8. Lily
Lily
8
“I’m sure this is probably all overwhelming,” Rose says the moment we’re alone.
That’s putting it lightly. “Just a little.”
“How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?”
I want to lie, but something about Rose makes me hesitate. Maybe it’s how her eyes, a vibrant shade of green, are open and honest, with no trace of deceit. Or maybe it’s because she’s a mother, so we have that shared connection. Whatever it is, the words fail me.
“Look, I can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve gone through,” Rose admits solemnly, her eyes filled with compassion when I don’t respond. Her eyes drop to the top of her coffee mug. Seeming lost in her thoughts, she runs her finger around the rim. “I guess I never really realized how lucky I was when Michael rescued me before anything more terrible happened. I know very well that it could have been worse.”
“You were kidnapped?” I whisper, not expecting to hear that from her. What are the chances?
Rose takes a deep breath, like her next words are hard to say, and she needs a moment to compose herself. “I was sold into a sex trafficking ring by my father.”
Yeah…that qualifies as something hard to say. “Your father?”
“Yes. Tell me, Lily, how much do you know about the High Table? Did Xiao ever mention it to you?”
When you’re treated like you’re invisible, it’s surprising how much you can overhear. “It sounds vaguely familiar.” Still, a bad feeling builds in the pit of my stomach.
“Three families make up the High Table. The DiAngelos, the O’Learys, and the Mikhailovs. Together, they oversee the crime world of Miami,” Rose explains like she’s reading the words off a piece of paper.
The bad feeling grows. “What does the High Table have to do with you?”
“My name is Rosaline O’Leary. Rose for short,” she reveals. “My father was Patrick O’Leary, the previous Irish mob boss of the High Table. And Michael is the heir to the DiAngelo family.”
As if I’ve just set my hand on a burning stovetop, I stand quickly and move away from Rose. My eyes land on Mei. Completely unaware of the danger we’re in, my daughter continues to eat her cereal while fascinated by some picture book Rose brought.
Raphael is a DiAngelo. Just as I feared, I did, in fact, trade one hell for another. He’s not just a part of the world I’ve been trapped in for the past six years, he leads it.
Rose approaches, and I can’t help but feel a familiar sense of panic, like a deer caught in the blinding glare of oncoming headlights. Confusion fills her eyes when she speaks to me with concern. “Lily, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“I won’t go back,” I tell her, quite proud of how steady my voice sounds. “I will not be abused and hurt again.” I step forward into her space and drop my voice. “I would sooner die.”
Rose’s eyes transform from confused to panicked as my words sink in. “Oh my God…no, Lily. That’s–that’s not what…we’re not like Xiao. I swear. We’re trying to stop him.”
Raphael said the same thing, but now I’m not so sure.
“Sure, our families do business with illegal things, but human trafficking? Never. Not in a million years. Lily, we won’t hurt you. Or Mei. I promise.”
When she tries to touch me, I react instantly and withdraw my hands from her reach. The hurt that flashes across her face is too authentic to be fake, but I’ve been fooled before and will keep my distance until proven otherwise.
Still, there’s a saying that curiosity killed the cat, and I'm the stupid cat because I’m inquisitive despite my apprehension.
“You said your father sold you? How? Why?”
“When I was twelve, my mother, little brother, and I were in a car accident. They didn’t survive, but I did. And it destroyed my dad. So much so, he couldn’t stand the sight of me and sent me away for ten years to live with my uncle in Ireland. When he brought me home for my sister’s wedding, that’s when he told me he had arranged a marriage for me. To a man more than twice my age.”
If she’s trying to make a positive case for the High Table families, she’s not doing a very good job here. Her father sounds like a man Xiao would call a friend. Hell, maybe they are.
But…she can’t mean Michael. Can she? There’s no way he’s over twice her age. “You don’t mean Michael, right?”
Shaking her head, Rose gives a short laugh. “Oh, heavens no. When my father told me about my engagement, I ran off to a club where I met Michael for the first time. I had no idea who he was. I mean, how could I? We’re ten years apart, and I was sent away before we ever had a chance to meet. But anyway, that night it was like...love at first sight.” She smiles as if lost in the memory. “I know it sounds silly, but it was like I was meeting someone I’ve always known. Like I had finally found the second half of my soul.”
Damn me and my stupid fairy tale-loving heart. “And then?”
Her face explodes in a red flush. “Well, as you can imagine. Our eyes met across the dance floor, and it was like something out of a romance book. The moment he touched me, I knew I was done for. I’ll…spare you the details, but let’s just say a certain employee bathroom at the club could tell a hell of a story.”
Confusion grasps me. “I don’t understand. I mean...I–I understand what you mean by details...I just mean how could your father...I’m sorry.” I sigh, suddenly a bumbling idiot in front of Rose.
