Chapter 10 - The Vault Below
At 6:00 PM, desperate to escape the suffocating luxury of her new bedroom, Sadi took the leather-bound inventory journal and headed down to the basement level.
She knew the estate layout well, but the heavy steel door at the end of the lower hallway had always been locked.
Using the keycard Brendan had provided, she swiped it against the digital scanner. The lock disengaged with a heavy, pneumatic hiss, and the steel door swung open.
Sadi stepped inside and gasped.
The room was not a basement vault; it was a private museum.
Climate-controlled glass cases lined the walls, holding ancient Greek pottery, Roman coins, Renaissance oil paintings, and illuminated medieval manuscripts worth tens of millions of dollars. The lighting was soft, recessed, and designed to preserve the delicate artifacts.
Sadi walked slowly down the center aisle, her art history training taking over.
She stopped in front of a glass case holding a small, bronze statue of a female figure—a Roman depiction of Juno, the queen of the gods. The craftsmanship was extraordinary, the patina on the metal preserved perfectly.
"1st Century AD," a voice said from the doorway.
Sadi turned.
Roman stood at the vault entrance. He had shed his suit jacket and tie, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing the thick, dark tattoos that snaked up his wrists.
"It was recovered from a private collection in Naples three years ago," Roman said, walking into the room, his footsteps silent on the concrete floor. "The previous owner didn't appreciate what he had. He kept it in a wooden box in his attic."
"It's magnificent," Sadi whispered, turning back to the statue. "Juno wasn't just the wife of Jupiter. She was the protector of the state, the goddess of sovereign authority."
"She was a queen who didn't bow to anyone," Roman corrected, stopping behind her. His body heat radiated through the back of her dress. "That's why I bought it."
He reached out, his long fingers tracing the line of her shoulder down to her elbow. "Do you like your rooms?"
"They're too big," Sadi said honestly, looking at him over her shoulder. "Everything in this house is too big, Roman."
"You fit here," Roman murmured, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "You take up space, Sadi. You have a presence that fills a room, even when you're trying to hide in the corner. I built this house for someone who doesn't shrink."
He turned her around slowly until she was facing him, trapped between his massive body and the glass display case.
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"You're a dangerous man, Roman," Sadi whispered, her breath catching as his hands settled on her hips.
"I am a monster to the people who cross me," Roman agreed softly, leaning down until his lips brushed against the shell of her ear. "But to you... I am whatever you need me to be."
