79. Rosalie
SEVENTY-NINE
ROSALIE
“ A rgh!” I let out a shriek and dodged Alessio’s fist as he came at me. He was relentless when he fought. I’d been stuck here for three whole days. Matteo said I needed this.
What I needed was to call my guys and tell them I was OK. They had to be going nuts with worry. I was barely able to sleep because I knew they were probably tearing the world apart looking for me.
Matteo said once he was satisfied, he’d let me go home.
Until then, I was forced to learn to fight because he said it was disgusting that I didn’t know how. A woman in my position should know how to save herself.
When Klaus had put the gun to my head, I thought it was game over. That I was dead, and they’d send my body back to Enzo and the guys as a way to hurt them. That Matteo was a liar and a killer. That he couldn’t be trusted.
When Alessio placed his hand over my mouth and Klaus reholstered his weapon, I realized I’d just failed a huge test. The look in Matteo’s eyes suggested he was severely disappointed in me.
Since that moment, they’d been giving me a crash course in self-defense. Klaus demonstrated a few moves while Alessio carried them out.
Alessio knocked me to the ground for the fifth time in an hour and leveled himself over me. I let out a cry as he forced my legs apart. I fought against him as he grabbed my wrists and pinned them over my head.
I was hysterical. He’d never done this to me in all the time he’d been working with me.
“Sweet rose,” he whispered as I went into panic mode. “Fight me. Do not cry. You have to fight. What did I teach you?”
“I-I don’t know. I don’t…” I sucked in breath after breath.
He slammed my hands down hard. “Rosalie.”
I looked at him, desperate to control myself.
“Will your tears save you?” he asked softly, still leveled over me. “Have they ever saved you?”
“N-No.”
“What will save you?” His dark eyes searched me.
I forced myself to breathe. To think. To get myself under control.
“Fighting,” I whispered.
“Then fight me,” he answered back.
I struggled beneath him to no avail.
“You know what to do,” he grunted. “So do it. Arm position. Leg position.”
I couldn’t get past the panic at having him on top of me. There was no way.
“Let her up,” Matteo’s voice broke in.
Alessio immediately released me and helped me to sit up. I stared at Matteo as he strode toward me in the gym, his shirt off. The man was ripped and tatted. I quickly averted my eyes and stared at my hands.
“Get up,” he instructed as Alessio moved to the edge of the mat to stand next to Klaus, who was eating a bag of popcorn as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He gave me a thumbs-up. I hadn’t sparred with him yet and definitely didn’t want to. He’d crush me worse than Alessio had.
I swallowed as I got to my feet. Matteo reached out and tilted my chin up so I could stare into his eyes.
I was hot, sweaty, and starving. Despite my hair being in a ponytail, it did nothing to cool me down.
Even the new workout gear Matteo had given me wasn’t helping.
To make matters worse, my body ached from all the training they were putting me through.
“You will spar with me. If you can beat me, I’ll let you call home,” Matteo said. “So do well, bel fiore . Anything goes. Whatever gets you the win. Understand?”
I nodded, my throat tight. I’d never sparred with Matteo before. Terror didn’t even begin to cover how I was feeling as he stepped away from me.
Matteo De Santis wasn’t a small man. He was easily the same size as Anson and may have even more muscle. He clearly worked out, meaning he probably knew what the hell he was doing. I was a complete noob who tried to log away all the words and moves Alessio and Klaus had shown me.
“Ready?” He turned back to me.
“No,” I called out, my voice trembling.
He let out a soft laugh and charged at me.
Good god, the man could move. He was on me within moments. I dipped and dodged him, making him grin widely. I even blocked one of his hits before kicking him in the shin. He winced and backed away, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“Good,” he said. “But faster. More power. More meaning behind the kick. You won’t hurt me, bel fiore .”
I nodded, and he charged back at me. We went around on the mat for a long time. I was doing everything I could to hold him off. Maybe tire him out, even.
But he was a damn machine. Nothing seemed to tire him out. Not my hits. Kicks. Dodging out of his reach. I knew he was frustrated that he couldn’t catch me. At least I had that going for me.
I managed to dart away from his latest strike. He reached out lightning fast, grabbed my ponytail, and yanked hard. I let out a shriek as I fell to my knees.
That was it. He was on me within seconds. He had me pinned on my back in the same position Alessio had me in earlier.
“Don’t you dare cry,” he warned as my throat tightened with the impending tears. “You fight, bel fiore , and you don’t fucking stop. Do you hear me? FIGHT. Do you want to go home? Knock me off you.”
I wanted to go home so bad.
I focused on remembering what Alessio and Klaus had taught me. It wasn’t easy because Matteo was relentless in pinning me down.
He made the mistake of releasing my arm when I brought my left leg up to bend it.
He tried to grab my leg, but I tore my other arm free from his hold and pushed at his waist with my hands.
My hands brushed against his bare, muscular torso, damp with sweat.
It took me all of a moment to grab onto his pants at his hips and push as hard as I could downward, all while I twisted beneath him quickly.
The moment I had some space, I brought my right foot back and kicked him full-on in the face, knocking him backward and off me. Quickly, I scooted away from him and got to my feet.
“Nice!” Klaus shouted, clapping his hands. He’d apparently finished his popcorn.
I sucked in breath after breath as Matteo got to his feet, his face bloody from my kick.
“Are you OK?” I went to him, worried I’d hurt him. I hadn’t pulled the kick either. Remorse flooded through my veins as I took in the mess his face was.
He wiped at the blood from his nose and busted lips before grabbing me and tugging me against his bare torso.
“Good job,” he praised, his lips at my ear as he hugged me. “I’m proud of you. I knew you could do it.”
It took me a moment to gather my wits, but I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back once I did.
“We will work more on this.” He pulled away and gave me a fond smile. “For now, your reward.”
