After The Storm

by K. M. Scott

  The walls surrounding her now were beige. No, this was definitely not her bedroom at home. Bits and pieces of other rooms she thought she knew flitted through her mind. A dive motel room with a hideous green and brown bedspread. When had she been there? A much nicer hotel room and a bed she didn’t fear sleeping in. A million dollar home out by the lake.

  Scenes began forming in her head, like parts of a story she should know. Then the heartbreaking truth came rushing forward into her consciousness. Jonas was dead. Samuel Darnell, his client he refused to tell her about, was also dead. How? Who had done that?

  She didn’t have the answers, but she needed to find them.

  A twinge in her shoulder made her wince, but she knew her body always ached when she spent too long in bed and she had no idea how long she’d been asleep in this strange place. She needed to get up and figure out where the hell she was. Sitting up, she felt the twinge instantly grow to a red-hot shot of pain that stabbed through her shoulder and took her breath away.

  “Ohhhh,” she groaned as she eased back down onto the bed.

  “Kate? Are you awake?” a familiar voice asked from beside her.

  She turned her head to see who had spoken and saw Roman. A jolt of recognition at seeing his face brought everything back to her, and she nearly became overwhelmed by the reality of what had happened.

  “Where am I? Did I get shot? What happened, Roman?” she asked as she reached out for the comfort of his hand.

  His dark eyes filled with happiness, and he smiled as he took her hand in his. Standing, he hurried to her side and sat down on the edge of the bed with her.

  “I’m so happy you’re okay. The doctor said he got the bullet out, so now you just need to take it easy and rest. Whatever you need, just tell me and I’ll get it for you so you don’t have to move out of this bed.”

  He sounded so happy and so hopeful that she hated having to bring him down to earth with her questions, but she needed to know the answers. “Where am I, Roman?”

  “We’re at the place where I live. We brought you here after you were shot.”

  “Where is the place you live?” she asked, sure only that he didn’t mean anywhere in New Orleans.

  “Virginia. We’re at the Project Artemis estate. Specifically, we’re in the hospital wing of the estate,” he said with a tender smile.

  “Where you live has a hospital wing?” Kate asked in amazement.

  He’d told her a little about the group he worked with, but he hadn’t mentioned it had enough money to own an estate and one with a hospital wing. Who had that kind of money? Did he work for some reclusive billionaire or something? Images of masked superheroes floated through her mind, making her smile.

  “Yes. Persephone and Nick, the two people who run Project Artemis, found out we needed one after a few of us came back from assignments pretty banged up,” Roman explained casually, as if every workplace needed a hospital on site to fix up their employees.

  “What kind of people do you work for, Roman?”

  He brought her hand to his lips to kiss and smiled. “The best kind. They rushed you to a hospital and then when you were safe to transport, they brought you here so you can recuperate in somewhere nicer than a hospital ward. As soon as you’re well enough, they told me we could use one of the outer houses on the estate for as long as we want.”

  Kate glanced over at her shoulder and saw it bandaged up. Wincing, she remembered the pain she felt right before she passed out. “I remember getting shot but nothing after that until I woke up here.”

  “Don’t think about it. You’re safe now.”

  Whatever else she felt, she knew he’d keep his word. He always had from the moment he walked into that motel room at the Bayou. Now, as she slowly pieced everything together, she couldn’t believe that out of everything, he’d stayed true to her in all he’d promised.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw the bedroom door open and a gorgeous woman with long brown hair and big brown eyes came into the room. Roman stood, still holding her hand, and introduced the woman.

  “Kate, this is Persephone Gilmore, the owner of Project Artemis and the estate. Persephone, this is Kate Sheridan.”

  So this was the reclusive billionaire. Kate had imagined her as a man and more imposing. Instead, Persephone Gilmore physically wasn’t much more than a slip of a thing with model looks who carried herself like she’d had money every day of her life.

  Not that Kate held that against her. She just knew old money when she saw it standing in front of her.

  “How are you doing, Kate? You gave Roman here a good scare back there in that hangar. I’m just glad that we were able to get you the help you needed and here so you can be comfortable as you recuperate. Is there anything you need?” Persephone asked as she walked over to the dresser to pick up the remote control for the TV.

  “I don’t think so,” Kate answered as she watched her move around to the side of the bed where Roman sat next to her.

  “Well, anything you need, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  Persephone turned on the TV, and as the picture came into focus, she said, “I thought you two would like to see this.”

  Kate glanced over at Roman for some explanation, but he shook his head, clearly not having any information about what Persephone meant. Holding hands, they watched as Governor Williams was led out of the state capitol at Baton Rouge by federal marshalls. Reporters swarmed as he was escorted down the stairs and into a waiting black sedan that sped away as the newscaster explained he would be indicted on an array of charges, including corruption, fraud, conspiracy to commit murder, and attempted murder. In addition, the news reported, other charges may be pending upon completion of the investigation into crimes the governor’s office had been committing for years.

  Not exactly shocked, still Kate couldn’t believe that finally the truth had started to come out. She turned to look at Roman and sighed, happy to know they’d helped reveal the governor’s crimes.

