14. Why?
14
Why?
H ER fingers curled around the warm cup of Japanese Sencha tea. A chef was busy in the kitchen making dinner— a chef . Roselin couldn’t believe Ryu ordered one to cook for her to make her feel better. It wouldn’t take the nagging fear in her mind away, but it fixed the hunger.
She sat on the couch, her legs raised to her chest. Ryu watched her every move, all Roselin’s little facial expressions and her eyes switching between fear, sorrow, and anger.
His hand reached for her as he sat beside her, but he let it fall back down to his side. “Roselin.” His cordial voice calmed her heart, even though she wanted to be furious at him. She locked onto his warm gaze. “My people will find Nadia and bring her.”
“Why doesn’t it sound like you’re bringing her in to protect her too?” She set down her cup.
“Roselin.”
And why did he keep calling her Roselin?
“She sent you the note and was gone when the Brotherhood came for you.”
Brotherhood? There were so many questions she wanted to ask. But Nadia came first.
Roselin shook her head. “Nadia has nothing to do with this. I told you she warned me because she’s scared of you. And I asked her to leave because…” Because she thought Ryu was coming to talk and maybe apologise.
“Because?”
Her shoulders slacked. “Because you texted me, and I assumed you were dropping by.” She avoided his eyes as her cheeks turned red.
He sat up straight. “What did the text say?”
“What do you mean, ‘what did it say?’ You know what it said.” The colour faded from her face. “You know what it says,” she repeated, inching closer to Ryu. “Please say you know what it says.”
“What makes you think it was from me?”
“I save every number you text me with,” she said. Ryu rubbed his chin, his fingers covering his mouth. “Ryu.” She sat nearer to him. “It was from you.”
“Give me your phone.” And she did what he said. He frowned at the screen. “I no longer use this number.”
A sob pushed past her lips as she covered her mouth with her long sleeve. Nothing made sense anymore. Why would someone pretend to be Ryu and try to kill her? Why did this keep happening to her? What had she done to deserve this? Was it karma biting back even though she was the one who had brought justice? A single moment, cursing her forever?
Ryu brushed her hair out of her face, his finger leaving a warm trace. She leaned into his touch. “Why?” she said, meeting Ryu’s eyes, but he stood up and stepped away, sending a pang through her heart.
“You’ll stay here until this is all over.” His fingers raked through his hair.
“I already missed a few days of class. I can’t miss more.”
He turned to her, dragging his hands through his hair again. “Your safety is more important than some classes.”
“I promised my mum.” Roselin stared down at her hands. “I can’t disappoint her.” Not after everything Mum sacrificed for her.
“Your mum would want me to prioritise your safety,” Ryu said. Shit, he was right. Burying her face in her arms, she let herself fall backwards on the couch. “I’m not losing you.” His fingers stroked her hair. “They won’t take you from me.”
“Why would anyone want to hurt me?” She tilted her head. Furrowing her brows, she dropped her hands at her side and looked at Ryu. “How did Hugo know I needed him?”
“It was a precaution to make sure you’re safe.” His fingers flexed, and he ground his teeth. “There may not be cameras everywhere” —A laugh escaped his lips— “But there are eyes all around the city, mouths that talk, and they like to come to me.”
It was true. The city advertised the minimum camera surveillance to prove it was the safest city on earth. And somehow, the criminal ratings stayed low. Something told her it had more to do with people like Ryu and not because there wasn’t any crime. Hidden criminality… or was it controlled? After all, Ryu was an acquaintance—a friend—of Mister Visser, the founder’s legacy and part of the city’s security.
The muscles in Ryu’s jaw flexed. Something she had noticed he did when he was frustrated. “I wasn’t expecting this… Not this soon. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
A sharp breath left her lips. “I don’t know if I can do this.” She felt trapped, and her mind raced to every possibility. Mostly the bad ending ones. His finger wrapped around her chin, making her look at him. “I’m scared, Ryu.”
“The only scary thing in this city is me, and I would never harm you.”
The chef came in. “Dinner is ready, sir.”
