Roses & Thorns Page 4

  I own her.

  She lives for work, and I'm gonna take it from her.

  Gotta find a new thing to live for little Rose. I won’t tolerate her starvation or lack of a personal life. I'm gonna shake up her whole existence. Then do the unthinkable. I can hardly fucking wait.

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  I practically leap out of bed, grabbing my phone on the way up.

  It’s done.

  Hell fucking yes.

  I throw on my best suit, gold chain and gold rings that I always wear. I'm a business owner now. Gotta dress to fucking impress. I drive the God awful long drive to eastern Illinois. Somehow I’ve factored this all into my plan. Made this worth it. After all, I couldn’t justify all this for one girl, but I wanted her. And I do get what I want. So I factored her in.

  Finally, seven fucking hours later I pull in. There’s still shit to do. I mean it’s purchased, but you don’t just purchase a business and hand it over. There’s stuff to do on the back end, but all that aside it’s time to announce the good news. Kristy, Owen, Mark and Sandra know. After all… they approved it. Boss said Kristy was the hardest sell, but everyone can be bought for a price. Even Kristy. Well, pay her co-workers enough so she’s outnumbered. There’s always a fucking way.

  I walk in, adjust my suit and smile at the Latin woman in front of me.

  “Hello, is Mark here?”

  “Um, Sven? Mark never comes here,” she looks me up and down, clearly liking what she sees, before shaking her head. “He runs this place. More than the others.”

  “Oh, I know.”

  “It’s okay Maria. I am here.”

  Her eyes widen in surprise before she greets him as he steps in behind her. She starts hurriedly cleaning off the desk.

  “Hello Sven.”

  “Hello Mark.”

  “Follow me.”

  He leads me through the all too familiar doors, except I'm no patient and no one controls me. We walk down endless halls, probably towards his back office, when I see her. She’s crouched in front of Sam who’s having a full breakdown over God only knows what. Her eyes are so soft, so hurt, for him. Makes no fucking sense.

  “Rose!” Mark says, stopping to greet her. Perfect.

  “Mark,” she jumps up, after gently encouraging Sam into the main area. “What a surpri…”

  Then her eyes find mine and go impossibly wide.

  “Sven?”

  Her voice starts to shake. A smirk spreads across my lips. I have exactly my desired effect on her.

  “Oh Rose, you remember Sven?”

  She nods, swallows and tries not to look like she’s ready to shit her pants. She grabs the sides of her scrubs and scrunches them in her hand.

  “Let’s wait to share the news,” I say, interrupting him with a grin. I place my hand on his back. “Later Rose.”

  We talk for an hour. Explaining shit. Roles. How this place works. All of it.

  “Anyone I should keep an eye out for?”

  “Yes. You just met her. Rose.”

  I fucking knew he’d say that. Perfect lead in.

  “Really?” I cock an eyebrow and pretend to be surprised. “Why?”

  “She’s got more passion for this than anyone I’ve ever met, but she would work herself to an early grave if we let her. That girl, I swear, is the kindest, hard working woman you’ll meet but… she’s like the baby of this place. We all protect her.”

  “Why?”

  “Not my place.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Well, thank you for your time.” I stand and extend my hand. He takes it. I keep a tight grip and flip our hands so mines on top. Power. “I'm gonna go introduce myself. Share the good news with a few people.”

  “Go for it.”

  Well. One person.

  I stalk down the halls until I find her. She’s with the guys, laughing, talking. Making the guys feel normal. When their fucking pussies. Like she usually does during this time of day.

  “Rose, can I speak to you for a moment?”

  All eyes turn to face me before they widen in surprise. Kev sees me and narrows his eyes.

  What could he possibly do? She pushes herself up and stands, on shaking limbs.

  “Why?”

  “Want me to say it in front of everyone?” I say, knowing she’s gonna think this is about the kiss.

  “No!” She quickly shuffles over to me. I lead her into an empty group room and lock the door behind us. She immediately stares at the door, willing it to open. Terrified. I'm not sure I aimed to scare her this much. It’s a little… unnerving one might say. It’s not like I'm gonna murder her in the middle of a fucking treatment center full of people. Jesus.

