I took Rose to a safe house I acquired years ago. I wanted a place no one knew about in case I should ever need it. Sage knew about it, but I told her we’d hopefully never see the inside of it.
She was more than happy to accept that. Despite her lavish upbringing, she is not at all materialistic. She loves our little place. I’ve offered to let her redecorate many times, but she’s always vehemently refused, saying this place was home. So we continue to live in our little man cave.
I head down the stairs after leaving Rose’s room. I heard her mumbling Lacey’s name over and over. Not able to stand the thought of her having nightmares, I went in there, gently woke her, and heard her concerns, before winking and telling her to try to get some sleep again.
Now I’m not able to sleep. Not that I could to start with, but I’m done trying. When I reach the kitchen, I pour myself a small glass of whatever alcohol is in the fridge and sit at the table, staring at the wall for a moment.
Where the hell is Sage? What is she doing? What is she thinking?
Ring! Ring!
I immediately snatch it up.
“Rod.”
“Nope.”
My blood chills. Aaron.
Of course he’d use one of his few fucking phone calls to torment me.
“Where’s my daughter now? You move her?”
“Yes,” I grit out, teeth clenched.
“Where?”
“Tell Rod to let Sage go. I’ll do what you want. Just… fuck, let her go.”
“Actually, I don’t think you’re doing enough to protect Rose. I think you’re so jealous of her, you can’t see straight,” he says coolly.
“No. Fuck you, you good for nothing piece of shit! I’m doing my job. You don’t think I’d protect her regardless? I’m not fucking with you. She’s a kid caught up in bad shit. Jealousy isn’t a fucking factor in this.”
“Calm down, son. Do as you’re told and nothing will happen to your little girlfriend.” I can almost see the fucker rolling his eyes like this is no big deal. “She’ll be fine,” he grumbles.
“You’re gonna destroy Sage. Just let her live her life. This is between me, you, Rose, and the goddamn mafia, Marketta. I’ve been nothing but loyal to you, and you’ve treated me like shit. I’ve never asked for one fucking thing from you. Just leave Sage out of this. That’s all I’m asking.”
“No.”
Click.
“Ahhh!”
I slam the phone down on the table and before I can stop it, I throw the nearest vase across the room. I’m gonna go crazy. The rage inside me is like a disease. That fucking…
“Nix! Nix! Stop,” I hear Rose shriek out of nowhere. I left her upstairs!
I grab a plate from the table and throw it to the ground.
“Nix!” Rose’s cold hand wraps around my forearm. “Nix,” she whispers, her big blue eyes full of worry.
I’m so angry I know I’m staring daggers into her. None of this is her fault, but of course she’s the favorite child. The people she loves don’t get kidnapped and hurt. Just mine!
“You should go upstairs, sis,” I warn her.
“I’m not leaving you here to suffer alone.”
She lifts her chin and purses her lips slightly defiantly, before dragging me to the couch to sit. With that, I deflate.
Fuck, Sage. I just put her even more at risk by begging Aaron like that. What was I thinking?!
Before I can drop my head in my hands, Rose is over with a wet paper towel, wrapping it around my bleeding palm.
“Your hands are bleeding,” she explains.
“Thank you.”
I mean it. She’s being kind, given my level of psycho right now. I gently take the paper towel from her and hold it to my palm. She pulls up a chair in front of me.
… And then the questions begin. Dangerous questions.
So you don’t work for my father?
He’s blackmailing you with Sage?
Maybe I should try talking to him?
That last question was laughable and really showed how good he was to her and how naive she really is.
Talk? To Aaron Marketta? Ha! I probably just got Sage beaten for showing that kind of weakness.
On the way back to her room, Rose wobbles a bit, like she’s dizzy and losing her footing. I’d been trying not draw attention to her ever-thinning frame, but her passing out is where I draw the line. So I say something.
Mistake.
Big mistake, apparently.
Fuckin’ hell does she lay into me.
Apparently, that’s the thing she protects, because the second I questioned her about her intake and offered to make her some food, she lost it.
Her feelings spilled out of her mouth in quick succession.
She doesn’t care about food because her father uses her love as a puzzle piece in his criminal empire, her best friend is being held captive again, and she now feels like I’m only helping her because Aaron’s holding my girlfriend captive. Which is not true. That’s only a piece of it. But it is how Rose feels. Which, that sucks. I need to fix that.
And I do.
It doesn’t take more than a few minutes for me to sneak back into Rose’s room after we both went up there and she kicked me out to cry. We share such a perfect bonding moment. Apologies are said, but the silence of us sitting on the floor together, sharing such heavy emotions, says more.
