Chapter 6 - Roman Took Khloe to the Rooftop to Protect Her, But the Ambush Revealed the One Person He Never SuspectedMidnight arrived.
Khloe stood on the rooftop beside Roman.
Wind moved through her hair.
The city glittered beneath them.
“This is insane,” she whispered.
“Yes.”
“You've done this before?”
“Been threatened on rooftops?”
She looked at him.
“Yes.”
“Too many times.”
She smiled despite herself.
Then a helicopter appeared.
Roman immediately pulled Khloe behind him.
The helicopter hovered.
A man stepped from a dark stairwell.
Marcus Bell.
Roman raised his gun.
“Where's the Broker?”
Marcus laughed.
“You still think I'm working for him.”
Roman frowned.
Marcus walked forward.
“I've been trying to warn you.”
“About what?”
“That you've been hunting the wrong man.”
Roman's eyes narrowed.
Marcus pointed at Khloe.
“She isn't carrying the ledger anymore.”
Roman looked at her.
“What?”
Khloe's face went pale.
Marcus continued.
“Edward removed the key months ago.”
Roman's stomach tightened.
“He did what?”
Khloe shook her head.
“I didn't know.”
Marcus laughed.
“That is exactly why you're valuable.”
Roman stepped closer.
“Then where is it?”
Marcus smiled.
“Inside you.”
Silence.
Roman froze.
Marcus pulled out a photograph.
The gold watch.
But the photograph showed it in Roman's hands.
Taken weeks earlier.
Roman stared.
“How?”
“You don't remember?”
Roman's expression changed.
He had found the watch in Khloe's room the night of the original attack.
He had picked it up.
He had examined it.
Then returned it.
Someone had been watching.
Marcus continued:
“The ledger doesn't unlock with the watch.”
“What unlocks it?”
“Blood.”
Roman's face hardened.
“Whose?”
Marcus looked at him.
“Gallagher.”
Khloe's eyes widened.
Roman felt a chill.
The ledger had been designed by his father.
His family.
His blood.
The only person who could access it might be him.
That was why everyone had wanted Khloe near him.
Not because she could open it.
Because she could lead them to him.
Roman slowly lowered his weapon.
Khloe grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?”
“Thinking.”
Then the rooftop lights exploded.
Gunfire erupted.
Marcus dropped.
Roman grabbed Khloe and rolled behind an air unit.
“Stay down.”
“I can't hear you!”
“Stay down!”
Men poured onto the roof.
Roman fired.
One.
Two.
Three.
He moved with ruthless precision.
Khloe saw the man she'd been falling for disappear behind the cold mask the world feared.
But when one attacker got too close, Roman threw himself in front of her.
The bullet grazed his shoulder.
Khloe screamed.
“Roman!”
“I’m fine.”
“You're bleeding!”
“I said I'm fine.”
He grabbed her hand.
“Run.”
They reached the stairwell.
The door slammed behind them.
They ran downward.
Then Khloe stopped.
“What?”
“Wait.”
Roman turned.
She pointed upward.
“The helicopter.”
“What about it?”
“It wasn't there to pick someone up.”
Roman understood.
“It was surveillance.”
Khloe nodded.
“Someone wanted to see whether we activated the ledger.”
Roman looked at her.
May you like
Then whispered:
“They wanted my blood.”
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