“You see this little baby right here?” she asks, gesturing to the sleeping infant beside her with a head full of beautiful red hair, and I nod. “Well, he’s…kind of a miracle. You see, Michael was told he couldn’t have kids, which was clearly a lie because a couple months later, I’m peeing on a stick and seeing two pink lines in return.”
A scary thought forms. “Did your dad sell you because you got pregnant?” My father, God rest his soul, would have never done something so cruel.
“Sort of.” Rose strokes her hand over her son’s head, peering down at him like he’s the greatest gift in the world. I understand the feeling. My greatest gift sits not far away from me. “I knew if my dad found out, he’d kill me, the baby, or hell, even us both. So my best friend Evie helped me escape to Italy. She’s kind of a computer genius, and she gave me a new identity. I gave birth to Liam there, made friends, and was as happy as I could be. Until my father found me.”
“And he sold you?”
“He did. I spent a week on a boat and then was brought to a warehouse, cleaned and dolled up to be sold like a pretty pig going to slaughter.”
“Did someone buy you?”
“Yes,” she answers softly, pulling her hand away from her son. She wrings her hands together like the pain serves as a reminder that she’s here in the present and not lost in the past. I know the technique well because I use it too when the memories threaten to consume me.
“Michael saved me before he could…hurt me in the way. And then he made sure the sick bastard could never hurt anyone ever again.” Rose straightens her spine, takes a deep breath, and meets my eyes with a shaky smile. “I’m thankful every day because I know it could have been worse. I could have…”
When she trails off, dropping her face again, I finish for her, “Ended up like me.”
“I’m so sorry, Lily. I wasn’t…I wasn’t thinking.”
She sounds so honest, so apologetic. Rose has never hurt me. If anything, she’s opened up to me about a part of herself that is difficult to remember and even more difficult to share. Like she chose to put herself through that to make me feel better. A complete stranger.
Despite every instinct in my body saying no, I choose to follow my battered yet optimistic stupid heart and reach out to grab Rose’s hand.
“Thank you for sharing that with me.”
Rose smiles carefully, hearing the sincerity in my voice, and just like that, I think I’ve made a friend. My first in years.
Mei joins us on the couch, curling up beside me, and soon, her giggles fill the room. She’s completely entranced by the kid show Rose helped me select on the television. Whenever Xiao indulged Mei with screen time, I was rarely included, and so much has changed.
Before I know it, hours have passed in comfortable company and friendly conversation. When Mei falls asleep, I carefully carry her to our bedroom and tuck her in. Hesitation fills me when I go to leave her alone, causing me to stop in the doorway and watch her. I don’t know how long I stand there, but Rose eventually comes looking for me.
“She’s a sweet girl,” Rose says. “You raised her well.”
“Thank you. I did my best. Tried to, at least. But Mei deserves to have a normal and happy childhood. We can’t go back. I can’t put her through anymore of that.”
“You won’t,” Rose says adamantly enough that I glance away from my sleeping daughter. “You’re not going back. I know we just met, Lily, but I want you to know you can be honest with me, and I’ll be honest with you. Ask me anything.”
No time like the present to test that.
“Am I safe here? Are we safe here?”
“Yes,” she answers immediately. “One hundred percent, yes. Michael is fair and just in everything he does. He considers every detail and fact before making a decision. And yes, he’s set to inherit the head seat of the High Table, but he’s also a son, brother, and father. He is the most wonderful man and partner I could have ever asked for. Is he a little overbearing and protective sometimes? Absolutely. But when everything happened, when I learned who he really was, I asked myself one question. Do I feel safe with him? And the answer was yes. It still is. Even when he’s grumpy as shit because he didn’t get enough sleep.”
I laugh softly, remembering how sour the man was this morning. The complete opposite of his brother. His twin. Michael’s hair is styled with a shorter length on the sides and longer top, while Raphael’s hair is more untamed, with longer locks that curl slightly at the ends, giving him an overall tousled look. Like someone ran their hands through it, maybe seconds before tugging him forward to capture those plump, sinful lips in a tantalizing kiss…
“Raphael is a good man, too.” Rose’s words break through the fog of attraction that shouldn’t be there to begin with. “I owe him for so much and trust him with my life.”
I want to believe her but I hardly know the man, and only time and his actions will prove her words to me.
“Do you think Raphael can really take down Xiao?”
“I do. I think with your help, we can stop him and put an end to his cruelty.”
I nod before looking at Mei and seeing a dozen different girls all at once. Girls innocent like her, young like her…the perfect victim. How many girls can I help save? Because even if it’s just one…that’s one less life ruined.