13. Don’t Let Go
13
Don’t Let Go
T HE open window welcomed the chill wind. Roselin was on her third painting, finishing all her works in progress, and yet, her emotions overflowed her mind, making her body restless. Shaking her muscles loose, she rolled her neck.
It had been a day, and she had heard nothing from Ryu. Not that she usually heard from him on school days. Nevertheless, she thought he’d contact her after their fight—no, why would he reach out to her? He told her to go.
Stupid ass.
How was she able to play his dumb game if she didn’t know his ridiculous rules? No, not even then did he have the right to be angry at her. She was mad first! Nadia wouldn’t harm her. It was a warning. Because, guess what, Ryu was a fucking criminal. Every good friend would do the same as Nadia did… Well, maybe not exactly the same. Some would’ve told their friend face to face instead of leaving a dubious note on a bed.
But what had Gale said to Nadia? She must have heard it from him. How else did Nadia learn about the Sin Eater? Nadia came from a large family in Eastern Europe and arrived in this city on a scholarship too. How would she know about a specific criminal in New Arcadia?
It had to be Gale who told her. His father seemed to be someone who didn’t like people who took justice into their own hands. And, well, Gale had a lot of reasons not to like Ryu.
Her mind wandered back to Ryu. “Ass,” Roselin said, splashing red paint on the canvas. How did he dare to threaten her with those creepy shadows of his? “I would never harm you,” she imitated his voice.
Screw him!
Roselin grabbed her sports bag, throwing in the dresses and necklace Ryu gave her. In her pile of clothes on her bed, she searched for his jumper and threw it in too. Her eyes scanned the room, landing on the nude self-portrait. She took brown paper and wrapped it around the canvas. She’d owe him nothing anymore.
People stared at her on the tram to Ryu’s place. To be fair, she would’ve gazed too, at the girl with the painting half as big as her and a bag where a gala dress hung out. She should’ve asked Nadia to borrow her car.
Standing in front of Ryu’s house, she mentally crossed her fingers. She didn’t know where his office was, and she wasn’t getting lucky twice with the Driver showing up out of nowhere. If she failed, she could always buy more Stroopwafels as she waited for him to come home.
The sound of the bell disturbed the near-silent street. No answer. Shit. She pressed the button over and over, going for the annoying tactic once again—and a bit out of anger. A sigh rolled off her lips. Why. Was. No. One. Answering? She groaned as her finger started to hurt. Fine! She stepped away. Ryu won this round. As she accepted defeat, the doors opened.
“Ryu isn’t here,” Hugo said.
“Yeah, right. Then why are you here? Guarding his chess pieces?” She wouldn’t be dismissed without a fight, though Hugo simply stared at her. “I would like to see Ryu.”
“You’re not the only one,” Hugo said, but she didn’t care.
“I promised him a painting, so please step aside, so I can give it to him.” Roselin held up the canvas, but still, Hugo blinked at her, not moving out of her way. Her lips formed a thin line, and she inhaled a sharp breath. With every second, her veins filled with a raging storm until she couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Be a child and don’t talk,” Roselin screamed into the hallway past Hugo. She carefully placed the artwork against the wall and opened the bag. Roselin took Ryu’s sweater and threw it inside. Hugo leaned against the doorpost. “I refuse to be your plaything that you take out when you’re bored!”
Of course, she could’ve thrown the bag. But it was her bag, and this was a bit more dramatic. If she left, she was going with flair. It wouldn’t be the first time security made her leave.
The long dresses struggled against her, but she managed to get them out of the bag and threw them inside uncharmingly. “You act all tough, but you’re a coward.” Her fingers clutched around the necklace, but she stopped. It’s so beautiful… She should be able to keep it as payment for the painting.
“Is that all?” Hugo asked, with his arms crossed over his chest.
She gave him a stare that could kill and stuffed the necklace deeper inside the bag before she stormed off. Biting her tongue, she fought back the tears. Another chapter closed. It should be a good riddance, but it hurt.
