Chapter 111
LIZA
The faint odor of burned wood and singed metal still lingered in the air as we stood in Ty’s office with the aftermath of the bombing fresh in our minds.
My fingers twitched nervously. I felt like a sitting duck as I stood gazing out the window.
My attention was fixed on the construction workers outside, the cacophony of hammers and drills disrupting the usual peace as the crew hurried to repair the damaged gate.
The bombing had shaken all of us to our core and reminded us that Castro was deadly serious about this war and getting his hands on me.
Ty and Liam stood behind me, watching the scene unfolding outside. One of them sighed, and I tasted the bitterness of worry on my tongue.
“Castro will stop at nothing,” Ty said, and his words did nothing to calm anyone. “We have to be prepared for anything he throws at us.”
I turned around to watch my brother and mate.
“Agreed.” Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “But what else can he do? He already tried to take Liza by force, and it didn’t work.”
“There’s a lot he could do.” I had to stop my imagination from running through one awful plot after another. “He won’t give up until he’s got me. He could try to kill anyone in the family next.”
“Castro can’t just kill Ty,” Liam said. “If he does, it’ll kill you, too, Liza. Since you’re his end goal, he must have other plans for Ty. But what?”
His words sent a jolt of fear through me that had my lungs constricting. The idea of Castro having any control over Ty’s life, even indirectly, made me sick to my stomach.
“Maybe Rosalie knows something,” I suggested quietly. “She’s been working with him, after all.”
“Rosalie?” Ty scoffed, his eyes narrowing with distrust. “How much do you think she really knows? If she’s just a pawn then Castro is blackmailing her into doing his bidding.
I doubt she’d be of use to us as an informant.
He didn’t give Cecily any knowledge of his plans.
I can’t see Rosalie being any different. ”
“Maybe not.” Liam shrugged one shoulder. “It’s worth a shot, isn’t it? If she has any information, anything that can help us figure out his plans or where he’s hiding, it’s better than going in blind.”
I nodded and looked at my watch. My resolve strengthened when I saw the time. “She’s due here any minute. I’ll find out if there’s anything she can tell us.”
I went downstairs to wait for her in the kitchen. I’d asked her to come in for the morning to help get some meals together for a regular order. It had been hard to keep my usual pleasant manner and not rip her head off, but I’d done it, and she was on her way in.
“Good morning, Rosalie.”
“Morning.” She appeared oblivious to my inner turmoil, so I forced a smile in return, hoping it didn’t look strained.
Her gaze drifted through the window toward the damaged rear gate, and genuine shock registered across her features. “Oh, my God, what happened?”
“An explosion,” I said tersely, hating that I had to question her sincerity. “Castro’s people.”
“Castro?” She gasped, and her face paled, which was an achievement for a redhead with such a pale complexion. “That’s... that’s terrifying. Are you all okay?”
“Everyone’s fine,” I assured her, gripping the countertop to keep my emotions in check. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, so we should get started on today’s orders.”
Now that she was actually in front of me, I struggled to hide my true feelings and treat Rosalie as I normally would.
I found concentrating on the work and completing the checklists for the menus made it easier.
I had two separate households to cook for.
Mrs. Martinez held a charity board meeting every three months and always ordered a cold buffet lunch for forty people, which Sabrina would deliver and set up.
Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers were long-standing customers who had ordered a three-course, sit-down meal for eight people, which would be delivered to their house.
Thankfully, Mrs. Chalmers had arranged her own servers.
I was finding it increasingly hard not to blurt out what I knew.
It took everything in me to focus on our checklist so I wouldn’t lose control of my temper and let slip some of my abilities, and what I could and couldn’t control.
The last thing I wanted was to give this poisonous viper any more information she could pass on to Castro.
There were a few moments when I caught her giving me a thoughtful look, and I figured she was on to me, but then she’d shake her head and carry on with her checklist.
Eventually, we had the tasks split between us, and we moved to our separate cooking stations.
“Rosalie.” Now was the time to confront her, and I found myself trembling.
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I said “I’ve been thinking.
.. You’ve been working for me for a while now, but I’ve just now realized that apart from one conversation, I haven’t learned much more about you outside of this job. ”
Her hands paused over the vegetables she was chopping, and I watched her shoulders tense ever so slightly. “There’s not much more to tell, really,” she said with a forced laugh, resuming her chopping with a little too much enthusiasm. “I’m just a simple girl who loves cooking, you know?”