  “What do you want Sven?”

  I lean against the wall and cross my arms over my chest. “Why are you so fucking scared?”

  “I’m… not.”

  “Rose.” I narrow my gaze.

  “You’re… big.”

  I try to surprise my smirk and the many dirty jokes running through my head. I have to get to the heart of the issue here. “And…”

  “And… uh, you… kissed me.”

  “Being kissed scares you?”

  “You’re in the mafia!” she blurts out, then covers her mouth and steps back with wide eyes. Like I'm gonna shoot her for stating a fact.

  “Yeah.”

  “Uh, well, yeah,” she scoffs. Her fear dissolves and for some odd reason that relieves me. Interesting.

  I step up close to her, forcing her to practically run backward before she slams into the wall. I cage her in with my arms, feeling her heart slam into her chest like it’s my own. I feed off it.

  “I wanted to tell you something.”

  “Please don’t kiss me.”

  Her eyes water as she pleads with me. I run my finger along her full lower lip. “Don’t worry Piccola Rosa, you won’t get so lucky this time.”

  All the emotions run through her eyes. I love that about her. The open book she is. How she wears all her vulnerabilities on her sleeve.

  “No. I wanted to tell you something else,” I run my hand along her collarbone. Owning her with just my touch. I lean into her ear and whisper…

  “I bought this place. I own it. It’s mine.”

  She shoots back. I stick my hand behind her before she slams it against the wall. Her feet beg to back away but she can’t.

  “No way! Kristy would never let you. Mark,” then she remembers seeing me with him and her eyes go wide with horror. She knows I'm not lying. “No.”

  Her body goes limp. “Don’t do this to me. Please. Sven don’t do this to me. Why? You… you hate this stuff. No.”

  It’s like I tore her whole life away, her whole reason for existing. She’s breaking before me.

  “I'm not shutting it down Rose.”

  I back away from her. Her brokenness is replaced with hate. If only she knew the full extent of my plans.

  “I’ll quit! I’d never work for you! Even here.”

  Rage swells within me and I storm over to her, pinning her with my stare. I don’t need to touch her for her to freeze. “No you won’t.”

  She’s smart enough to go deadly still. “Why?”

  “Because little Rose, you quit and I’ll fire everyone you care about. You tell anyone about this part of the conversation and I’ll shut this place down and watch it burn down in flames. It’s a good location for ‘healing’. Is it not?”

  “No.” Her face falls into her hands, and she shakes her head back and forth. Sobs wrack her body. She whispers something. I can’t really hear, but it sounds a lot like “I’ll never escape”.

  No Rose. You won’t.

  Chapter 7:

  Boss:

  “Please. Explain. What did I do?” he pathetically begs.

  Sven would never beg not to die. He’d find a way out of it or take it like a man. I'm sure of it.

  I look at him. Bored. Bored since the day I met him and took him on as underboss. He played hi
s part, but there’s no fun in it. Xander on the other hand. I smirk and sharpen my knife. He’s fun. He thinks he’s subtle in wanting to overthrow me. It’s almost laughable. We are too alike. Too similar for me not to know. Since he’s so like me I’d be disappointed if he didn’t have a plan. I'm intrigued by his ferocious loyalty whilst also trying to overthrow me. It’s fun in a world that’s been far too predictable for far too long.

  “I don’t owe my reasons to anyone.”

  Whoosh!

  The sound of a blade slamming into bone fills the room. I smile as his life leads his body. Bye Marcelo. Bye “Shredder”. Won’t be doing much shredding now.

  A muffled cry fills the room. I look up from my blade as a slow smile spreads across my lips.

  “Hello, Lacey.”

  I glance up from my knife. I almost forgot she was there, handcuffed to the wall. My prisoner.

  “Is… is he dead?” she stammers, shaking like a leaf, staring at the blood draining on the stone brick floor.

  “Why yes. Good assumption my little dove. He is.”

  A tear slips down her face as her gaze falls to the floor. She’s given up fighting me a long time ago. I stay seated on my chair at the front of the room, like a king. She’s too far away. So small, my little dove.

