Roman: Book 2 (The Hunter Brothers Series) Read Free Page B

but I changed my mind,” he said, his gaze lingering on me as my flush
deepened. It was too late; Charlie had caught it and looked livid.
    “Anyway, what do
you mean I wouldn’t have the nerve? What did the bastard tell you?” Roman asked
as Lucas threw Charlie a warning glare.
    “What, so you’re
claiming you didn’t fuck my girlfriend?” Charlie said; his voice laced with
fury as I cast a worried glance at Jess. She was watching the whole thing
unfold as dumbfounded as I was. Roman laughed a slow, deliberate laugh as
Charlie stood, looking ready to punch him. His handsome features were contorted
in anger as Lucas rose, grabbing his elbow firmly and holding him back. They
were staring silently, but Roman didn’t flinch and I imagined he could handle
himself pretty well. He certainly looked like a hard bastard, and I imagined
there’d be some power behind those incredible muscles. The last thing I wanted
was for him to unleash it on Charlie.
    “Jesus Christ,
that’s fucking twisted, even by the old man’s standards,” he laughed again. “He
told you I left because I screwed my own sister?” Everyone stared at him in
wide eyed surprise, seemingly unable to process what he was saying.
      “What do you mean, Roman?” Tyler asked quickly
as Roman shook his head. I looked on with increasing curiosity. His sister? They
didn’t have a sister.
    “He told you I slept
with Scarlett and you believed him?” Roman asked incredulously, laughter
turning to disbelief as he glanced at each of his brothers in turn. “You
believed it?” he shouted at Charlie before the room filled with an eerie
silence.
    Tyler broke it
suddenly, approaching his brother who tensed immediately, still staring at
Charlie and urging his answer. “I didn’t believe it,” he said as Roman cast him
a tight smile, glancing at Lucas briefly before turning his attention back to
Charlie.
    “You fucking
believed him?” he asked again as a dozen emotions swept through Charlie’s face.
    “Of course I
believed him. He told me he caught the two of you in bed. He said that he threw
you out and told you never to come back,” he shouted, watching Roman carefully
as he shook his head slowly, his eyes filled with pain.
    “I’m your brother,
Charlie. There’s a code; a line you don’t cross and that is one of them,” he
said as Charlie stared at him, a deep frown etched on confused features.
    “What the hell was
I supposed to think, Roman? You took off without a word to any of us. No one
could find you. There was no other explanation,” he said firmly as Roman shook
his head in disgust.
    “And what did she say?” he asked as Charlie gazed at
the floor, running agitated hands through his hair.
    “I didn’t speak to
her about it. I just cut her off,” he said regretfully as Roman laughed
disbelievingly.
    “You dumb fuck.
Why didn’t you just ask her? She would have told you there wasn’t an ounce of
truth in it,” he said as Charlie sighed deeply.
    “I didn’t ask her
because I thought it was true, Roman?” Charlie said quietly, clearly struggling
to process the fact that his father had lied to him so cruelly.
    “Of course it
isn’t true. But I’ve got to give it to the old man; it was a genius move to get
rid of us both.”
    “You said sister,
Roman. What did you mean?” Lucas asked firmly.
    “What do you think
I meant?” Roman replied as each of them looked on in puzzlement and I cast a
quick glance as Jess who was looking as troubled as Lucas.
    “What happened
twenty seven years ago?” His haunted blue eyes glanced around the room. He was
growing increasingly impatient and frustrated.
    “Dad dissolved the
business with Everett,” Tyler said and all eyes were trained on Roman who was
nodding.
    “Why?” he asked as
Lucas blew out a hugely exaggerated sigh.
    “No one knows,
Roman.”
      “It turns out I do, and it looks like I’ll
have to spell it out.” Charlie stared at him wide eyed. Whatever skeletons were
lurking