trying to decide what to say. I knew what I should say. I should say this is moving too fast. I need to live on my own. I have too much baggage. I don’t even know who I really am, but I’m almost positive you deserve someone better. Maybe we should slow down and date first. But when I opened my mouth, none of those things were what came out. Instead, I said, “Are you asking me to move in with you, Roman Barnes?”
He froze like my words made him realize what he’d been rambling on about. “Shit, I jumped ahead, didn’t I? I mean…I just assumed…I mean, I thought…fuck, Trey, I’m sorry I assumed we were on the same page. I should slow—”
“Roman,” I said, then kissed him, stopping him from talking. “I would love to live here with you.”
“You would?” he asked, releasing a breath.
“I would. As soon as we resolve the stalker problem, there’s no place I’d rather go.”
“Guys, seriously, I’m fine,” Ash insisted. “My head isn’t hurting much at all, and most of my bruises are even gone. I’m ready to go home.”
“I’ve never had anyone find me so boring they begged to go home,” Roman teased.
“We are not boring,” I insisted.
“You know you’re welcome to stay here until you find a different place if you want. There’s plenty of room,” Roman said, and my heart swelled. Who did that? For him to offer Ash a place to stay simply because he was my friend was above and beyond. I’m not sure how I got lucky enough for this man to be mine, but I was keeping him.
“We’ll be staying at Trey’s father’s until the stalker’s found, so you would have the place all to yourself,” Roman pointed out. “By the time that’s resolved and we’re back here, you’ll have had time to find a place.”
“But—”
“Just think about it, okay,” I said. “We don’t know how long it will take to find this guy, but you would be safe here.”
“Why aren’t you guys staying here then?”
“I feel better having Fredrick and his guys around,” Roman explained. “Having Ryan and Rand right next door makes this place safer than most, but we aren’t set up for twenty-four-hour security like they are at the Coben Estate. Look, just think it over, you don’t have to answer right away. We have to go to the rally at that college this afternoon. Let us drop you at your place since it isn’t far from there. You can get your car and a few of your things. Stay here for a few more days, and then you can make up your mind.”
“Okay, I could feed your fish if you show me how. But only for a few days.”
After we dropped Ash off, we headed to the rally. My father and his people were already there, and as we neared the event location, Roman’s phone rang.
“Barnes, here. You’re on speaker.”
“Hey, Roman,” Fredrick’s distinct southern accent drawled over the phone. “We just got here, and it looks like we might have some trouble.”
“Trouble?” I asked, glancing at Roman. He reached over and placed his hand on my leg, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“What kind of trouble?” he asked.
“We have a large group of protesters here. They’re blocking the entrances. The venue is providing some security, but we have a call in to the city for additional assistance. The last thing we want is to escalate the situation.”
“How large?”
“Large.”
“Okay, thanks, Fredrick. We’ll see you there in a few minutes.”
“There are always protesters at my father’s rallies. I wonder what has Fredrick spooked this time?”
“I guess we'll see when we get there.”
As soon as we pulled into the parking spot, I realized why Fredrick was worried. This wasn’t a few protesters. This was an organized group, and they were massive. Roman and I shared a concerned look. “This seems excessive for your father’s rally.”
“It does. I wonder if they’re in town for a larger event or something?”
Roman parked and then called Fredrick to let him know where we were. While he had him on the phone, he pressed for more information. “Do we know who they are?”
“Yeah, we actually have two groups here. One is called Mobilize Equality. It’s a group that encompasses a mix of minority groups. Their goal is to bring all the disenfranchised people together for change. That’s straight off their pamphlet. They seem well organized and peaceful. But there’s another group that isn’t. They don’t have an official name, but according