  “He doesn’t deserve your tears.”

  She whispers something. Interested, stand up for her. I crouch down where she is huddled on the floor, prisoner. I place my finger under her chin and lift.

  “What was it you said?”

  “I said,” her voice is soft, so delicate and quiet. Like she wants no one to hear her but the angels. But there are only devils here, “I said he was murdered. People who suffer deserve my tears.”

  Her tears fall faster as her gaze flickers over to Marcelo’s lifeless body.

  “Do you deserve your tears? You suffer my little dove.”

  “I… I'm okay.”

  I run my hand along a cut on her left side. The last time one of my men hit her. I don’t even know why. I let it happen. But not one of them has laid a hand on her sexually. She’s been my prisoner for nearly six months now. Vanished, with no one to miss her.

  I’d miss her.

  I shake that though as quick as it came.

  “Are you?”

  Her eyes go big as she tries to understand me. Begging me to stop questioning her, but too scared to say it.

  “I’m okay,” she repeats in a whisper.

  I move from my spot, where I was blocking the sight of his body. The smell of blood fills the room. Now she can’t even deny the fact that he is there. She sees him with his big gaping wound.

  Another choked sob escapes, but this time louder. Her breathing picks up as she tries to fight her tears.

  “You cry for him, a criminal, but not you?” I ask, suddenly angry.

  “He… he’s dead. I'm not.”

  “You have nothing.”

  She glares at me. For the first time defiance and hate dance in her eyes.

  “I have hope!”

  I snatch her upper arm so tight it’ll bruise. “Don’t kid yourself,” I spit.

  She shakes her head as her tears fly off her face to the floor. “I have to. Sir, I have to.”

  I drop her and stand to my full height, blocking all light from her cowering form on the floor. “You are pathetic my little dove.”

  Then I leave the room. Leaving her with Marcelo’s dead body.

  Chapter 8:

  Rose:

  No.

  This can’t be happening. When will it be official? I pour myself another shot. I haven’t had one in several weeks. Leave it to Sven to break my streak.

  I'm gonna need seven hundred shots and eight hundred packs of cigarettes just to forget this for the next ten minutes even.

  My phone rings and I glance at it. It’s Kev. I sigh. He’s so nice to me and I feel nothing for him. What’s wrong with me? I have to pick up. I know if I don’t he’ll show up here. He’s done it before. He came over with Tacos and a bottle of wine. It was a nice evening. He’s everything a girl could hope for. Kristy loves us together. It’s too bad I still feel so dead inside. I have nothing to give him but my body. Which, to clarify, I have not done yet.

  “Hey Kev,” I answer.

  “Hey Rose. I just wanted to check on you. You left sick today. That’s so unlike you. I'm assuming you are dying or close to it.”

  Bingo!

  “Kind of.”

  “I’ll bring you some medicine or something. I'm not expert at this, but I’ll bring you like chicken noodle soup and Tylenol.”

  That earns a little laugh from me. Working or not we are caretakers. “No Kev, you could get sick.”

  “No way. You, Rose Bellemore, were sick enough to miss work. I’ll just drop it by.”

  “Kev…”

  “Rose…”

  “Kev, I'm not sick.”

  This has got to be the two shots I’ve just taken.

  “What? Rose what do you mean?”

  “I got bad news.” I choke on my last words.

  “I'm coming over.”

  Then he clicks off. Maybe it’s not a bad idea. Maybe once he sees me he’ll leave me, because, for real, he’s way too good for me at this stage in my life. That’s not even my insecurities talking. It’s just fact.

  I grab the vodka and drink all I can until I'm sick. I sit on the couch shivering in my blanket. I cry. How can he do this to me? How can God do this to me? Not my home.

  Not again.

  A knock on the door jolts me. I stumble to the door and throw it open. Kev’s there in a green t-shirt and basketball shorts with his shaggy, dirty blonde hair and subtly defined muscles.

  “Jesus Rose.”

  A half-choked, half-drunk cry escapes my lips. Kev takes the blanket and wraps it around me, rubbing my arm up and down, leading me to the couch.

