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Damon holds Corey’s hand and scans her face to make sure she’s okay, and I look away, feeling like I’m intruding on a private moment.
We decide to take the women back to the clubhouse. I don’t think either of us are capable of killing our own grandmother.
And as for Rosalind?
She’s going to be her father’s problem.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bella
After a few hours, the men come back with Corey safe and well, and I cry in happiness. She runs into my arms when she sees me, and I hold her closely.
“Were you really on the way to your mom’s?” I ask her.
She nods, her hazel eyes filled with sadness. “I was, but only because I got a message from my mom asking me to. Except it wasn’t her at all—it was them.”
I hug her harder, my heart breaking for her. “I’m just glad that you are home safely. Now can you never leave the clubhouse again, please?”
She laughs and wipes away some tears. “I don’t want to upset Julianna while she’s pregnant, but her sister was behind this with Cathy. I don’t know what they are going to do with her.”
River gave me a quick rundown when he first came in, and I can’t imagine how Julianna is feeling right now. Rosalind used to go out for lunches with Julianna, or sometimes come here for dinner and hang out with us all, which was probably her getting information to use to her advantage. It’s why she knew that there was a rift between Corey and her mother. Julianna truly is the rose that came from concrete with her family. She is the only one with true integrity and loyalty.
And Sally? Sally was paid off by Rosalind and set me up. Well, again. That was me. I’m the one who gave Rosalind a tiny in. I allowed her plan to go into action.
“You don’t worry about that,” I tell Corey, pushing hair off her face. “They will figure it all out. Do you want me to run you a bath or something so you can relax?”
She nods. “That sounds great. Did you see where Damon went? I saw him at the warehouse and then he went missing.”
“I think he left,” I say, walking with her to her bathroom. “But I know that he was determined to go and make sure that you were safe. He obviously cares about you. He was still rushing to protect you even with his black eye.”
She grins and sighs dramatically. “I didn’t expect to see him there. I knew River would be...”
“Okay, you better stop smiling now,” I tease, sitting by the tub and turning the water on and checking the temperature. I put the plug in and add some Epsom salts. “I hope now we can get some peace around here, because I don’t think I can take much more.”
“Tell me about it,” she groans, tying her red hair in a knot on top of her head. “I’ve never been in the trunk of a car before, but it was scary. Especially with the tape covering my mouth; it felt like I couldn’t breathe. I felt so claustrophobic.” She pauses. “Did River tell you about Mark?”
I pause and shake my head. “No, what about him?”
She cringes, then tries to backtrack. “Uh, never mind.”
“Corey, tell me,” I demand.
“He was there,” she explains, shifting on her feet. “He was with them. He was in love with Rosalind, but he knew her as Sarah.”
Rosalind was the infamous Sarah? Does that mean that the whole thing was a scam? Maybe he truly thought Sarah was being held hostage, but really it was just Rosalind playing games. How did the cops picking him up here factor into this? Do they have someone up high on their side? I feel sorry that he gave up everything for this Sarah, only to be a pawn in Rosalind’s games.
“You keep using past tense,” I say, realizing why she didn’t want to bring it up. He’s dead. And considering River didn’t tell me about it, he must have done it. “He got plenty of chances,” I say quietly. “You can’t help some people.”
And it’s true. What goes around comes around. He was given chances, even after coming here with a gun and shooting Jeremiah and trying to kill Romeo.
I think River must have been in a good mood that day.
When the bath is filled, I leave her to it, and find River sitting on our bed with his head in his hands, collecting himself.
“Are you okay?” I ask, sitting down next to him.
“Yeah, I’m just glad she was all right,” he replies. “When she wasn’t in the warehouse, inside I was freaking the fuck out. Luckily Jeremiah checked the back of that car. What a fucking stressful day. We trusted Rosalind, let her into our home, and look what she did. I think we need to be more careful about who we trust, whether they are family or not.”