  “So Jonas was right all along? He just didn’t have all the details,” she said sadly, hating the governor for what he’d done to Jonas and Samuel.

  Persephone nodded as she switched off the TV. “He was closer than he even knew. I suspect when Governor Williams realized he figured out enough of the story to endanger the governor’s future, which was rumored might involve a run for president someday, he had him and his client killed.”

  Shaking his head, Roman asked, “So all of this revolved around a whistleblower thinking the state police were crooked because of Williams?”

  “Oh, no. It’s far more than that.”

  “What do you mean?” Kate asked, confused. If Jonas had been right all along, how was this not a case of police corruption involving the governor?

  Persephone walked to the foot of Kate’s bed and set the remote back on the dresser as she began to explain the whole sordid tale. “In 2007, two years after Hurricane Katrina, a twenty-five year old woman named Diana Preston died in a Lafayette, Louisiana apartment in a building rebuilt with federal money given to the owner of the building, a man named Joseph Battier. This Joseph Battier was a friend of the mayor of Lafayette at that time, Charles Williams, who helped him get the federal money. In 2008, Charles Williams ran for state senate and won. But when he was mayor of Lafayette, he and a few of his friends, including Joseph Battier, took federal money to rebuild properties while they cut corners, which led to Diana Preston’s death. He continued to funnel money to his cronies even after he went to Baton Rouge.”

  “Did he and Battier know the shoddy work on the apartment had been responsible for the woman’s death?” Roman asked.

  “From all Xavier has been able to find out, yes, they did. In 2012, Williams was elected governor, and as Governor Williams, he helped his friends in Lafayette when Diana Preston’s estate sued Joseph Battier. He sent the state police to intimidate people involved in the case, including Diana’s neighbor who witnessed the shoddy construction in her apa
rtment and moved out right after her death and her friend who had been staying with her at the time of her death. Those initials you found in your boss’s files were those of the officers involved. That neighbor was your boss’s client, Kate, Samuel Darnell. It seems when he first approached Jonas Flynn, he thought it was a police harassment case. It was only when Jonas began doing some digging that he found out that the state police intimidation was just the tip of the iceberg.”

  Kate stared at Persephone in stunned amazement. Never in her wildest dreams did she believe Jonas had stumbled up a conspiracy like the one she’d just heard. He was just a local personal injury attorney, and he’d succeeded in scaring the governor himself so much that he had him and Samuel killed. She hung her head as tears filled her eyes, sad that they’d paid the ultimate price simply because Jonas had wanted to know the truth.

  “I want you to know I think you’re a very brave woman, Kate. Roman’s told me all about what you two did, and while I never like to see any client of ours get hurt, I’m honored to meet you.”

  Lifting her head, Kate dried her eyes. “Thanks. I don’t feel brave. I just wanted to find out who had killed Jonas and Samuel and try not to die in the process. All the bravery belonged to Roman.”

  “Your boss may have started all of this, but it’s because of you and Roman that the governor’s corruption has been uncovered. I made sure to let the lieutenant governor know that when I presented him with what we found.”

  Roman added, “And Xavier. Don’t forget him.”

  Persephone smiled. “I’m sure he won’t let me. Well, rest up and don’t worry about a thing.”

  Before she left, Persephone looked over at Roman, and Kate noticed how her expression changed from the happy one she’d worn just a moment ago to one that seemed to show worry when she looked at him. He’d done his job, so why would she not be happy with him?

  Alone with Roman, she said, “It looks like you fulfilled your mission, I guess. Thank you for everything you did. You saved my life.”

  He kissed her softly on the lips and leaned back to look at her. “I didn’t have a choice, and it wasn’t because of the mission.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  He shook his head. “No. I love you, Kate.”

  Before she told him how she felt about him, she needed to know about his relationship with Persephone. “That woman is your boss? She didn’t look too happy with you. Why? Does she blame you for my getting shot? Because I’m more than happy to tell her how much you did for me. Unless it’s something else.”

  “I think it might be. I think she knows how I feel about you.”

  “Is there a problem with that?” Kate asked, worried he was unhappy about Persephone knowing how he felt about her. Was there something between Roman and his boss?

  “Not with me.”

  Kate searched Roman’s dark eyes desperate for the answer she wanted to hear. “Are you sure? I mean, if there’s something I should know, tell me. Don’t feel like you have to lie to me to save my feelings because I was shot. I’d rather know the truth, Roman.”

  For a moment, he seemed confused and then he smiled broadly, shaking his head. “Oh, you think Persephone and I are together? No way. She and Nick started all this together after something similar to what happened to you happened to her. There’s nothing between us except she’s my boss.”

  “Oh.”

  Roman kissed her again and whispered against her lips, “Let’s try that again. I love you, Kate.”

  “I love you, Roman,” she answered back, happy but unsure what the future held. “So what happens now?”

  He pressed his forehead to hers and smiled. “I don’t know, but whatever happens, it’s going to be the two of us together.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Roman walked into the very room where he’d first met Nick and Persephone and the rest of the men who would join Project Artemis with him. He’d attended weekly meetings in that room whenever he wasn’t out on assignment, but today’s meeting would be different from those others because his part in the group was about to change.

