AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“One of these days, Rosey. One of these days.”
Roach walked to the door. “Door stays locked all night. If you need something, holler.”
Rose stood in the middle of her bedroom until the door closed behind him. The click of the lock had her sighing in relief. It had been one hell of a day. All she wanted was a shower and to curl up on her bed. Sleep was asking a lot, but if there ever was a night to wish, it was tonight.
Rose left a trail of clothes on her way to the bathroom. She waited until steam filled the room before she stepped under the spray. The hot water felt wonderful. Her body was exhausted, but her mind refused to slow down. There were so many questions, and answers were cryptic and few.
Hey, who doesn’t love a good riddle?
“This girl right here,” she muttered to herself.
Was Birdy lying to everyone? Was Warren getting back at them by knocking off the warehouses? Who messed with the oven? For the love of God, it was an oven. It was the only thing edible food came out of in the entire clubhouse.
Why not take out the garage? There were more valuable things in there. Did they know if someone would be in the kitchen, or were they just hoping to get lucky? None of the members were in the kitchen that often. Did that mean Franny was the target?
Not only the who questions rattled through her mind but the why. She couldn’t imagine many people knew about the hole in the wall. It was designed to protect Franny. Why would anyone other than her be in the wall?
Why would a member betray their club? Not just once had they passed the information along, but that person tattled enough to allow three warehouses and the kitchen to be destroyed. The damage meant less money for everyone. It didn’t make sense.
It seemed odd no one had suspects. You didn’t get the one percent patch without making a few enemies along the way. It wasn’t like you could pick one of those up anywhere. Where did you buy those? Was there a review board that said yes, you’re in, or sorry, try better and reapply next year? Maybe it was a dollar amount? Like how much of your income came from ill-gotten gains type of thing. Did they itemize deductions like a tax form?
Her mind spun. It was all too much. In the shower, alone, away from prying eyes, she let it all out. Tears ran down her face as she sank to her knees in the tub. She cried until her body sagged against the side of the shower. It didn’t solve anything, but tears were her only relief without a batting cage or a wooden wall and some knives.
It was crying or sex. A smile crept across her face. Ladybug was the most likely for that category, and that wasn’t happening. She couldn’t manage to get rid of one man. She didn’t have a prayer of getting rid of two.
Washing quickly, she switched off the water and wrapped herself in a towel. Standing in front of the mirror was not for the faint of heart. Birdy was right. It looked like someone punched her, or she was turning into a raccoon. Her skin lost its glow. That was before she factored in the large bruise that covered her face from her cheekbone to her jaw.
The bouncy waves in her hair were less than bouncy, and the wave had waved goodbye. Her shoulders were slumped, possibly permanently. It might be better if she told people she got hit by a truck. It sounded way better than holding on to her sanity with a used Dollar Tree shoestring that was quickly unraveling. No one needed to know she was about to crumble.
Rose flipped the light off. Looking in the mirror was depressing. Besides that, it was time to curl up in bed and stare at the ceiling. Good times.
She dropped the towel on the floor, not caring where it landed. Rose didn’t bother with panties. She tugged a t-shirt over her head and flopped on the bed. The ceiling was exactly as it had been every night since she arrived.
Reaching for her phone, she hoped for a distraction. Texting Lucas qualified as a distraction.
Rose: How is the apartment? This is Rose. Tank gave me a new phone.
Rose waited. Five minutes later, there was no response. A moan threatened to escape. She swallowed it down, refusing to make a sound. She didn’t want Ladybug to think she was taking care of business herself. He would be through that door, volunteering to help her relieve some of her anxiety before she could explain she wasn’t actually touching herself.
She closed her eyes and curled onto her side. Drifting off into a fitful sleep, Rose was stuck between the rest she desperately needed and the wakefulness that plagued her. She had no idea how long she drifted between sleep and alertness when the bed dipped behind her.
With her eyes closed and her breathing slow, Rose pretended to sleep. If Roach came to check on her, she was going to pretend to be asleep as long as she could. Strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her against a wide chest that felt like a brick wall. Roach was stronger than he looked. Not that he was small because he wasn’t. Something big and hard poked her ass, zapping her runaway thoughts.
“Ladybug, give a girl a break. I had a hard day. Shit usually doesn’t blow up, and I don’t get shoved into walls at my house. Your cock poking my ass is not what I wanted to wake up to. Go see Tanya. If not her, maybe one of the other free P’s might be awake.”
“Who the fuck is Ladybug, and why do you know what his cock feels like?”
“Warren,” Rose gasped, springing up and away from him. “What are you doing here? How did you get in? Where is Roach?”
“Petal, you know better than to talk about another man when we are in bed together.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Listen very carefully. I’m not giving you up. We have a lot to discuss, but not tonight. Baby, you look like you haven’t slept in weeks. Just understand this: you are my Petal. Always will be. No other woman in the world could ever compare to you.”
Warren took advantage of Rose’s shock. She was laying on his chest before she could stop him. She wasn’t sure she wanted to stop him. Rose wanted to cry when his arms wrapped around her. Her body relaxed for the first time since she left him lying on the floor in the living room.
It sucked. The cracks in her heart shattered into tiny pieces. It was the same old Warren. His words and actions weren’t speaking the same language. His mouth said he wanted her. His actions said there was a long list of things that were more important than his wife.