Her stomach responded to the scent of food. Duck—prepared like the restaurant they went to that first time—potatoes covered in herbs and butter, steamed vegetables, and the best wine stood before her. She felt guilty that she didn’t feel well enough for dessert, but Ryu promised her he’d save the crème br?lée for her.
After dinner, she was exhausted. Ryu tucked her in with a promise to check in later, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Her dreams filled with Mageía coming for her. Every time they reached her, shadows shrouded Roselin in darkness, and she woke up. Gasping for air, she sat up straight. She looked beside her, but Ryu wasn’t there. The dresses she gave back hung on the bathroom door, their dark silhouettes startling her.
The chill of the floor penetrated deep inside her body as she tiptoed through the room. “Ryu,” Roselin whispered, but of course, no response.
A small light came from the living room. A bundle wrapped in blankets lay on the couch. Ryu? She walked down the stairs, inching closer to the bundle, which moved slowly with every breath. His tattooed arm hung out from under the blanket. Tilting her head, she watched him sleep. He was kind of cute like this. She knelt next to him and softly poked his shoulder. His eyes shot open, spooking her, and she fell backwards on her butt.
“Roselin?” he said. “What are you doing?”
Ugh, there was that Roselin again. “I was going to ask you the same thing. Why are you sleeping on the couch when there are multiple perfectly good beds in this place?”
He laughed, resting his arm over his eyes. “Why would I sleep in a cold bed you aren’t in?”
“There was a warm bed with me in it.”
Her words granted her another laugh. “I’m doing as I was told,” Ryu said. She furrowed her brows, and he peeked at her from under his arm. “You told me it was over, remember?”
She pouted her lips. “I was angry and hurt.”
His fingers held her chin. For a moment, Ryu stared into her eyes, but it felt like he searched her soul. She fought the urge to tell him the three words she tried to deny so hard. The opposite of hate. The reason she was angry and hurt. But maybe Ryu found the words she struggled to say in her eyes as he drew her towards him. Their lips met. Her heart fluttered at his kiss, his tongue exploring her mouth, and his warmth radiated through her. His arms tugged her onto him, and he laid the blankets on top of her. She kissed his jaw, neck, and chest as he pulled on her panties.
His bare torso was warm against her breasts, his lips sending a shiver through her body. Her wet pussy rubbed against his leg as she let his touch engulf her. Everything bothering, worrying, or scaring her was gone, for only they existed.
He stripped her naked. His lips were hot around her nipple. She lifted her body so he could penetrate her. Damn, she missed his cock… and him.
They found their rhythm, their bodies in sync. Ryu’s fingers drew circles on her clit. Her breath quickened as the heat rose inside her. Don’t stop, Roselin thought. Quiet moans filled the dark living room.
Ryu picked up his pace, their gazes trained on each other. His fingertips dug into her hips. She threw back her head. Fuck, almost… An almost inaudible ‘no’ left Ryu’s lips, and she forced herself to lock his eyes again. She pressed her fingers into his shoulders, her nails drawing blood.
“Ryu,” she breathed. Her toes curled as pleasure surged through their bodies, and she collapsed against his chest. He didn’t stop, chasing his own high. The sound she loved pushed past his lips as his muscles tensed.
She lay safe in his arms until she could move again, his breath gentle against her skin.
“Roselin—”
“Rose.” She leaned her forehead against his. “It’s Rose.”
His soft finger stroked her cheek. “My darling Rose.” He smiled against her lips. He lifted her off him, carrying her to the shower. Her head rested against his chest as the warm water rained down on them.
Roselin didn’t know how she ended up in bed—or for how long she slept—but she woke up with Ryu’s hand around her breast and his body pressing against her.
She watched his serene face. His chest rose with every breath. Her lips brushed his, and Ryu smiled against them. “Morning, my Rose.”
“It’s a weekday,” she said, their noses brushing against each other.
“Don’t worry about school. I’ll handle it.”
“What about work?”
“I’ll work from home.” He pecked her lips. “And I mostly operate when it’s dark.”
Roselin rested her head against his chest. Part of her wanted to ask, and another didn’t want to know.
