AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sorry…”
He hugged me closer, kissing the top of my head. “You have been through a lot, ?????. You do not need to apologize for it. If I must tell you each day that I will come back to you, then I will happily do it.”
My heart skipped a beat, and when I looked up at him, he smiled softly.
“I… I love you, Viktor.”
For a minute, he didn’t say anything. He stared at me, his eyes searching mine, until I wanted to hide from the embarrassment. It was too soon to say stuff like that. But before I could duck my head and hide, he swept down and captured my lips roughly. Much rougher than before. It almost felt… desperate.
When he drew back, it was only far enough for him to speak, his lips brushing against mine.
“I love you too, ?????. And I will always protect you.”
ChapterTwenty-Seven
One night.We got one night together before it all fell apart again. I should’ve known better. Nothing in my life ever stayed good. Viktor and I were asleep, cuddled up close, when a frantic knocking woke us both up. Viktor grabbed his gun from the nightstand, hiding me behind him, but it was Mariana’s voice that spoke through the door.
“Viktor, Rosie, are you awake? Something’s wrong.”
Viktor grabbed his pants from the floor, neither of us having gotten dressed after we made love. He barely had them on before Mariana knocked again. He opened the door a crack, peeking out at her.
“What is it?”
“It’s Sean. He was supposed to be here this afternoon. No one has heard from him.”
It was so dark, it was hard to see, but I didn't need to see to know that Viktor was frowning. I could hear it in his voice. “Did you contact O’Connor?”
“Yes. They’re looking for him, but he needs to speak to Rosie. We need to know where her ex-husband is.”
Which means they think he took Sean. I scrambled out of bed, grabbing my pajamas and throwing them on. I probably looked like a crazy person, with my hair all mussed and my clothes disheveled, but I didn’t have time to waste trying to look nice. I took Viktor’s hand, following Mariana down the hallway to a door that was open, a light from inside spilling into the hall.
Mateo was sitting behind his desk, on the phone with someone, while he focused on a laptop in front of him. Another latina woman, this one with a pixie cut and a deep scowl, stood beside him, having a conversation on her own phone entirely in Spanish.
“Ah, she is here. Hold on, I am putting you on speaker.” Mateo set his phone on the desk and when he switched to speaker mode, I could hear Liam shouting in the background.
“Rosie?”
Jo’s voice was tight, and I could almost feel the worry coming through the phone.
“Y-Yes, I’m here.”
“I’m so sorry, Rosie, but I need you to tell me where your ex lives. And works. Anywhere that he might hide someone. We need to find Sean.”
I nodded quickly, forgetting she couldn’t see me. “I-I can do that. D-Do you have a pen?”
Luckily, Carson often brought me with him to his usual haunts. He enjoyed having me at his beck and call, so I knew the usual places to find him. His old home, the bar by his work, his office. I even knew where one of his girlfriend’s lived. He made me sit in the car once while he visited with her as a punishment. But at that point, it was several hours of quiet alone time while another woman tended to his needs. It felt like a gift.
“When was he supposed to arrive?” Viktor queried.
“Around dinner. We didn’t want him heading out around the same time as Rosie, to keep their connection to a minimum in case the police were watching.”
I didn’t know exactly where Mariana and Mateo’s home was located. I was in the back of the delivery truck for the drive here. But if I was to make a guess, I would assume we were on the outskirts of the city. It took a minute to get there and the surrounding area was less populated from what little I could see from the patio. It shouldn’t have taken longer than twenty minutes for Sean to get here, though.
“Did they visit?”
Jo made an irritated noise. “Yes, exactly like I said they would. Asked us a bunch of stupid questions, trying to make it sound like we were involved when, technically, we haven’t done anything. Yet.”
It sounded like a promise, and I was once again reminded of the powerful woman who stood down a mafia boss without blinking.
