51. Rosalie
FIFTY-ONE
ROSALIE
I woke with a groan.
The first thought I had was that I was dead and this was hell.
The second thought I had was that I was alive, and this was hell.
My face hurt. Bad. My arms felt heavy. My head throbbed. My vision was small because I couldn’t open my eyes.
And there was a heavy arm draped over my midsection. Wincing, I looked to see who it was connected to, hoping beyond anything it wasn’t the guy who had hurt me.
Anson’s face greeted me, a bruise marring his cheek.
I frowned, confused about how I got here and wondering where here even was.
It looked like a hospital room, but it wasn’t. The IV in my arm suggested I’d received medical care.
Worry rushed through me at the thought that my guys hadn’t come for me. Something had to have happened. Fear swept through me, and I tried to untangle myself from Anson. My body ached. A soft gasp of pain left me.
His head snapped up immediately.
“LeeLee,” he croaked. He reached out for me and cradled my face as I faltered. “Hey.”
“Ani? Where is Fox? Enzo? Cole? Ethan?” My voice shook.
“They’re at home. They’re OK.”
I closed my eyes, allowing myself to calm down.
“Where am I?” I asked, looking at him as he sat up. His hair was a mess from sleep, and somehow, that seemed so endearing on him that I wanted to reach out and hold him.
“You’re with me,” he murmured. “Safe.”
“And where are we?” I ventured, something telling me I wouldn’t like his answer.
He looked pained for a moment before he spoke. “Matteo’s.”
I widened my eyes at him before wincing at the pain the movement brought me.
“Easy. Easy,” he said, scrambling to catch me as I nearly toppled over.
“We hav-have to go. I need to leave. I can’t be here.”
“It’s OK. I promise. You’re safe?—”
“Matteo De Santis is the enemy,” I whispered frantically. “He’s going to kill me and the guys. Please. We need to go?—”
“LeeLee. Hey. Hey.” Anson gently took my face in his hands and made me look up at him. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” I whispered without hesitation.
“Then please believe me when I tell you that you’re safe. Matteo spoke to Fox last night. Fox can come pick you up when I call him.”
I swallowed at his words. “R-Really?”
He nodded. “Really, but I’m not going to call him right now. I want you to rest for at least another day or two here. Can you do that for me? We’re working to make sure you’ll be safe. Please tell me yes.”
“And if I say no?”
He gently tucked a curl behind my ear. “You will never tell me no, LeeLee. Not if I ask you.”
I closed my eyes at his words.
“Look at me,” he murmured.
I opened my eyes to stare at him.
“You are safe here with me. I will not leave your side. When it’s time, I’ll call Fox to come get you. I promise. OK?”
“Can I at least call them?”
“Of course,” he said, giving me a sad smile. “But first, tell me you’re OK. That-That he-he didn’t…” His words shook.
It was my turn to cradle his face. “I hurt, Ani, but he didn’t. He tried.” My words faltered this time.
“Oh, LeeLee,” he whispered, swiping a fallen tear off my tender cheek. “My sweet, perfect girl. I want to hold you. Can I hold you?”
I nodded, my throat tight as I fought off my tears.
Gently, he pulled me against his body and held me.
I cried softly, letting out all the emotions I’d been fighting since it happened.
All the fear. I was safe in Anson’s arms. I knew I was.
Even here, he’d keep me safe. I believed that.
I was still scared, but I could get through it if he were at my side.
“Come lie down. You need to rest.” He led me back to the bed and helped me in before tucking the blankets around me. “I’ll get you something to eat.”
“Don’t go,” I called out, reaching for him.
“You need food and water,” he said gently, taking my hand. “I promise I’ll be right back. I need to have the doctor come look at you, too.”
“You swear it?” I asked, worried. I believed he’d keep me safe, but there was still the fact that I was in enemy territory.
“On my life.” He placed a soft kiss on my forehead. “I’ll be fast.”
I nodded, letting him go. He cast me a final look at the door before leaving.
I sat in silence for what felt like forever before there was a soft knock. The door cracked open, and a handsome man entered the room. Tall like Anson. Muscular. Early to mid-forties at the oldest.
Terrifying.
“Rosalie, I’m glad you’re awake,” he said in a smooth Italian accent as he stepped deeper into the room. On instinct, I shrank away from him. This man exuded power and control. Everything about him suggested he was wicked and not to be messed with.
“Do you know who I am?”
“M-Matteo De Santis,” I managed to whisper.
His lips quirked up as he stood at the edge of my bed.
“Yes. I’m Alessandro’s father. Fox’s… uncle.”
I swallowed hard.
“Are you going to kill me?” I choked out.