Rumbling, footsteps, and voices sounded downstairs. She frowned, but so did Ryu. A loud, rapid knocking echoed through the room. “Police are here,” Hugo said through the closed door.
Ryu cursed, jumping out of bed. “Stay here,” Ryu ordered her as he put on his clothes.
Police? Her heart leapt in her throat, and her stomach twisted. Were they here for what happened yesterday? Someone must have seen something—the dead body, the blood, and what about her screaming?
“Can’t we tell them the truth?” she asked. They—whoever they were—attacked her. “It was self-defence.”
“Hiding dead bodies is not self-defence, darling.”
The colour drained from her face. “What do we do?”
He stopped rushing and kissed her forehead. “You do nothing. They’re not here for you.”
“Mister Botan,” a voice boomed through the hallway.
Ryu grinned at her as if the person just proved his point. He swung open the door. “Mister Russo, what a lovely surprise. I assume you have a search warrant to show me?”
Roselin jumped out of bed, too, searching for her clothes. An icy silence pierced through the house as Ryu probably read the warrant.
“Ridiculous as always,” Ryu said. “Let me call my lawyer and the judge who sent you here, and I think we can find a quick solution to this misunderstanding.”
“Not today, Ryu.”
“Are you denying my rights? This paper doesn’t make you stand above the law.” Ryu reached his arm back into the room, holding out a phone to her.
“Put your hands where I can see them,” someone said.
Roselin quickly took the phone before a police officer cuffed him in the hallway.
“Who’s there with you?” The door burst open, and Gale’s father stepped in.
Roselin rushed into the bathroom, locking the door. “Hello,” she whispered into the phone as an officer banged on the door.
“Who is this?” A voice came through the phone.
“Roselin Bessette, Ryu needs you, I think. The police are here.” The connection broke off, and she cursed herself. Did she do this right, or had she screwed everything up?
“Roselin, sit on the floor and show your hands clearly,” Ryu called out as loud thumps made the door shake. She did as Ryu told her, her hands trembling. The door broke open, and the police stepped in. “Don’t touch her. She has done nothing wrong.” The two police officers came towards her. One looked familiar—was he the same officer who pulled over their car? “I know your name,” Ryu said, and she heard the smiling threat leaking through his words. The familiar man stopped in his tracks.
“It’s okay, Chester,” Gale’s father said. “Just watch her there.”
Chester took the phone from her. She couldn’t see Gale’s father, but it sounded like he left the bedroom. Ryu talked to an officer. His voice was white noise as she looked up at the gun pointed at her.
“Rose,” Ryu said, her name breaking her out of her spiralling down thoughts. She blinked at the police officer. “It’s okay, my Rose. Come to me.”
She rushed up and dashed past the officers. Ryu sat on the bed, his hands cuffed behind him. He gave her a warm smile, like nothing was happening. Her mind flooded with too many questions, but she couldn’t ask any of them. Not with the police still here. Her hand snaked into his as she sat beside him. A whole other world was opening before her, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.
A phone rang somewhere. Gale’s father cursed, and Ryu kissed her cheek. “It’s almost over,” Ryu said.
Gale’s father returned, a vein pulsing in his neck, but other than that, he looked completely calm. “Chester, uncuff Mister Botan, please.”
Chester obeyed his orders.
For some reason, she expected Ryu to rub his wrist like they always do in movies, but he simply rose from the bed. “Mister Russo, with all due respect, leave my house.”
Her legs shook as she descended the stairs. Ryu watched her with care, guiding her down. She needed a drink. Water and a stronger one.
She gasped, tears stung behind her eyes, and her nails dug into her palm. The downstairs was a mess. Books were pulled from their places, and every paper inspected for something hidden. They tossed Ryu’s office too. She watched him walk to the kitchen, where the Driver and Hugo were waiting with two other men. Ryu’s hands moved in distinctive motions, and Hugo did the same, followed by the Driver. Sign language before they switched to spoken words. Their voices numbed as she stared at her blue painting thrown to the ground. Kneeling, she held the ripped canvas. The last of Russo’s minions left the house as she quietly sobbed.