My Rose

37. Briggs

Chapter 37

Briggs

“The gates of hell are open night and day; Smooth the descent, and easy is the way. But to return, and view the cheerful skies, In this the task and mighty labor lies.” ― Virgil

T here were many things I was forced to do in my life and many things I chose to go along with because I saw no other alternative. I’d been caged, trapped in a void I had no hope of ever leaving.

Until her .

Rose and I walked hand-in-hand up the stairs to the Met, where it took a lot of effort not to turn right back around with her over my shoulder and go right back to our home. The only thing stopping me was knowing I’d get to see her beautiful face light up later with the surprise I had set up. No one forced me to be here tonight. Even if my father did find out I hadn’t come, I was prepared to handle him the way I should have years ago.

Rose halted at the entrance, her eyes falling right to the director, which was surprising, seeing as she had no idea who I was for so long yet knew who the director of the Metropolitan Museum was from across the room. I grinned as I tugged her along.

“Briggs, I don’t know if I—”

“You’ll be fine. I’ll be right there.” Always .

“What if he doesn’t like me?”

I stopped, now halfway across the room, and cocked my head at her. My fingers found the delicate curve of her chin. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

She eyed me up and down as if she didn’t believe me. “Fine. But I don’t want you right there. You’re going to distract me too much.” My hand found the small curve of her spine, then dipped lower.

“Is this”—I pulled her closer, drawing circles along her back as my voice lowered—“distracting you?”

“Yes,” she whispered. Her eyes darted between the oblivious director and back to me, blinking away whatever dirty thoughts I put there. I hoped it was plenty and that she’d show me later. “See? You’re a distraction. Go find Dean or something. ”

A grin formed on my lips. “Keep bossing me around, baby. I practically live for you to tell me what to do.” I planted a chaste kiss on her forehead and walked with her to the director, where I left right after introductions were made. I didn’t like being that far away from her, even if it was across a room full of security. But if that’s what she wanted, then I’d make it happen.

I leaned against a pillar, watching her from a distance with a drink in my hand. When Dean came up from behind me with Jasmine on his arm, I still didn’t look away.

Dean’s hand waved in front of my face. “Hey. Long time, no talk. Where the hell have you been?”

I shrugged. “Busy.” I finally pulled my gaze from Rose and took in Jasmine and Dean as they both stared back at me like I was a comical piece on display. “You going to be here long?”

Dean’s smile was knowing, his eyes moving between Rose and me. “No. Planned on being rather busy myself.”

“Dean!” Jasmine slapped the back of her hand over his chest, now glaring at me. “How’s my best friend? Are you being good to her?”

“I will always be good to her.”

“You were an ass to her before.” Jasmine’s brow arched, waiting for me to reply to that. She didn’t need to know how much I’d rather twist a knife in my own heart than ever hurt her best friend again. No one needed to know just how much Rose was my weakness. Jasmine rolled her eyes at my silence. “Well, tell her to call me sometime. She’s always too tired to talk when I call, so if you could stop fucking her so much, that would be great.” Dean laughed and kissed Jasmine’s forehead.

“Not likely,” I readily replied. Finding the love of your life was one thing. Good pussy? That was more believable to others. Let her think my mind was stuck there instead of where it truly was.

“Babe, go take a lap. I need to talk to Briggs for a minute.”

Jasmine obeyed immediately. Dean waited for her to be far enough away, looking at a painting in the distance before he spoke. “Your father says he’s been looking for you. Not in a good way.”

I took a sip from my drink and looked at Rose. “Is it ever in a good way?”

Dean sighed. “Look, I’ve been saying you’ve been at my house helping me with some things, but he’s not convinced anymore.”

My eyes slid to him. “So be more convincing.”

He raised a finger toward Rose. “You can’t play house forever.”

I raised a finger back toward him. “You’re the one who said I could get out.”

“Fuck.” Dean pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. “Yeah. I know.”

“So, I’m done. I’ve decided I can run the business and take it over, but I’m done being his little bitch. He can find someone else to fuck around with, I don’t care.”

Dean’s brows shot up. “You’re planning on taking over? That’s news to me. I thought you hated it.”

I nodded. “I do. But it’s what I’m good at. I can make it into something I can find enjoyment in once he’s gone.” Most of my hatred for VanAndrews, if not all, came from the lens I was given to look at it through. Without that, VanAndrews might end up being the perfect fit for me .

