Roman preferred the smaller coffee shops as opposed to the larger, corporate places. There was something local, homely, about them that the chains struggled to replicate. While he enjoyed a Starbucks here and there, he found that the baristas weren’t always the friendliest or the cleanest - they also didn’t seem to take much pride in their work.
So, whenever he saw a place that seemed a potential spot for indulgence he would make a note to visit.
M&M was one of those places.
Today he wasn’t dressed in his usual garb of expensive suit, but blending in with more casually appropriate clothes. A steaming espresso in a tiny, white, pristine cup sat comfortably on a saucer waiting to be inhaled.
He was standing at a small, upright table designed for those who preferred bipedal as opposed to sitting comfortably in the array of couches and chairs, or at the little tables. He browsed through a few emails on his phone - work, it was always work - and waited for the now bitter liquid to cool a bit more.
Celeste was waiting near the hand-off for her order, scrolling through her phone while she waited. Ever since the events of Samhain, she had felt almost restless. The brunette was still deciding what should be done about Caleb, what first steps needed to be taken besides locating him. She and James had done a location spell, pinning him down to a modest hotel near McCarran Airport.
“Order for Celeste,” the barista called out, carefully placing a steaming mug on the counter. Celeste thanked the employee and picked up the latte, sweeping her gaze over the cafe for an empty table.
That name caught his attention and Roman looked up from his phone, mid browsing of a work email. The screen on the device darkened, his eyes swept to the woman with the unique name and he realized instantly it was her.
Phone dove into his jeans, Roman picked up the tiny espresso cup but left the saucer behind, carrying the small beverage over to where Celeste stood.
“Excuse me,” he began. He hoped she wasn’t as skittish as she looked, but then Caleb wanted her gone as far as he knew though he would assess that for himself. “Are you Celeste Henry, by chance?” He offered a charming, albeit honest smile. “If so, I need to speak with you urgently, you’re in danger.” His voice had dropped into a near whisper by then.
“Could we go over there?” He hoped she would follow, hear him out. The place he pointed was where he had been standing before, the little saucer acting as a placeholder.
Hearing her full name spoken by a stranger was almost surreal, at first. Celeste stood silent for a moment, eyeing him up, then looking toward where he was pointing. She was assessing the level of risk involved. ’You’re in danger’ wasn’t the most comforting conversational starter.
However, they were in the middle of a semi-busy coffee shop, and Celeste was confident she could head off any trouble before it started. The brunette nodded, holding her mug with one hand, the other touching the strap of her bag as she followed him to the little standing table.
“How about you tell me your name, first, since you seem to know mine,” she said.
With that nod, Roman breathed and then turned, heading back to where he had been hovering moments before. The tiny cup, after a careful sip was taken, would descend back to its little holding place on the pristine white saucer.
“Roman Skye,” he offered as a way of introduction and also answering her question. “I won’t keep you long, your time is precious of course, but I wanted to warn you.”
He knew that beginning the conversation with defenses up could be risky - would she listen to what he had to say or would she disregard the information and focus only on what he’d approached with at the start?
Of course he expected questions, he wouldn’t blame her at all if she was angry or upset, too.
Celeste set the still-steaming mug carefully onto the table. Now she had both hands free. She kept her gaze on him. She didn’t think she had seen him around before. “Okay,” she began, tone level and neutral. Her next thought was that this definitely had something to do with Caleb, and this man definitely did not look like the typical people that he and her family usually associated with.
“Why am I in danger, and from who?”
“Caleb Henry,” he began, softly. A quick look around and Roman felt comfortable enough to continue. “Your brother, I assume you both know of each other, has hired me to find you. I was hoping to run into you first before he did so I could let you know he was looking for you. I don’t think he means to have a cordial reunion, if you get what I’m saying.”
While he didn’t know the exact plan, he knew when something had an ominous tone to it and it didn’t take a genius to read between the lines.
“I’m not going to tell him about this conversation, or the fact that you and I have met in person, but I thought you might find the information good to have for preparation.”
Now, that was surprising. Celeste stared at him for a moment. She had about a dozen more questions. The fact that Caleb had actually hired someone to find her, and that he was apparently doing it on his own, did not bode well. The brunette wondered if her family even knew that he was looking for her.
“Why are you going against your client?” Celeste took a slow sip of her latte, her eyes never leaving Roman’s. “What’s in it for you?”