I grinned and hugged him again, making him chuckle softly.
Once I pulled away, he led me to his office, where Alessio and Klaus were in tow.
“Get her something to drink,” Matteo said, stepping into the attached bathroom to his office.
Klaus grabbed a bottle of water as I sat on the leather couch.
“You did well, hummingbird,” Klaus said. “I, too, am proud of you.”
“As am I,” Alessio said. “No one has ever gotten the upper hand on Matteo. Most impressive.”
“You don’t think he let me?” I asked.
Klaus shook his head. “No. Matteo doesn’t let anyone win. Ever. It was a good move on your part.”
I smiled at that, feeling a lot more confident than I’d felt before. And safer.
Matteo came out, a black t-shirt on, and his face clean of blood. I could see he had some bruising forming under his eyes, though.
“I’m sorry,” I said, wincing as I took in his face.
“For what? We don’t apologize when we win,” he said, taking bottled water from Alessio. “Never apologize.”
I nodded wordlessly.
“Alessio,” Matteo said. “Phone, please.”
A moment later, Alessio was handing me a cell phone. I stared down at it, my heart in my throat.
“Who will you call, bel fiore ?” Matteo murmured.
I said nothing, staring at the device in my hands. I wasn’t sure who to call or what to say. They’d be mad at me for doing what I did. I didn’t want them to worry anymore, though.
I exhaled and was just about to dial Fox when Matteo’s office door was knocked on. Matteo frowned, and Alessio immediately went to open it.
“Where is she?” Anson’s voice shouted. “I know she’s in here.”
“Alessandro, what a pleasant surprise,” Matteo called out as Anson shoved past Alessio into the room. His blue eyes fixed on me, and he wasted no time closing the space between us.
“LeeLee,” he choked out, going to his knees in front of me before pulling me into his arms. “Fuck, baby. I was so worried about you. Are you OK?” He pulled away and checked me over, frowning at the bruises I had scattered over my skin from training with Klaus and Alessio.
“I’m OK,” I assured him.
“Fuck, we’ve been worried sick. I-I thought I’d lost you,” his voice cracked, his blue eyes shining with tears.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He shook his head. “No. You’re not the one who should be sorry.”
He stood and faced Matteo. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why is she here?”
Matteo didn’t even get to his feet. I’d never seen the man look so casual in sweatpants and a dark t-shirt.
“We were working,” he answered. “ Bel fiore needed my help. I gave it to her. She was not harmed.”
Anson visibly shook. “Do you have any idea the hell we’ve been through? I thought she was dead. The guys… Ethan. Fuck. Why? You could have called. You could have said something!”
Matteo finally got to his feet. “I’m sorry. I knew if I told you, you’d come here and try to take her home. She needed to be here. She is happy here. I promise she was never harmed.”
“Why is she bruised?”
“I was learning to fight,” I answered. “They were teaching me how to protect myself. They did nothing wrong.”
Anson turned to me, went to his knees again, and cradled my face.
“Why didn’t you call, LeeLee?”
“I-”
“It wasn’t allowed. Calling would weaken her. It would weaken the horsemen and make them more feral to find her. She just won her free call when she beat me today,” Matteo said. “Besides, they should learn to live without her.”
I glanced from Matteo to Anson, my heart in my throat. Matteo spoke to me at length about taking the recording contract and leaving. He said I deserved to have my dreams. If the guys really loved me, they’d let me go and still love and honor me. It’s what good men would do.
I made a promise to consider signing the deal.
“Are you sure you’re well?” Anson asked, his words barely above a whisper. “I was so worried. So fucking worried.”
“I’m OK, Ani,” I said gently, reaching for him. He pulled me into his arms again and hugged me tightly. I buried my face in his neck, breathing in his spicy cologne.
“Don’t do this again. I’m begging you,” he choked out, clinging to me. “Please. I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you. You’re my entire fucking world, Rosalie. You encompass everything I am or will ever be.” His body shook as he continued to hold me.
The couch shifted as someone sat next to me. Anson finally broke away and wiped at my tears, and at the same time, I wiped at his.
“You guys are cute,” an unfamiliar voice to my left said.
I looked over to see an incredibly handsome man sitting beside me. He was sprawled out like he owned the place. Blue eyes. Long lashes. Muscular. Tall. He was dressed in black with a dark mask fixed over his mouth.
He sat forward and offered me his hand.
“Hello, Rosalie Bishop. I’m Sylar Cain, and I’ve been dying to meet you.”
I took his hand and shook it. He tugged me closer to him, making my heart jump into my chest.
“Would you look at that,” he murmured. He brushed his fingers along my cheek.
His blue eyes darted over my face. “The future is so clear. For what it’s worth, Bishop, I will feel remorse at some point for my actions, but knowing what I know as I stare into your eyes, I won’t regret it for long.
Call me fate, pretty girl. I’ll be the one to tear your world apart before I piece it back together.
You can get me a gift card to Twisty Cone as a thank you. ”
I crinkled my brows at him. He was strange.
“I-I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to. Not yet. But might I suggest naming the baby what he wants to name her? Even if he’s gone, give her his name. It’ll make the future so much brighter.” He chucked me in the chin after releasing my hand.
I frowned and looked at Anson, who wore a frazzled look on his face.
“He’s strange,” Anson commented.
I looked at Sylar again. He cocked his head to the left, his blue eyes twinkling, before I glanced at Klaus, who simply stared back at me, then to Alessio, who offered me a small smile.
Finally, I looked at Matteo.
“ Bel fiore, your phone call?” he asked softly. “And Sylar, you should stop in and visit your father while you’re here.”
I glanced at Sylar again, who rolled his eyes, but I nodded, picked up the phone he’d given me, and dialed Fox’s number.