, Maureen’s words had hit them both hard.

The drive back from the country club was more of the same. Except for agreeing to go back to the salon rather than his place, there didn’t seem to be much to say.

Roman finally spoke as they pulled up. “My mother—”

Keira cut him off. “Your mother is the matriarch of a family with wealth and power. She wants to protect you. And your family name.”

Keira was intimately familiar with that sort of family protection. It had nearly cost her her life six years ago.

“But still, what she said wasn’t...” he seemed to struggle to find the correct word “...polite.”

Polite. No, talking about someone’s tawdry prior profession at a country club wouldn’t seem polite to him.

Keira shook her head. “That doesn’t mean it wasn’t true. I was a stripper, Roman. I did take off my clothes for money. I don’t apologize for it or try to hide it. And I am a hairdresser now.”

“I know that.”

They sat there in silence for long minutes, neither of them knowing what to say.

“Look.” Keira finally broke the quiet. “We probably jumped into this relationship thing too quickly. Let hormones or lust or whatever get the best of us. Maybe we should just say we had a great week, super fantastic sex, and leave it at that.”

Because Keira couldn’t get involved with a man from a powerful, well-connected family again. She just didn’t have it in her.

Roman looked relieved. “Yeah. Maybe so. Just let it breathe for a while.”

But they both knew “letting it breathe” meant letting it go.

Roman opened the car door for her and hugged her before he left. They both mentioned something about getting together sometime in the future. They both didn’t mean it. Roman gave her a small smile and wave before driving away.

And right there in the late afternoon, the clock struck midnight and everything around her turned to pumpkins.

Chapter Five

Two Months Later

“Who’s up for a beer once we get off?” Liam Goetz asked as the SWAT team was heading back late in the afternoon from a full-day wilderness training course.

The Omega Sector SWAT team wasn’t often called in to do wilderness work, but it did happen. Therefore, training happened.

But this just seemed to be another long day in a series of long days for Roman.

“Don’t ask Roman, for God’s sake,” Lillian said, rolling her eyes. “He’s cranky. Again. This has something to do with a woman, I’m telling you.”

“I’m not cranky,” Roman protested, even though he knew it was just going to feed their argument. “And it has nothing to do with a woman. It’s just been a long-ass day.”