Dean rolled his lips in. “Gone, as in, gone ?”

I took another sip, contemplating while looking at the love of my life, who smiled at whatever the director was rambling on about. God, she was so fucking pretty. “As in, I’m going to offer to run it if he steps back and moves out of the country.” Offer or force, but his position would be mine soon.

“Thought you meant you were going to…you know.” Dean drew a line across his neck.

I pressed my back deeper into the column. “If that’s what it comes to, then that’s what has to happen. I’ve got a new vision for my future, one I actually want, and as much as my future doesn’t agree with it—let’s just say if he plans to stand in my way, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet through his fucking head. Or find someone who will.”

Another laugh sounded across the room, drawing Dean’s attention there while mine failed to look anywhere but at her.

“Understood. I think my daughter just got here. Looks like she brought someone…wait. Isn’t that the Audi boy?”

My eyes skated over to where he was looking as anger broiled under my skin. “August,” I growled. “Another person I wouldn’t mind putting a bullet through.”

“With where his hands are on Clarissa, I’ll join you on that one.” His hands had been in much worse places, but Dean didn’t need more ammo like I did. I wasn’t sure of his body count, but I knew it wasn’t zero. Rose began walking back over to me, and suddenly, I had no idea why I’d never killed any of the terrible people I’d encountered. I wanted this world as safe as possible for her, yet I couldn’t do that with the strong moral compass she was born with. I thought wanting her undressed yet clothed properly was my biggest conflict—now, it turns out, it had become whether I should take matters into my own hands or let them fall on someone else’s.

To kill or not to kill, all for the sake of the one I loved.

Dean told me to find love in order to have a greater purpose in my shit life, but that also seemed to bring out the murderous side my father had always wanted to see in me. Well, congratu-fucking-lations to him for finally getting the version of me he always wanted. She stole my heart and became the only drive I needed to pull the trigger. As much as she wouldn’t like it, I didn’t like the thought of risking her life for the sake of another. Being in hiding her whole life wasn’t an option. And when she decided she was ready for the family I was sure she knew I desperately wanted with her, I didn’t want anyone thinking they could fuck with them.

Undeniably, I had the power to change it all.

Rose was now close enough for me to wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close to me. “Hey, Dean,” she said, pulling Dean’s eyes from Clarissa and August. “Is Minnie here?” She scoped the room out, smiling when she found her friend. Then, her smile faded as she took in who Jasmine was talking to.

I pulled her closer to me. “It’s okay. He can’t hurt you anymore, remember?”

“Hurt her? What the hell did he do?” Dean’s cheeks heated as he stared them down from across the room.

“Nothing,” Rose replied hurriedly .

Dean looked at Rose, his eyes widening as he took in the way Rose had become flustered. “And now he’s touching my daughter. I mean, I know she’s no saint, but fuck.” His hand slid down his face. “And what the hell is Jasmine doing talking to him?”

“She’s probably threatening him,” Rose rushed out with a deep sigh. “She’s always hated him.” Dean had a way of seeing through people, and it turns out Jasmine did, too. Knowing she was going up to bat for my girl was putting her on a bigger pedestal than before when she was just Dean’s girlfriend.

Dean started walking over to Jasmine, and August’s attention snapped to me and Rose. His face drained of color as I raised my glass toward him, then pulled Rose close and pressed my mouth to hers, slipping my tongue in for show. I turned her and pushed her back to the column I’d been leaning against, loving how pliable she was, allowing me control over her in public. My fingers slipped into her hair as I opened my eyes to find August staring back at us. If it weren’t for all the people in the room, I’d fuck her right here in front of him and make her call out my name while she came all over my cock. But then he’d see what was mine—they all would. And no one would ever see Rose naked unless they wanted me to gauge their eyes out afterward.

Rose was breathless when I pulled away, her red lips pouty and soft. I cupped her jaw, keeping her focus on me. “Come on. I have somewhere I want to take you.” Her eyes were glassy as she nodded, then laced her fingers with mine, forgetting all about the guy she used to think owned her heart while she went with the one who actually did.

Her gasp was everything I never knew I needed to hear as validation. All the noise and pressure from the bodies standing in the room we’d left were now long forgotten. They didn’t steal my attention the way she did. She was always on my mind and had been for so hauntingly long that I’d learned how to ignore her presence if only to survive in the world I lived in.