  “Fuck. What’s wrong? How can I help?”

  I cry and fall into him, letting him hold and comfort me. He’s too nice to leave me hanging. I bank on that.

  “Please talk to me Rose.”

  Little Rose. Precious Flower. No. Go away. Go away.

  “I can’t Kev.”

  He rubs my back. “Rose,” he pulls me away and looks at me, “does this have something to do with Sven talking to you today?”

  NO! Don’t guess Kev. You’ll be in danger. My damn body gives me away. I immediately start to rapidly shake.

  “Shit. I knew it. Fuck. What did he say, Rose? Rose,” he shakes me lightly. “What did he say?”

  “He…” I can say the part about him owning Fallen Ridge but not about him threatening me, “He owns Fallen Ridge. He… brought it.”

  Kev’s eyes go wide. “Why? Why would he do that? We both know he bullshitted his way out of there. He hated it. Why the hell…”

  “I don’t know,” I whisper.

  “It’s gonna be weird. And I'm pissed... but this is why you are crying? I don’t understand. I'm sorry Rose. Explain. Did something else happen?”

  That’s when I know. Kev and I… despite his kindness… we could never happen. He doesn’t understand me.

  I touch his chest. “Sleep with me.”

  “Rose…” he backs away. I see his hard-on through his shorts, betraying him, “You’re drunk.”

  “Not that drunk.”

  He glares at me. “You’re plastered.”

  “Okay, maybe I am, but I know what I'm doing.”

  “Rose, trust me. I really want to fuck you, but I’d hate myself. I can’t sleep with a drunk girl.”

  “I'm not some flipping rage out drunk! I'm in control. You know it. Please. You want me. I want a… release,” escape. “Kev, you aren’t taking advantage.”

  “Rose, I don’t know what to do here.”

  “Please.”

  He leans forward and plants his lips on mine, testing me. That’s a test I always pass. One thing leads to another and we have sex. It’s good. Right thing to say, right? He’s good. He kis
ses me before leaving and says we’ll talk the next day.

  I smoke on the porch until early morning, then shower until the smell is gone. After that I drown myself in makeup and black scrubs to hide the exhaustion from my face.

  When I arrive at work the next day Kristy and Dr. Bradford look at me sympathetically. Neither of them try to talk to me. They totally ignore me. Too ashamed. The first patient that’s actually beyond their scope to help, and it’s me. Not even an actual patient.

  “Staff meeting!” Kristy calls. “Rosa and I will watch the patients. The rest of you. Main lounge, women’s unit.”

  Kev stops me on the way, looking totally freaked. “Rose, are we okay? Are you okay?”

  I place my hand on his face. “Kev, I wanted that. We’re good. I'm better. Let’s get to this meeting. Okay?”

  He smiles, looking relieved. “Alright.”

  He goes with the crowd. When the majority of them have gone I sprint the other way. I find the restroom that’s furthest from the women’s lobby. I run in and lock the door, taking deep breaths. I don’t know how much time passes. I sit on the toilet, huddled in a ball. Remembering when things were good.

  “Come here my precious flower.”

  “Daddy!” I squeal, running into his arms.

  “I missed you.”

  “Sorry Rosie. You know daddy’s gotta work. Mommy’s not here anymore to help.”

  I push out my lower lip. “I don’t want you to go away again.”

  “Be strong my precious flower. Remember what daddy said about being strong?”

  “Yes!” I squiggle in his arms, and he sets me down. I make fake muscles. “Gotta be a warrior princess!”

  He chuckles. “Yes precious Rosie. You gotta be a warrior princess. That’s how you get through life, precious.”

  I shake my head.

  “Don’t recall seeing you at the meeting?”

  I screech and leap off the toilet, taking deep breaths as I try and back further into the stall.

  “Coming in. It’s only to my benefit if you aren’t decent.”

  Somehow he gets in the stall seamlessly without breaking the door down. He leans against the door frame casually as I scatter as far as I can into the stall. He’s wearing a black button-down with his top buttons undone, gold rings, a gold watch and black slacks. Why is he so good looking? Why does he make me all tingly? I'm fucking sick.