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“I promise I’ll make them as comfortable as possible. It’s the least I can do.”
She stared at me for a moment. “Did you mean it when you said you loved me?”
The truth was: yes, a hundred times over. That’s what I should have said. But instead, I felt a sharp stab of insecurity. I parroted it back at her. “Didyoumean it when you said you lovedme?”
She continued to stare, then she looked away. “Unbelievable.” She slammed her hands on the table and pushed herself to her feet. “Send me to my family. The safe house.”
I stood up too. “Okay, let’s get going.”
She shook her head. “No. Not you. I don’t want you to set foot in there.”
“Ria...”
Her response was almost a bark. “Don’t.”
I sat back down and rested my head in my hands. “I’ll fix this. Iwillfind some way to beat Apollo at his own game.”
“Don’t you see? That’s how you got into this mess. You’re obsessed. Give it up, Forest. You lost.” There was almost pity in her voice.
I couldn’t stand it.
She picked up her belongings and walked to the door. I could only watch, like an outsider to my own body, overseeing it happen from somewhere distant, disconnected from my own thoughts.
She turned to look at me only briefly. “Tell security I’ll meet them at reception.”
Then, she was gone.
RIA
When I got to the safe house, it was chaos. My Grandmother was chasing Mrs Jamroz’s three sons around, threatening to put curses on them if they didn’t stay still and be quiet. Around them, Forest’s team were still furnishing the place. It was almost funny to see heavily armed guards carrying armchairs and floor lamps into the place. A few rugs, some curtains, a little bit of décor in the otherwise barren concrete place.
I announced my arrival by yelling at my Grandmother. “Sit down, Grandmother!”
My mom was sitting with Mrs Jamroz on the sofa. I pointed to the empty seat next to Forest’s housekeeper and my Grandmother mimed strangulation at the boys before slinking to her seat.
“Ria, what’s going on?” My mom was the level-headed one, as always. “They barely told us anything.”
I didn’t want to explain the entire situation right now. The details could come later. “Forest Brock’s brother has threatened anyone associated with him. That includes my family, and Mrs Jamroz’s family. We have to stay here for our safety until it blows over.”
If it ever blew over. I was already thinking we might have to live here forever, trapped in a concrete prison. It was an eminently depressing thought.
“What happened, Ria?” Grandmother looked like she was about to stand up to confront me, but even she thought better of it. “What did you do?”
“What didIdo?” I laughed a horrible laugh. “What did I do? All I was trying to do was support this family.”
“Maria-“
I dropped the spite. “Please, no questions right now. Have they put any beds in yet? I need to lie down. Oh, and mom, I’m pregnant.”
May as well rip the band-aid off while everything was still in chaos.
My mom’s eyes widened. Mrs Jamroz gasped. And I stalked off for a tour of our new residence.
There was indeed a bed in one of the rooms. I lay down, and amazingly, went straight to sleep.
When I woke, the place was transformed. This seemed to be in part due to the security team having finished furnishing the place, and due to Mrs Jamroz’s exceptional abilities to make a house into a home even from the barest of materials.
Her sons had settled down. I raised an eyebrow at my mother, gesturing to the quiet boys, as I approached her.