He blinked at my question before he let out a soft, dangerous laugh. “I’ll answer your question with a question. Have you wronged me somehow?”
I crinkled my brows at his words. “No.”
“Then you shall remain safe within my home and elsewhere in the world until otherwise.”
I relaxed a bit at his words.
“Tell me what happened last night.”
I licked my lips as he sat on the edge of my bed, his eyes focused on me. Anson and he looked a lot alike, but then again, so did Dominic. And even Kurt, now that I was looking at him. It was uncanny.
“ Bel fiore, I need your words.”
“I-I was at Mayfair practicing. The guys were supposed to meet me, but they didn’t come.
I had to leave because it was closing. I called them, but they didn’t answer,” I said, my voice shaking.
“I went to my car. A man grabbed me from behind. He was wearing a mask. I managed to get away from him. I-I ran to the alley because sometimes the coffee shop leaves its back door open. I thought if I could get there, someone could help me.”
“Mm, I see. And then what?”
“I didn’t make it. He caught me in the alley.
Knocked me down. Hit me. K-Kissed me. T-Touched me.
” Nausea rolled through my stomach as I relived the awful encounter.
“H-He wanted to r-rape me. He was going to. He-He put his hands on me. He just kept hitting me, telling me he wasn’t supposed to but couldn’t help himself. ”
“Did he give you a name?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“Tell me more.”
“There’s not much more to tell. He kept hitting me. I think I passed out from it. Or accepted it. Then I woke up here. That’s it.”
Matteo stared me down. I felt like he was peering into my soul. I let out a shaky breath as he reached forward and twisted one of my curls around his finger.
“You are a beauty, bel fiore, ” he murmured.
“W-What does that mean? Bel fiore ?”
“Does Lorenzo not speak Italian to you?”
I shook my head. “Not really. He only speaks it to his father when he doesn’t want us to know what he’s saying.”
He let out a soft laugh. “It means pretty flower. You are a rose, yes?”
“I-I guess.” Cole calling me Rosebud popped into my head.
“Never guess. Always be sure in your answers.”
I stared back at him. While terrifying, there was something else about him I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I’d heard horror stories about him—so many of them.
“My son loves you,” he continued. “Do you love him?”
He was bold with his questions.
“We only tell the truth here,” he continued when I didn’t answer. “Remember that. To be my friend, you must be honest. Liars aren’t treated well under my roof.”
He had a way of threatening by making it sound like a Sunday walk in the park.
“Do you love Alessandro?”
“I-I can’t love him,” I whispered, looking down at my hands.
He reached out and tilted my chin up gently. “I did not ask you what you’re allowed to do. I asked what you feel. Your words will not leave this room. I do not break my promises.”
I said nothing for a moment. He asked again, this time a note in his voice telling me he wouldn’t remain patient for much longer.
“Of course I love him,” I said, my words pouring out. I sounded desperate and terrified. “He’s wonderful, but I can’t change the situation.”
“And if you could, would you?”
“I would,” I admitted, my words tiny.
“In our family, we have traditions,” he said. “The father fucks the bride before the groom.”
I looked at him, my eyes wide and horrified.
“I would not do that to you if you were to marry Alessandro and leave behind Lorenzo.”
I said nothing, not even sure how to address his words.
The fact that they did this was sick and disgusting.
I wondered if he’d done that to Bianca and Dominic.
I’d heard whispers but never asked for clarification on it.
The guys also seemed unwilling to discuss anything related to it, probably to protect me.
“Did you do that to Bianca and Dominic?” The words slipped quickly from my mouth.
He cocked his head and smirked at me, a disarming look that made my pulse pound.
“A scare tactic, really. I have no desire to bed Dominic’s wife. Or ex-wife. Never wife. Whatever she is these days. Dominic and I do not get along. He isn’t as strong as Alessandro. Or Tomasso, for that matter. Have you met Tomasso?”
“Trent? I’ve met Trent. He helped save me from a guy in the Underground once when Anson took me to see him fight.”
“Alessandro,” Matteo corrected gently. “Say it.”
“Alessandro,” I repeated, his name strange on my tongue.
He smiled at that. “Alessandro and Tomasso are good boys. They visit me often. Alessandro is more willing to work than Tomasso, but Tomasso has trauma we’re working on.”
“His mother and sister’s deaths,” I said softly.
Matteo nodded tightly. “Tomasso witnessed it. I do not wish to push him right now. I’ve only just gotten him back. Plus, he was subjected to working with the Ivanovs.”
I said nothing because I wasn’t sure what to say to the man.
“So. Alessandro. You love my son. My heir. What an interesting situation you’re in, sweet girl, for you also love my enemy and my nephew.”