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It made sense, but my heart sank all the same. I’d really been hoping to see Viktor. After three weeks apart, I craved that safe feeling I felt by just being near him. Jo offered me a small smile.
“He made me promise that you’d call him. Once you’re feeling up to it, I’ll–”
I nodded before she even finished her sentence, and her smile grew. “Yeah, I figured as much. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll set it up on my laptop.”
“I’m going to the hospital with Sean. See if we can find this asshole. You stay here with Rosie,” Liam said, leaning to kiss her cheek. She nodded before swinging to face Sean.
“I figured you might need these.”
Sean glanced down at what she held out to him and huffed out a laugh. “How’d you know?”
She shrugged. “Lucky guess.”
She handed him a pair of glasses. I completely missed the fact that he wasn’t wearing any. They must’ve fallen or broken during his tussle with Carson.
After Sean and Liam left, Jo went upstairs to grab her laptop. The few minutes she was gone were some of the most terrifying. I was alone in a house I was unfamiliar with, on the heels of escaping from a monster, and still in too much pain to do much to defend myself. By the time she came back, I was white knuckling the blankets in my lap.
“Sorry. I forgot I left it in the library.” She plugged in the charger, moving to sit on the bed next to me, the laptop on her lap. She was close enough that we could both be seen on the screen, and her presence at my side was comforting. The video call picked up almost immediately and Gabi’s bright face popped up on the screen.
“Oh, thank god. Rosie! Are you okay?”
I nodded quickly, relieved to see her. “I’m okay…”
She looked upset, studying me over the video. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have let him take you. You looked so scared, but…”
I shook my head. “Carson… he’s really good at making people believe him. He’s always been good at that.”
She still looked guilty, but I couldn’t blame her. I fell for his charm once, too.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” she murmured.
I grimaced, shifting to get more comfortable. “He– He had men down the block with guns. And–” I swallowed hard. “He said Dmitriy was a criminal and he would get him arrested if I didn’t go willingly.”
Gabi’s eyes widened, and her gaze flicked to Jo, who nodded. “We might as well tell her. It’s not like we can hide it forever.”
I looked between them with a frown. “Tell me what?”
Jo pursed her lips as Gabi tried to explain. “Your ex wasn’t wrong. My husband… Well, all our husbands, actually. They don’t… They aren’t…” She looked like she was struggling to figure out what to say. I shot a questioning look at Jo, and she sighed.
“Gabi’s husband is an arms dealer. A really good one. My husband runs the most infamous mafia in the city. Mariana’s husband is a money launderer. The rest of the guys work for them.”
She said it so matter-of-factly, like she didn't just admit that their spouses were criminals. But they were criminals who went above and beyond to help me. And it didn’t scare me as much as I thought it was.
“Carson is next in line to become Mayor. He’s supposed to be on the right side of the law. And he’s a monster. I don’t… I don’t think what you do for a living defines who you are as a person.”
Gabi looked relieved, smiling brightly, and Jo grinned at me. “I knew you’d fit in here. Viktor got lucky finding someone like you.”
My chest warmed at the thought. “Wh-Where is he?”
“He’ll be here soon. They were busy, but when I texted him saying you were going to call, he said he was on his way,” Gabi assured me. A clatter just off the screen caught her attention, and her smile widened. “Nevermind. He’s here.”
She passed off the screen and Viktor’s face popped up in front of me. I couldn’t help the steady stream of tears spilling over my face. He looked disheveled and frustrated, but when he locked eyes with me, he softened.
“?????…”
ChapterTwenty-Three
Viktor’s facebrought up every feeling I’d stuffed down from the moment I stepped into Carson’s car and left him behind. My side ached from my sobs, but I couldn’t help it. I thought I’d never see him again. And while I was safe enough with Jo and her mafia boss husband, I got the feeling I wouldn’t get that warm, safe feeling until I was back in Viktor’s arms.