  The rest of the group, except for Dax and Marius who were out on assignments, walked in and took their usual seats on the couches and chairs while he remained standing near the window where he always positioned himself whenever they got together. He’d never truly become friends with any of the others, preferring to keep to himself. But like every one of them, he remained committed to the cause he’d signed up for that night when Persephone told them what she wanted Project Artemis to be.

  Nick walked in alone and made his way over to where Roman stood. They shook hands as they did each time they met. Nick was that kind of guy.

  “So Persephone tells me Kate is doing well. I would have stopped over at the carriage house, but I didn’t want to interrupt anything,” he said with a sly grin.

  “She’s up and around again, so feel free to stop over,” Roman said with a chuckle. “We’d love to have you and Persephone over for dinner some night.”

  His eyes lit up at the offer. “Sounds good! Persephone and I never go out much anymore. I should be able to pry her away from her desk to at least get her to cross the grounds to do dinner with friends.”

  Roman contained his surprise at Nick’s use of the word friends since he’d always kept so much to himself that he didn’t think he had any real friends at the estate. Acquaintances, sure. But not friends.

  “You know, Roman, we do think of you as a friend. I know you’ve been an employee, but Persephone and I consider each and every one of you more than that. You signed on to something that had never existed in this form before. You took a chance and believed in what we were trying to do here. We’ve never forgotten that.”

  “Thanks, Nick. That means a lot to me. You guys have been incredible letting Kate and me stay out at the carriage house. We really appreciate it.”

  Just then, Persephone walked into the room. Nick patted Roman on the shoulder and smiled. “Time to get to work. I think she has some announcement to make today.”

  He walked away, and Roman moved a step into the center of the room to hear what she had to say. The rest of the men stopped talking and turned their attention to the lone woman who stood behind the chair at the opposite side of the room.

  “Today’s meeting will be short and sweet. When you all started with Project Artemis, you signed an agreement saying you would be retired from the company if at any point you were no longer unattached. Nick and I initially thought that was for the best, but I’ve had second thoughts about that recently. So from today onward, you may choose to remain with us even if you find yourself personally involved. Each situation will be handled on a case by case basis, so it might mean your position in the company changes, but you will no longer be retired because of personal issues. Thank you.”

  Xavier raised his hand and waited for Persephone to call on him. “This isn’t school, X. You can just ask me whatever you need to.”

  Grinning, he looked over at Roman and then back at her. “Yeah. Is this because Roman finally decided being alone sucked and now has a girlfriend? Inquiring minds want to know.”

  The rest of the group laughed and glanced at Roman as Persephone rolled her eyes and Nick stifled his own chuckle at Xavier’s complete lack of tact. As much as Roman wanted to slug him, he had helped solve his case, so he hung back. He’d get him later.

  “At least we’ll never have to worry about losing you, X,” Persephone said with a wink. “Roman, when you can, please come see me,” she added before turning on her heels and walking out.

  As Xavier tried to convince everyone in the room that he did fine with the ladies and any woman would be happy to be with him, Roman followed Nick to the office he shared with her and sat down in front of her desk.

  “You wanted to see me?”

  She smiled as she sat down in her chair and nudged it up to her desk. “I didn’t expect you to come see me now. I figured you’d want to get back to Kate. She’s still improving?”<
br />
  He nodded, happy to report the good news. “Yeah, she’s doing great. She’s already fighting me on everything I suggest, which is typical Kate.”

  “Good. Well, you heard my announcement. As much as X likes to be a joker, it was in response to your situation with Kate. Nick and I have talked about your position here, and we don’t want to lose you.”

  Roman looked across the desk at her in confusion. “I’m not sure I can still do the job you hired me for, Persephone. I wouldn’t feel right leaving Kate to go protect other women.”

  “I understand. I wouldn’t be comfortable with Nick doing that for another woman. That’s why we’d like you to stay on and work with us here. You wouldn’t have to leave on assignments, and if you chose to, you could continue living in the carriage house. Project Artemis means the world to me, and I want the best people working on what we do for women who need our help. You’ve been committed from the day you signed on with us. I just want to give you the chance to keep working on a cause you believe in.”

  Roman couldn’t deny he cared about what they did at Project Artemis. His life had been dedicated to protecting people, and the women he and his fellow members of the group helped in each case needed them. He didn’t know if he was ready to walk away from that, even though he now had someone he loved and cared for at home for the first time.

  “Can I think about it? I want to speak to Kate about this before I make any decisions.”

  Persephone smiled. “I thought you would, so take your time and talk it over with her. When you’re ready to make a decision, let us know. We’ll be here.”

  Roman found Kate making the bed one handed, her other arm still in a sling after her surgery weeks before. Sneaking up on her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his lips against her neck.

  “I got some interesting news at the meeting today.”

  She giggled from the feel of his new beard growth against her skin and turned in his hold. Smiling up at him, she kissed him on the lips.