Now, there was no way to ignore how I felt standing there, watching Rose take in the sculptures and artifacts around the room. Even my mind couldn’t accurately paint a picture of the admiration she had on her face—of the way her body seemed to sing as she silently took in the room. She was practically glowing.

Her brows furrowed as I came up from behind her and fit the curve of her back to my front. “Why is no one else here?” she whispered like it would disturb the peace in the room.

“I may have asked the director to close off this room and only allow us through.” She glanced over her shoulder, making me turn our bodies so she could look at the entrance we walked through, where two security guards stood, paying no attention to us.

Her cheeks turned pink. “I didn’t even see them as we came in.”

I smiled and kissed her shoulder. “Did I steal your focus, baby?”

The air she expelled allowed me to tighten my hold around her waist. “You always do,” she admitted. “This is incredible. ”

“There were hundreds of pieces of ancient artifacts decorating the floors and walls, but the most interesting piece wasn’t made of marble or stone. Not for me, at least. I released her and took her hand. “Show me some things. Teach me.”

Her brow cocked. “I thought you were the teacher?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.” Blush stained her cheeks, becoming more evident against the white backdrop of her dress and all the marble statues around us. “You know, with”—her hands waved between us—“stuff.”

Oh. “Clearly, I’m not doing my job well enough if you can’t say sex or the way I fuck you.” I stepped in closer to her, my breath thick between us. “The way I make your legs weak as I call you my dirty little slut and fill you with my cum.” The cum that was dripping down her thighs during this event since she’d decided to go without any underwear. My naughty little viper.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “Yes. All of that” Rose put a hand on my chest, pushing me away gently. “But, you’re right. It’s my turn to teach you, although I think you know about most of the things here.”

It was true. I did. But I wanted to hear about it all from her. I wanted to hear her version and insights on every piece she could tell me about. Mostly, I just wanted to hear her talk. She could read the directions to the box of pancakes I repeatedly burnt, and it would be the most captivating thing.

She pulled me from statue to statue, briefly describing them while getting caught up on the next thing her eyes fell on. Not a single apology slipped from her lips on the manner in which she became wrapped up in every minuscule thing about the most random pieces, like a part of a broken plate and how it showed some aspect of their daily lives. If I were the director, I’d hire her on the spot. Every single piece had value, and Rose made you feel her passion as she spoke.

At one point, her excitement got the better of her, and as she spun too quickly, her ass bumped into one of the ropes around a display. I caught her as she fell back, then lifted her completely from the ground, reminding me all too much of our time in the woods.

“Briggs, really, with the carrying?”

I squeezed her hip as I made my way to a set of stairs. “I think you meant sir . And yes, if I want to carry you, I’ll carry you.”

“Fine, sir .” Her fingers laced behind my neck. “Where are you taking me now?”

“The rooftop. One last thing, then we can go back home.”

Her fingers threaded in the hair at the base of my skull. “Already? I didn’t get to see—I mean talk to Jasmine.”

“About that—she said I have to stop fucking you so much so you can get some rest. Have you not been sleeping well?” I started climbing the stairs, waiting for Rose to answer.

“Not really. It’s that box my grandma gave me. I don’t know. Maybe I’m imagining things.”

I reached the final landing, then pressed my back into the door to push it open. “Tell me,” I ordered as I set her down slowly, letting her heeled feet steady before I released her. She sighed as I unbuttoned my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders .

“There was a wedding video, not like a professional one. My grandmother probably filmed it and then left it in that box. But there was a voice…”

“What do you mean? Whose voice?”

“I think it’s the same voice from a dream I’ve had for years—the one where I’m running from the fire and I go to hide in the clock. Only sometimes before the fire starts, she’s there, talking to my mom in her office.” She wrapped her arms around her chest. “It always follows with this immense feeling of dread like I heard something terrible but can’t remember what it was.”

Rose’s face contorted as she thought. I grabbed her shoulder, prompting her gaze to fall back on me. “Did you see her in the video?”

She shook her head. “No. Well, I saw the backside of her head. I think she was sitting with my grandmother, but the video cuts off and starts again when my parents are dancing.”