A weird feeling crept up her spine as she walked to the tram. Her eyes scanned the street before she stepped in. No one got on with her, so whatever gave her the sensation would be left behind, right? But the same feeling kept bugging her all the way to the dorms. She peeked over her shoulder, but nothing.
Why did it feel like she was being watched? Maybe she was? If she learned one thing, it was that she needed to trust her instincts. Although, her instincts sucked lately.
Again, she glanced around, but no sign of something suspicious. There were shadows—well, duh, because the sun shone. What if Ryu was following her like last time? She took another street, making four turns. Her eyes darted in every direction, but nobody seemed as though they were stalking her.
Her phone pinged, and her heart skipped a beat. With trembling fingers, she unlocked her screen with a notification from one of Ryu’s unknown numbers; a text.
Unknown Ryu number 4: Go home and stay there. I’ll see you
So it was Ryu who followed her. Childish, and she should tell him to fuck off. Yet her stomach clenched together as fluttering filled her body. It was better to talk with him when she was less angry. It wasn’t like she wanted to say goodbye on such bad terms.
Nadia stood in the kitchen of their apartment, sipping the last bit of tea. “Where were you?”
“I needed a walk,” Roselin said, taking off her shoes.
“Still feeling ill?”
“Somewhat.” Roselin chewed her lip. “Can I ask for a favour?”
“Shoot.”
She was a terrible friend for what she was about to ask. “Could you leave for a minute? Someone will probably come over.”
Nadia rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me I have to leave because of a Glucose Guardian booty call.”
A laugh escaped Roselin’s lips, a bit of tension leaving with it. “No, something else, but I’ll make it up to you.” She really needed to talk to Ryu and give him a piece of her mind.
Nadia took her jacket and gave Roselin a quick hug. “Don’t worry about it. I’m meeting someone myself.” Nadia lingered at the entrance, her hand clenching the doorknob before turning to Roselin. “Call me if you need anything?”
“Will do,” she said with a smile.
Nadia closed the door, and Roselin quickly checked herself in the mirror. Her fingers raked through her windswept hair. Fuck, there was no way she’d be able to fix her makeup before Ryu showed up. She put her heels on as if it would mend everything and sat with her legs crossed. Not even a minute passed before Roselin traded the kitchen chair for the couch, only to sit on the table, and back on the chair again. If she could just find the perfect, I’m-not-taking-you-back-but-I-want-you-to-miss-me pose. But no one came.
With a sigh, she buried her face in her hands. At least she still got the expensive necklace. She kicked off her heels and stripped down naked. After all, the apartment was hers for a while, and she was in the need of a long shower without someone banging on the door.
The warm water washed away the tension, her muscles relaxing. The scent of the lavender soap filled her nose.
A door creaked.
“Nadia?” But no one replied. “…Ryu?” she tried, not knowing what to expect—still nothing. Must be her mind playing tricks on her again.
Roselin closed her eyes and lifted her chin to the warm stream. Water cascaded, but not all the way down her body. Bits stayed under her nose and mouth. Her brows furrowed, and her hand shot up, trying to brush the water away. What the f—her eyes snapped open. No matter how hard she rubbed, the water submerged her nose and mouth. She flailed around, her feet sliding away. Her knees hit the tiled floor, bruising them.
She tried to take hold of the water. Pull it off. But nothing worked.
From the corner of her eye, she saw two legs. Oh God! Her lungs burned, and her gaze met ice-cold blue eyes. Her hands shot out to him. ‘Help’, was all she thought. But he wasn’t here to help and stepped back. Tears joined the blob of water, her fingers clawing at the liquid, but all it did was open her skin.
Please, she didn’t want to die… God, please—she couldn’t hold her breath anymore.
Her mouth opened in a desperate attempt to fill her lungs.
A scream filled her ears—it wasn’t her own. The mass of water dropped from her mouth, and her lungs filled with air. Gasping and coughing, she lay naked on the cold tiles. A red liquid flowed towards her, and this time, it was her scream filling her ears.