If only I could tell her I’m her older brother!
I almost slip and tell her then, but Rose already knows Sage is at risk if I fail to keep her safe. If she knew that I was his son, too, that he was capable of blackmailing his own kid, that he hid a brother from her… she’d definitely hate him.
And Sage would pay for that.
So I don’t slip.
But as we’re talking, an idea occurs to me. I think of my love for Sage, and how I’d do anything for her, even if it meant ripping my own heart out. I think back to how this mafia Sven guy looked at Rose when we were outside the cabin earlier. Even with Lacey’s sacrifice, he could have fought me and tried to take Rose.
He didn’t.
He wants her to come to him willingly.
He cares about her.
What if we talked to him? Simply asked him for her freedom. Let him see firsthand the toll this stress is taking on Rose’s body.
Could it really be this easy?
This plan could totally flop, but I’m so good at what I do because of instinct. And my instinct is strongly telling me this is the right way to go.
So, I approach the topic with Rose.
Of course she argues.
Of course she’s scared.
But I feel a slight sense of relief when I realize she’s fighting so hard because she knows I’m right.
This is a lot simpler than she’s making it. This guy doesn’t want to hurt her.
I sneak a smirk her way when she’s not looking.
He loves her. She loves him.
This is a simple set-up.
I snort.
Wow. Fuck me.
* * *
I use a few of my random contacts to get Sven’s number. Not at all to my surprise, he immediately agrees to meet with us. I’d already decided on a restaurant before making the call, which I felt would be best for this kind of thing: safe, private. The place is a small Italian restaurant outside of town, called Labronski’s. Not to mention, I took great humor in the fact that it wasn’t even close to Sven and he was still willing to come.
Rose is a mess on the way over. Anger one minute. Disbelief the next. Following that, denial, tears, anxiety…
I admire the fact that she’s trying so hard not to fall for a criminal. Trying so hard not to fall for someone like Aaron.
I can’t deny that she’s funny about it, though. She’s so over the top.
The second we arrive at the restaurant, the lingering anxiety I feel that this might be a mistake vanishes. Sven looks at her like she’s the fucking sun and easily brings out the life in her that I suspect Aaron stole. They bicker the whole time. I mean, literally every second. Starting from the second Sven demands she eat (which, thank God!) all the way ‘til they discuss how stubborn the other is, which is the damn truth. I can’t believe Sage has had to endure another trauma for this. There’s no threat whatsoever. Maybe just to Rose’s heart, but I have a feeling Sven would take the bigger hit if things truly fell apart between the two of them.
Only time will tell.
* * *
The plan was to go to Sven’s mansion. Well, the mansion he shares with his boss and all the other high-ranked mafia officials. But there was an attack on the house and Sven was told to hold off a day before taking Rose there.
Hence the motel.
“Why are we stopping here?” Rose shrieks as soon as I pull in.
“Calm down, sis.”
I lightly explain what happened and wait for Sven to arrive and calm her down. My mind is with Sage. Rose is safe. Let Sage the fuck go.
Once Sven is there, I push off the car I’d been leaning against.
“You good?” I ask Rose.
She nods slightly.
“Alright then. I have a call to make. Sven, you get the rooms booked,” I tell him. “Rose, sleep where you want.”
Who knows where the fuck she wants to sleep. With the strange man she doesn’t know is her brother or the man she is— is not in love with. She does have to pick one though. Being at a seedy motel, and as beautiful as she is, I refuse to let her room alone here. I don’t have to ask to know Sven would agree with me there.
“Who are you calling?” she calls after me.
I’m already buzzing inside. Raging. Furious. I could lose Sage for this bullshit.
“I’m getting my girl back from the devil,” I bark.
I don’t consider anyone’s feelings but Sage’s in this moment.
I round the furthest corner and pull out my phone immediately. I slam on Rod’s number.
“Rose is safe!” I snap as soon as Rod picks up. “She and Sven are in a relationship… sort of. The mafia’s no threat anymore. She’s going back with him willingly.”
“That wasn’t the job,” Rod responds immediately.
“It’s her choice! She’s safe. That’s what fucking matters. I’m the one who’s been with Rose. She’s fucking dying not getting closure on this. Her eating habits would kill her long before Sven would! Just let me speak to Sage, please. I’ve done everything he’s asked. Just let me fucking speak with her.”
“If something happens to Rose, Aaron will fucking kill everyone,” Rod says after a long pause. I don’t respond. I let my silence speak for itself.
Please. Please. Please.
There’s the woosh sound of a speaker being bumped into, then a voice I know better than my own.
“Nix?”