“And you’re sure it was the same voice?” She nodded, and I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around her. The pain of remembrance was draining the color from her face. “It could have been your mom’s friend. Someone else who happened to be there that day.”

“Yeah, but…in my dream, she’s always really scared.” Rose pressed her cheek to my chest and took a deep breath. “I also don’t remember her from any other time. I would remember their friends, right? I should…I would remember them.”

A stab of hurt coursed through me. Ironically, as someone who kept things from her for years, I was now on the receiving end. Moreover, I felt her pain as if it was my own. Too much pain for what I brought her to the roof of the Met for. “Why didn’t you tell me something was wrong?”

“I—”

“Rose…Fields, is it?” The haunting voice of my father turned the air more frigid around us, and I immediately pulled Rose as flush to me as I could. She started to tremble, even as I splayed my palms to cover her back. “Of all the things I thought I taught you, son, and you never learned to leave those beneath you where they belong. Though, she should be six feet beneath us by now.”

“The only one who belongs in the ground is you,” I said through gritted teeth as my father stepped out from the shadows, his white tux sticking out against his black soul.

“I thought you’d be smarter than to make the same mistake twice, Briggs.” He wagged a finger at Rose as he paced in front of us, and I slowly let one hand fall from Rose, reaching it to the back of my waistband. “She will ruin everything we’ve worked for. Everything we are.”

I slowly glided my hand up from her back, shielding the back of her head as her heart beat wildly against my stomach. “Why? Because I love her?” It didn’t matter what came from my mouth, I just needed him to keep talking. Rose whispered the words back up to me, sending another jolt of pain through my chest. She thought this was the end. She knew the lengths he’d go through to end people, and her words came out like she’d never get the chance to say them again .

My father tsked and stopped pacing, evaluating my hold on her as my fingers tightened on the grip. “When you refused to stay with Clarissa, I should have known something was wrong.”

I snorted. “Yeah, her legs.” I lowered my voice for only Rose to hear. “I’m going to need you to cover your ears, baby.”

My father sneered as Rose did what I asked her to do. “Oh, what’s the matter? She doesn’t know?”

“She knows everything ,” I replied.

His brow arched. “Does she? She knows that you watched her family die in a fire you caused?”

“That wasn’t my fault.” Even the pain I used to feel when thinking about that night and my part in it was nearly gone now. She’d taken my guilty conscience and made me see that night for what it was—a sick man’s way of teaching his young son a lesson that had no purpose. And I’d do my best to take that pain away for her, too. “None of what happened that day was my fault, but you let me believe it was. You let me torture myself as a child for my part in whatever sick game you played to turn me into who you wanted me to be.”

He cocked his head. “Is that right? So, you didn’t give me a name and tell me where she lived. Didn’t sit there doing nothing—”

“Fuck you.” I’d had enough. “The only thing I want to hear from you is why them, and why her?” If he was going to die, I might as well get some answers.

He tapped his temple and grinned at me. “All those smarts you claim to have, and you never once put those pieces together? She should have just dropped it all and walked away. A singular woman working against men like us has no hope. But two? That needed to be handled.”

My brows furrowed as my arm went slack beside her, the barrel of the gun slinking down by my hip. What could Rose and her mother possibly have done together to threaten him so much that he felt like he needed to shoot them and burn the bodies?

He clapped his hands together, pointing them at Rose. “She would have made us nothing—taken it all away. Is that a life you would have wanted?”

My eyes narrowed on him. “I never cared about the money.”

“Oh, yes, right. Always the fucking martyr you were. Never appreciated my gifts, my house, my fucking jet.” He laughed wickedly, spinning with his arms wide in a slow three-sixty. “There is power in money, son. It’s a concept you have yet to embrace. You have an empire at your feet and choose to ignore it.” His face twisted as he glared at Rose. “But, instead, you went and tried to leave, and for what, pussy?”

“You never truly needed me for more than a media blitz and to be your damn hellhound. Choosing her over the life you offered was never a question in my mind. It will always be. Be. Her.” I cocked the gun at my side, covering the sounds as I spoke.

The next few seconds moved in slow motion. My father had heard the sound and didn’t hesitate to reach for his gun, holstered beneath his jacket. His moves were deliberate, aiming for the best way to take me down—her.

The moment I heard the click, I turned with Rose in my arms, her screams the last thing I heard before the world went black.