She squirmed away from the blood. Her eyes locked on the lifeless blue ones, the eyes of a male Mageía who lay on her bathroom floor. A warm towel came towards her, and she screamed.
“Miss Bessette,” Hugo said, his eyes holding a softness she hadn’t seen in him before. “It’s alright.” Kneeling, he wrapped the towel around her. “Are you injured?” All she could do was stare in response. “Do you need a doctor?”
Roselin shook her head as she blinked at the Mageía and the crimson liquid. Her face hurt, and her nails had her blood under it. “Ryu,” she coughed. All she wanted was for Ryu to hold her and make the scary shadows keep everyone away.
Hugo nodded. “I’m going to lift you now.” With ease, he picked her up from the cold bathroom floor and set her on her bed. “Put on some clothes and pack a bag. The Driver will get you and bring you to Ryu.”
She wrapped her arms around herself, glancing at the doorway. “What about—” but she wasn’t able to make herself say dead body. Oh God, there was a dead body in her bathroom. “Nadia will be home soon.” Roselin would never forgive herself for what she put her friends through.
“I’ll take care of that before Nadia comes.”
Roselin furrowed her brows. “Did you follow me?” Did he come to kill Nadia?
“Get your clothes and stuff,” he said and left her alone in her room.
Why should she pack? She didn’t even know what to bring. And what about Nadia? Tears streamed down her face. Her lungs and throat still ached, and she smothered a sob in the towel. With deep breaths, she tried to calm herself.
One step at a time, Roselin.
She put on her sweater and yoga pants. Next step, pack a bag. She took whatever was clean and easy to grab—Crap, her toiletries were in the bathroom. Did she need to bring toiletries?
A soft knock came from the door, and she jumped in her place. The Driver apologised with a kind glance and gestured for her to go. So, no toiletries? They walked through the living room, and she tried her best not to look in the bathroom’s direction. Her eyes fell on a bloodstain on the hallway’s carpet. She didn’t even want to know what happened there.
The Driver closed the door behind them. “What about Hugo? It isn’t safe,” she said. Didn’t they need protection?
The Driver smiled, his eyes shimmering in the hallway lights. He held his palm up. A whooshing sound emerged from his twirling fingers above his hand before a whirlwind of air came alive. The cool breeze of wind brushed against her face and made her hair dance around her. She gasped at the show of power before her. Guess she was safer than she thought.
Roselin opened the passenger’s side door. The Driver shook his head at her as he put her bag away.
“What is your name?” she asked when the Driver sat.
He took her hand, and drew with his finger: No name.
“How can you have no name?”
He grinned and started the car. Every few minutes, she reminded herself to breathe. Her hands wouldn’t stop trembling. The entire ride, Roselin watched each corner of the street, the rear back mirror, and over her shoulder.
Ryu’s home looked exactly the same as before. A hallway led to the spacious open-floor living room, followed by the dining area and kitchen, and the upper-floor hallway peered out into the living room. The door to Ryu’s office stood open. His vexed voice filled the warehouse as he talked to someone on the phone in a language she didn’t understand.
She inched closer to the office. As she stopped in the doorway, she watched Ryu. Shadows engulfed the walls in darkness. The cold temperature drifted from the room, freezing her in place.
“Ryu,” she whispered, cursing the tears rolling over her cheeks.
Ryu spun to her. “Roselin.” The shadows moved with Ryu’s body as he threw the phone on the desk. “I’ll hunt down every person who had anything to do with this—kill them all. No one will ever dare to lay a finger on you.” His words reached deep inside her soul and washed away the fear that hadn’t left her since the shower. Yet, her eyes traced to the threatening shadows. “Roselin.” The shadows shrunk to their regular sizes. The feeling in her limbs returned, and she rushed into Ryu’s arms. A waft of cigarette smoke tickled her nose. Something she hadn’t smelled on him since the first time they met. Quickly, he scanned her over, his thumb caressing the painful scratch marks on her face. He held her close to his chest, rubbing her back with one hand as the other rested her head against his torso. “Tell me you’re not hurt, Roselin.”
“Just don’t let me go,” she whispered against his chest.