“Of course,” I said, my blood pounding against my skin as I weighed my next words carefully. “You must have some hobbies, goals, or something outside of cooking, though.”
“Uh, well.” Her eyes flickered nervously around the kitchen, looking for an escape. “I like reading and taking long walks, I guess. And I’ve always wanted to travel more, see more of the world.”
“Sounds lovely.” I tried to keep my tone light. “What about family? I know about your grandmother, but do you have any siblings?”
She bit her lip, still chopping vegetables with practiced precision.
“My family... Well, there’s not much to tell.
My grandmother is gone. I have a half-sister.
It’s just the two of us now.” She definitely hadn’t mentioned any siblings before when she’d told me the story of how she came to live with her grandmother, only that her “sperm donor” was married. Her story was changing.
“Where did you grow up?” I asked, acting as if I were merely making conversation while we worked.
Inwardly, my anger intensified as she told me lie after lie.
If she’d only told me the truth in the first place, I might have been able to help her.
Now, it was too late. I gripped the knife handle so tight, my fingers hurt.
“Here and there,” she said evasively, her movements becoming slightly more tense. “We moved around a lot when we were younger.”
“Must’ve been tough moving all the time.” I watched her closely. “Did your mother have to travel for work?”
“Something like that.” Rosalie avoided eye contact, and I caught the scent of her anxiety over the caramelizing onions.
“What about your sister?”
“Her name’s Lily.” She swallowed audibly. “She’s twenty-two.”
“Must be nice to have a sister,” I said wistfully, studying her face for any signs of deceit. “You didn’t mention her before. Are you two close?”
“We used to be,” she said softly. “Things... changed.”
“What do you mean?” Despite myself, I found myself feeling guilty for prying, but it was quickly followed by determination as I continued to question her.
“Can we just not talk about this right now?” Rosalie’s voice cracked with emotion. “I’m sorry, Liza, but it’s just too painful.”
Too painful? What about the way she’d double-crossed me?
Something about her reaction made my stomach twist. The more questions I asked, the cagier she became, her anxiety and fear heightening.
It broke my heart. I’d held out some hope Isaiah was wrong, and that the initial story she’d told me was the truth, but everything pointed to them being right about her working with Castro.
“Rosalie.” I glanced around to ensure that no one could overhear us. “Whatever it is you’re going through, I want to help, but you need to be honest with me.”
“Please,” she begged, fear flashing over her face. “Don’t make me do this.”
“Make you do what? Rosalie.” I tried to keep myself steady despite the emotions raging inside of me. “You can trust me. Tell me what’s going on.”
Again, her eyes darted around the kitchen before settling back on me, filled with anguish. “Liza, I... I can’t. You don’t understand.”
“Make me understand.” I took a step closer to her. “We can work this out.”
For a moment, I thought she might relent and finally reveal the truth. Then her expression hardened, and she shook her head. “No. I won’t drag you into this mess.”
She swallowed hard, her tears welling up. Instead of answering me, she bit her lip, a subtle sign that she was bracing herself for a tough decision. Before I was able to react, she spun on her heel and bolted toward the door.
“Rosalie!” I sprinted after her. She was fast, but anger fueled my muscles, giving me the strength to catch up. I lunged forward, grabbing her arm just as she reached the door. “Stop.”
“Let me go!” she shouted, struggling against my grip. “Please, just let me go.”
“Tell me the truth, Rosalie,” I said, digging my fingers into her arm. “Tell me why you’re working with Castro. Ty!” I shouted as Rosalie tried to wrench free from my grasp. “She’s trying to escape!”
Right on cue, Ty and Liam appeared in the doorway. Their faces were hard and unyielding, but I saw their concern for me in their eyes. Ty rushed forward, quickly grabbing hold of Rosalie’s other arm while Liam moved to block her only exit.
“Why, Rosalie? Why lie?” I fought to keep my composure, but her tears made it difficult, and a lump grew in my throat as my resolve faltered.
“Please, don’t hurt me.” Rosalie was barely audible through her sobs. “I’ll tell you everything.”
She wiped her face with the back of her hand, and I braced myself for whatever she was about to reveal.