It violated attorney-client privilege what he was doing right now, and he could be disbarred if someone reported him. But the risk was worth the blood on his hands in this circumstance. He had done a lot of things, some worse than others, but maybe he wanted to prove Ro wrong, that he wasn’t like Noah in the way she seemed to assume.
“Just the knowledge that you’re alive at the end of this is all I get out of it. You could report me if you wanted to, I’m a lawyer. This is against what we do, though if we have knowledge privy to things that could end up shady we can and are supposed to report it. Some do a better job at that than others.”
He took another, casual sip from the tiny cup. “But I have a feeling you believe what I’m telling you or you would’ve walked off by now.”
“I know Caleb, and I believe that he is capable of doing something dangerous,” Celeste confirmed. She didn’t meet a lot of lawyers in the course of her everyday life, but she would go out on a limb and guess that Roman was behaving unusually. “He can be dangerous to you, too,” she pointed out, “if he finds out you lied to him. He hates being lied to. Especially if he’s paying you a lot.”
Her eyes dropped briefly down to her cup, then back up at him. “What did he tell you about me?”
Roman offered Celeste a small smile, “Better me than you, I suppose.” He had a few things in his pocket to utilize for resources. Even if Caleb did find out, Roman suspected that now Celeste was privy that he would move on if she got out of town. And he would deal with whatever aftermath or pieces were there to handle. “My line of work comes with its share of risk, and I’m capable of handling that.” He was glad for the bit of consideration, however.
A moment of thought would be taken, and then Roman recounted the initial meeting that took place between himself and Caleb - leaving out what he didn’t think was important or relevant. “He gave this photograph to me,” Roman added, slipping the picture of Celeste from the pocket of his shirt, setting it down on the table between them. “He said it was from three years ago. Whatever is on his mind must be important enough to come handle business himself.”
She looked down at the photo. What he must have done to get it...Celeste couldn’t imagine the person who took it was still in one piece. The brunette sighed under her breath and flipped the photograph over. “He doesn’t want anyone else to know about it,” she murmured. “And no one would question him.”
Celeste wanted to go to James, tell him about what just transpired. She had a good idea of what needed to be done, and Roman had just confirmed it. “Thank you for letting me know,” she added. “I already knew he was looking for me, but knowing his mindset...that helps.”
Caleb may not have wanted anyone else to know about what he was planning, but Roman had an idea, and now Celeste knew. He hoped that whatever happened next would benefit himself and also her keeping that the more dangerous pieces of the chessboard were now moving into play.
“You’re welcome. I may be a lawyer, but I am here to help you. If you need anything you can contact me anytime.” He set one of his cards down on top of the picture for her to take if she wanted it. She could have more questions, anyway.
She looked down at the card for a moment, before picking it up and sliding it into her bag. “Are you expensive?” Celeste asked. She wasn’t sure exactly why she wanted to know. Maybe because it indicated Caleb’s level of desperation. He was afraid of her, or at least feeling threatened by her existence.
Roman smiled at Celeste in response, “My services aren’t for everyone, if that’s any indication. I do pro Bono work, but if you’re curious about this particular case, then I will tell you that my resources are not cheap, nor is my time. But for someone like you, if you need my help, call me. I don’t feel like you’re the type to take advantage of my time.”
The brunette nodded. She wasn’t sure entirely what to say next. Celeste was still uncomfortable with strangers offering help without apparently wanting anything in return. “I don’t have any plans to report you,” she told him, circling back to something he said earlier. “But maybe you should reconsider what clients you take on in the future. I’m pretty sure Caleb is an undiagnosed psychopath.”
He considered her warning, shrugging his shoulders, “Whatever clients come through my door get a fair shot, sometimes those I serve are quicker to show their true colors than others.” Picking and choosing was something he could do, it was realistic, but at first the request seemed fairly standard. It was only after the few conversations between them did Roman realize he was in for more than just a location.
“Fair enough, Roman.” Celeste looked back down at her coffee. She had lost her taste for it, at the moment. There was something else that needed to be said, and she wondered how he would take it.
“And if I find out that this was a trick, that you’re going straight to Caleb afterward, well…” She looked up and met his gaze evenly. “I was raised in the same place he was, and I can be dangerous, too. I’m choosing to trust you, for now.”
Roman offered a grin at her threat. He was losing more by turning on Caleb than she really knew. “I wouldn’t dream of it, but then my word is only as good as my actions. I wouldn’t set myself up for dangerous trouble if there wasn't a good reason.” Saving a life, protecting a woman he had never met until now. It seemed like an alright thing to do. At the very least it was entertaining.