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Mick's expression turned somber, a shadow passing over his features. "Charlize's mother is ill. She’s dying... Charlize isn't... she's not taking it well," he admitted, his voice laden with sorrow.
Rose watched as Mick grappled with his next words, a vulnerability laid bare that she had never seen in him before. "Do you think I should be with her? Is that what a good guy does?"
For the first time, Rose saw the indecision, the faltering of a man who had always seemed unshakeable. She considered his question, weighing her words carefully. "What would Charlize tell you to do right now? If the roles were reversed, what would she do?"
Mick paused, a moment of reflection softening the hard lines of his face. "She'd tell me to look around," he said, a hint of clarity returning to his eyes.
"Look around? What does that mean?" Rose probed, genuinely curious.
"She'd say that we've always had this... this sixth sense. We could look around and know if the job was done. And if it wasn't, we had to keep going. No matter what. You don't leave a job unfinished. Because if you do, other people might not makeit home," Mick explained, his voice steady but tinged with an underlying emotion. “She’d tell me to finish this job.”
Rose nodded, understanding dawning on her. "Then you have your answer, Mick. It's not about what most people would do. It's about what the person you love wants, what she would do. You and Charlize, you're not like most people. You've seen each other fight to survive. That builds something different, something stronger. You know her well, so you’ll know when it’s the right time to go to her." Rose thought of all the things she and Harry had endured. The connection that had grown out of that. They were not like other people either.
Mick's shoulders relaxed slightly, the tension that had gripped him easing as Rose's words sank in. "You're right. Charlize is strong, and I... I need to be where I can do the most good. We understand each other. That's our kind of love."
“But after,” Rose began, “you need to know how to be there for her. What does it look like to get her through a hard time?”
“I don’t know. She’s always gotten herself through tough things. I’ve seen that woman endure and persevere like no one I’ve ever met. So maybe there isn’t anything I can do.” Mick looked perplexed.
“Bob Marley said it best,” Rose quipped. “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice. So make sure that’s not her only choice. Vulnerability is a vital ingredient of the recipe for healing from grief. She has to connect. To feel. She’s going to want to bulldoze her way through the pain. Level it. Push it out of her path. Bury it under a to-do list or a distraction. But you can help her walk through it like a field of flowers. Meander. Appreciate the beauty. Guard against the thorns. Mourn the blossoms that dry out. And be amazed at what’s able to grow in their place. Love her for her strength, but make space for her weakness.”
Mick nodded, the shadow of tears forming in his eyes. “And I’ll know when to go to her?”
“You’ll know.”
This time he shook his head as though he were coming back into the moment. The task at hand. “I’ve got a beat on where Harry might be.”
“Do you think they killed him?” she asked, this time her voice the one sounding unsteady. “It’s so strange. I just found out he’s alive and now I need to worry if he’s dead again. Why does it feel even worse this time?”
“I am really sorry about that. But I do think he’s alive. They would have no incentive to kill him. They want information from him. He won’t give it. They’ll likely be trying various ways to get it out of him. So we have time.”
“While they torture him?”
“We have time. I have time to find him.” His determination was stone serious. “I’ll do everything I can.”
Rose believed him. The same way she knew he was sorry for having to lie about Harry to begin with. He was an earnest man. There was no doubt in her mind, even if right now she was doubting almost every aspect of the future. Mick was something she could believe in.
CHAPTER 18
Rose sat across from Topeka in a quiet, secluded room, the tension palpable between them. Topeka was a study in wariness, her body language taut with unease. She was strikingly lean, her figure wiry and ready for flight at the slightest provocation. Her eyes, a sharp blue, darted around the room, never settling for long on any one thing, as if expecting danger to leap from the shadows. Her hair, a cascade of dark curls, seemed almost a physical manifestation of her tumultuous thoughts, untamed and wild.
Despite the care and sanctuary offered by those at Verde Lago, Topeka clearly remained skeptical, unconvinced of the genuineness of their intentions. She seemed to hold herself apart, a lone figure even in the midst of those who wished to help her.
Seeking to bridge the gap between them, Rose shared her own harrowing tale, recounting the trials she had endured and how the people around them had been her salvation.
"They saved my life," Rose confided, her voice a soft but firm testament to her gratitude. "They brought down those who sought to harm me and my son, ensured justice was served. These people, Topeka, they risk everything to protect us, to giveus a chance at a life free from fear. And the people who we were up against were powerful. They had seemingly unlimited funds, connections, and resources. They wanted to keep us in their control to ensure the money wouldn’t stop coming in."
Topeka only shook her head that she didn’t agree with the sentiment. That this wouldn’t sway her.
So Rose pressed on. "I know it's hard to trust in a place like this, especially when you're used to looking over your shoulder. But these people here, they've been my lifeline."
Topeka's gaze finally settled on Rose, skepticism written in every line of her face. "Your situation isn't like mine," she countered, her voice tinged with a bitterness born of fear. "This isn't just about escaping some corporate scheme or evading greedy hands. My father... he's not just a man corrupted by power. He's become something much worse."
Rose leaned in, her own experiences with danger lending her an empathetic ear. "They helped me more than I could ever explain. They brought down the people who were after me, ensured they faced justice. They can help you too, Topeka."
Topeka shook her head, her curls bouncing with the motion. "You don't understand. This isn't about money or even power, not in the way you think. My father, the people he works with, they've created their own law, their own justice. It's not just criminals they're after. Innocent people have been caught in their crusade, lives ruined or ended over ideals twisted beyond recognition."
Rose listened, the gravity of Topeka's words sinking in. "So, your father and his... network, they think they're above the law?"
