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A man might be stalking me and here I am welcoming it, saving his roses like they’re cherished gifts. In a way they are. My family took everything beautiful from me and this man is slowly giving it back. I keep the rose enveloped in my closed palm as I grab a black lightweight bomber jacket with the other. I don't know what possesses me to hold onto the rose but for some reason I'm not ready to let it go. I still hold the first one sometimes too. It has so much beauty left in it to enjoy, and just because it's not as it once was, doesn't mean it's no good to anyone anymore. A random memory comes to me, so strong, I'm temporarily paralyzed from it.
“Leave it behind and let's go,” my mother says.
Stroking the injured wing of the bird, I cup my hands around its small body. “But it's hurt, Momma.”
“How do you expect to help it? You don't know a single thing about birds and neither do I. Put it down before you catch some disease.”
“I think we can help it if we–”
Yanking me to my feet by the hood of my jacket, she knocks the bird out of my hand. “I told you to put it down. Now run inside and wash your hands. We are going to be late for church.”
After church, I sneak back outside to make sure the injured animal is still alive before placing it in our shed tucked in a box. I can't wait to release it into the sky and watch it live again. The way everything should have a chance to.
My buzzing phone pulls me from my stupor and the message is from my cousin wanting to know if I'm still meeting her. Setting my jacket down on my bed, my fingers tap fast on the keyboard as I respond.
Me: I'll be there.
After shoving the rose in my pocket, I tug on my jacket and it hangs loosely around my small frame. I'm already halfway down the stairs by the time I fully get it zipped. The driver is waiting outside and glancing at his phone, not bothered by how long I took getting ready. “Take me to Kryptonite. It's a club on main street.”
“Si, señor.” The driver doesn't bother looking at me as I slip into the back of the car.
A guard appears out of nowhere, opening the passenger door. “I'm going along for the ride,” the man says, getting inside the car. “You need at least one of us with you when going out alone at night.”
So much for slipping out unnoticed. The only time I'm ever seen around here is when I'm doing something someone disapproves of. “Yeah, okay, whatever.” One guard is at least easier to lose than two or three, and this one has no idea how fast I can be.
The driver shifts gears before pulling out of the driveway and heads in the direction I tell him to go in. Neither of us talk and I spend the drive watching everything move outside the window while stroking the soft petals in my pocket. I jump out of the car as soon as we're close to the front entrance and slam the door shut. The guard steps out after me, following my every move. I hate how close he is. My throat tightens and the air grows thicker around me. “Wait for me out here,” I command.
“But your father-”
“I don't give a shit what my father ordered. The only one who's here is me, and I'm telling you to wait for me outside and don't move until I tell you to.”
He shoves his hands in his pockets and nods. “Yes, boss. I'll be nearby if you need me.”
The vibrant lights and crowd of people outside the door of the club has me inching closer. “Back of the line,” the bouncer says to me.
I walk closer to him, putting my lips near his ear to mention who I am. He nods. “My apologies, Mr. Juventino. Go right in.”
It's easy to get into the high-end clubs when everyone knows who your father and fiancé are. I walk through the dark entrance, pushing my way through the crowd of dancing bodies. The lights and crowd of people become too much, making my head spin. I search the bar for Maria, but she is nowhere to be found. She is usually easy to spot in her bright dresses and the crowd of men that always seem to surround her. Resting my hands on the bar, I close my eyes, feeling the loud music vibrate through my body. A voice coming from behind me has me jumping where I stand. “You must be new here? I’ve never seen you before. I would definitely remember if I had.”
“Is that so? Surely there are tons of people in here you have never seen before.” I turn around and meet the dark eyes of a tall man with dark blond hair. His nose is slightly crooked and the wider he smiles, the more my stomach shifts. Something sinister rests between the crack of his lips, along with a terrifying promise seeping from the corners. It's obvious he's a man who's used to getting what he wants when he wants it.
Overtaken by a wave of nausea, I move past him. He grabs my arm, preventing me from going too far. “Where are you going? At least let me buy you a drink first.”
I shake my head, staring at his grasping fingers with disapproving eyes. “I can buy my own drink.”
Yanking my arm free, I step around the bar stool I was leaning over to grab the bartender’s attention. A hand slides onto my shoulder and a warm body presses to my back. “I always did appreciate the guys who played hard to get.”
I cringe when the heat of his breath tickles my ear. His hands remain on me no matter how much I attempt to shake them off. “Look, I’m not interested, and I’m meeting someone here.”
“Are you now? Is it your boyfriend?”
I sigh, nodding my head. “My fiancé actually, and he will be here any minute. So, if I were you, I would back the fuck off.” I step out of my chair after grabbing my beer, but he pulls at my arm.
“You shouldn’t talk to people like that, you know. Either apologize, or make it up to me another way.”
He lightly wraps his cold, clammy fingers around my neck, forcing my head to tilt back. I nearly drop my drink when he swipes his tongue across my cheek. “Let me go!” I yell but the loud music nearly drowns me out.
“And if I don’t?”
