Read Online Masked by Janelle Stalder - Free Book Online Page B

“Since when are you so interested in my past?”
    “We’re friends, aren’t we? Why wouldn’t I want to know more about you?”
    “Because every time I tried to talk about something like that before, you always said, and I quote, ‘I’m not your damn therapist. Go tell someone who cares, or is paid to listen.’”
    It surprised them both when Bridgette broke out into a fit of giggles. Roman smiled, watching her. Leave it to Charlotte to say something like that. She took a deep breath when her laughter stopped, looking out at the city with a shake of her head.
    “Just tell me, and leave it be,” she said. What explanation could she really give for all her personality changes?
    He placed his hands on the bricks in front of them, his long fingers gripping the edge. He had beautiful hands, she decided. They looked strong and capable, the kind of hands that knew how to do things to a woman’s body. Her face went up in flames at the thought. What was it with this man? Any time she was near him she turned into a puddle of hormones.
    “Ludwig found me when I was fifteen.” He went quiet for a moment, lost in his memories. “He saved me from the streets. Without him, I’d probably be dead right now.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    “He gave me structure and discipline. I didn’t have either of those things when I was on my own. I got into trouble a lot, and hung around the wrong kinds of people. Ludwig saw something in me and nurtured it. He took me in, gave me a home and the encouragement I needed to make more of myself.”
    “And this life? This is what you would have wanted for yourself?” She didn’t believe that. How could anyone want to become a renowned killer? Ludwig might have saved him from the streets, but what he gave him in return wasn’t all that much better in her opinion.
    Roman looked over at her, capturing her gaze. She saw so much confusion and an inner conflict there. It made her wonder if the mighty Roman Adamson was as happy with his life as he appeared to be. Was there a heart beneath that tough exterior?
    “What about you?” he asked, ignoring her question. “Is this the life you would have chosen?”
    “If it were a perfect world, I’d want to be anywhere but here,” she answered.
    He smiled a sad smile, his eyes roaming over her covered face. “Well, since it isn’t a perfect world, I’d just like to say that I’m happy you are.”
    A warm feeling spread through her chest at his words. Roman Adamson liked that she was here with him. She wondered how often he got to just talk to someone the way they were. Now that she thought about it, she hardly ever had this sort of interaction with another person. Bridgette was so used to walking with her head down, going from work to home, and back again, she hardly gave herself a chance to get close to anyone. There was McKay, but they were only close because they’d known each other since they were youngsters. Besides McKay and the rest of his crew, she didn’t really have very many friends.
    The girls at work didn’t count really. Sure, she’d call them her friends, but not very many of them knew much about her. No one had in-depth conversations, or asked each other about their past, or even their future. Michelle was the closest thing she had to a best friend, and even she knew very little about Bridgette. Perhaps people’s reluctance to grow close to others was simply a result of how different the world had become. You couldn’t really trust people in the New World like you could before the war.
    “I’m not sure what I’d do without you, Lottey,” he said, dousing the warmth instantly. It wasn’t her he was here with, it was Charlotte. Her chest ached, and she found herself absently rubbing at it with the heel of her palm. He continued without waiting for her reply, “I know I told you I regret ever bringing you here, and a big part of me does. I wish life could have been easier for you. But another part of me is thankful,