Roman - Lane Hart Page 0,31
an employee escort.”
“See? I’ll be fine,” Tessa assures me, even though I’m not one hundred percent sure I believe her.
“I want to visit her every day,” I tell the doctor, who gives me a nod.
“As long as you can be flexible with Tessa’s scheduled activities and appointments necessary for her treatment, then we can accommodate you for daily visits.”
“Good,” I say with a sigh of relief. “Do you need anything before I go?”
“No, I think I have everything I need. Thank you for deciding to stay in town, Charlotte. Knowing I’ll get to see you each day will give me something to look forward to.”
“Absolutely,” I tell her, my eyes burning with tears that I try to hold back. If anyone should be upset and crying, it should be Tessa. She’s holding it together and being so unbelievably strong despite what has happened to her.
“Roman, you may have to drag her out of here,” Tessa teases.
“I’m going!” I say with a smile. “Call me later? She can call me, right?” I ask the doctor.
“Only on our landline phones. Cell phones are not allowed, to protect the privacy of our patients.”
“Not to mention the fact that people can be tracked by phones,” Roman adds, the first thing he’s said in a while. It’s not exactly reassuring, which is why I narrow my eyes at him in warning. “I just meant that it’s safer in here not to have cell phones on.”
“He’s right,” the doctor says. “You won’t find a more secure facility than ours.”
“Except maybe a prison,” Roman jokes.
“Tessa knows that she is free to leave at any time,” the doc replies, sounding a bit indignant.
“I know, and I want to stay at least for a while,” Tessa agrees.
“In that case then, we’ll get going,” I agree. “See you tomorrow, and we’ll talk later tonight,” I tell Tessa when I give her a hug goodbye.
“We will, so don’t worry about me,” she says when we break apart. “Roman, you can take her away now.”
“It will be my pleasure,” he answers with a grin before I give his shoulder a gentle shove.
With one last wave at Tessa, I finally lead the way to the exit, hoping that this place will be everything Tessa needs it to be.
Roman
“So, what are you going to do since you can only see Tessa during visiting hours?” I ask Charlotte on the walk back to my bike when we leave the center.
“I-I guess I’ll get a hotel room,” she replies, her eyes blinking rapidly. She’s about to cry because she’s worried about her best friend and doesn’t want to leave her. Hell, I barely know Tessa and even I feel protective of her. But I’ve done my own research and only heard great things about this place. Thanks to the constant guard patrol and surveillance, Tessa will be as safe here as she would be sleeping in the Savage Kings’ clubhouse.
“You’re going to stay in a hotel room for a month?” I ask her.
“Sure. Why not?” she questions when we come to a stop next to my Harley.
“Because spring break is coming up soon and all the hotels are probably booked. Not to mention the resorts will be hiking their rates to make up for the winter lull, which means you’re probably looking to pay at least two or three thousand a week, if you can find someplace vacant that doesn’t have big-ass water bugs running around everywhere.”
Charlotte winces. “Water bugs?”
“Yeah, they’re like cockroaches except bigger. Supersized, if you will.”
“S-supersized roaches?” Her throat works as she swallows hard, imagining the creepy bastards crawling around where she would be eating and sleeping, just as I wanted.
“Uh-huh. They’re a big problem on the coast unless you’re serious about spraying.”
“I didn’t see any bugs at your rental house,” Charlotte points out with her hands on her hips, as if she thinks I’m making this shit up.
“Because we’re high class, baby,” I joke. “But you get what you pay for out here. A hundred bucks a night during spring break will only get you water bugs or bed bugs. Possibly both.”
“Ew, yuck,” she mutters. “What about the beach house?”
“What about it?” I reply, leaning my ass against my bike with my arms crossed, pretending I’m clueless and don’t know that she’s asking to stay there for a month.
“All my stuff is already there. Is it available for the next month?”
“Booked solid through September like all the other decent places,” I tell her truthfully. “I had to put up this last group