Chapter 8
Three Weeks to Present
Unlike the other moms at the park who were sitting on the benches chatting with each other rather than paying attention to where their child was or had a phone screen between their nose and their child, Rose was never more than an arm’s reach from Oscar as he climbed the playground equipment.
Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail with a navy blue baseball cap on top of her head.
The sunglasses with pink rhinestones were the largest and gaudiest she could find, though she’d been going for size over style when she’d purchased them.
As Oscar’s little legs pushed himself up the fake rock wall, she used her body to hopefully block him from the background shots of most of the cameras around.
This section of the park was the least surveilled by city cameras, though in hindsight Rose wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
Even if it worked out in her favor. The program she had running also obscured Oscar’s face in real time, so none of the city cameras would be able to get a clear pixelated shot of him.
All the mommy cameras, however, were a completely different story.
There was only so much Rose could do there in real time, so while Oscar would be taking his bath this afternoon, she would be scouring social media to ensure no record of Oscar existed.
The gun hiding in the holster at the small of her back weighed as heavily on her jeans as it did her conscience.
Rose hated guns. She’d never shot at anything except a paper target before, and she never wanted to shoot at living flesh, but to save her son?
Rose knew she wouldn’t hesitate. There would be no debate about their life or their family’s reaction to their death…
If someone threatened her son, she would pull that trigger.
Everything she did was for Oscar. All her sacrifices, all her sleepless nights, all her trauma, all her paranoia was to ensure Oscar’s future. Including breaking her own heart.
As Oscar slid down the beige plastic slide with a wide smile on his face, Rose tried to match his happiness.
Tried to feel like her stomach wasn’t in knots and her eyes weren’t bloodshot under polarized lenses.
She said all the right things, praised him for his slide-riding prowess, but inside, her heart sat like a boulder behind her ribcage.
Rose had researched the symptoms of heartbreak, and beyond the pain, the most common report was a feeling of numbness, like nothing mattered anymore.
She wished she felt numb.
Instead, it was like she had swallowed rocks and bees.
There was a constant buzzing, almost tingling, beneath her skin while her stomach and organs felt too heavy.
If it wasn’t for the need to feed Oscar, Rose certainly wouldn’t remember to feed herself.
Hell, there was a good possibility she would still be wallowing in bed.
Beyond the dream of the possibility of a romantic future, Rose missed her friend. She missed the constant presence, the knowledge that—even with the distance between them—she was not facing this world alone. She missed feeling like she was finally seen, finally understood.
She’d been the outcast all her life, even in her own family. Especially in her own family. The black sheep. The fuck up. The disappointment.
Sure, things were better now between Poison and her, but there was also a very large possibility that that was only because Poison didn’t know it was Rose she was speaking to.
The fear that Poison would want nothing to do with “MV” if she knew who was actually talking to her was the main reason Rose had never revealed herself to her sister.
At first, it had been to protect Poison while Rose had still been involved with Witness Protection, but after her escape, there had been no reason not to tell Poison the truth.
She’d truly been considering it…until she saw the positive symbol on the stolen pregnancy test.
As much as she loved Oscar, Rose had been barely nineteen and knocked up by a man headed off to jail for essentially running a brothel. Not exactly Father of the Year material right there, and maybe a part of her didn’t want to see that disappointed look on her big sister’s face. Again.
Poison had never been disappointed in MV. Hell, she was more open with MV than she’d ever been with Rose in her entire life. And it felt good, knowing that Poison relied on MV, trusted her not to be that fuck-up little sister that Poison had always seen Rose as.
But she hadn’t been MV with Keys. Maybe in the beginning, he hadn’t known her real name, but he still had refused to call her “MV” or “Gl!tch.OS” or anything until he learned her name.
That should have pissed her off, should have sent her running for the hills, but instead, it had made Rose feel seen for the first time ever.
Keys understood Rose in a way that made her feel like all her quirks and paranoia and slightly manic attributes were normal. And more than that, that they were okay. That she was perfectly unique and wonderful because of them.
Oscar stuck the landing as the light-up sneakers Keys had bought him hit the recycled rubber and polyurethane flooring of the playground. Rose clapped and cheered, but the joy she usually felt at her son’s accomplishments was nonexistent.
The moment Oscar had his back turned to her as he ran to the four-foot rock wall, Rose quickly ducked her head and swiped the sides of her hands under her eyes.
Straightening, Rose watched, again, as Oscar carefully got himself into position at the top of the slide, stared down it like he was calculating advanced mathematics, and then pushed off, raising his little arms in pure, innocent glee at the rush of safely falling.
And once again, Rose cheered.
The pattern continued, as if each slide race was a new experience for Oscar. But Rose did not utter a word of complaint or a coaxing suggestion to try a new adventure. Her son was happy, and that was worth everything.
Rose stiffened when she felt someone step up next to her, but her hackles did not rise—until he spoke.
“Hello, Rose.”
* * *
Keys watched the little boy, who was so adorable with bright blonde hair and big blue eyes and that chubbiness many little kids had, slide down for what had to be the twentieth time in a row.
“You sure about this?” Goose asked him from the shadows. The building they were hiding next to was across the street from the children’s playground.
“No,” Keys answered honestly, “but I know I’ll regret it, if I don’t take this chance.”
He looked down at his watch, impatiently waiting for the Go message from Thorne and Grimm.
Since starting his business, this was the first time Keys had left Mount Grove, but things were quiet at home, and Tom needed a break from his travels.
As far as anyone but the three Riley brothers were concerned, Keys was at a business meeting in Yukon, Canada.
A business meeting he had fabricated, and would continue to fabricate evidence that the meeting had failed, resulting in the client choosing not to sign with Master Key Security Solutions.
Maybe it was extreme, but he would not break Rose’s trust or confidence.
Grimm: Ready
Keys took a large breath, letting it out slowly.
“You know, we had a bet that the kid was yours.” Surprised by these words, Keys looked over his shoulder at Goose.
The middle brother shrugged, completely unbothered, despite the fact that Keys was his boss.
“We couldn’t figure it out, why you would hide your woman and kid away like this.
We were trying to guess which of your club brothers she was maybe related or married to, but that certainly didn’t fit.
Your club’s too close, and we know you well enough by now to know you’d never screw over a brother like that. ”
“I wouldn’t,” Keys agreed sternly. He wasn’t pleased to hear the brothers were talking about Rose behind closed doors, but he also wasn’t surprised by it. Of course, they would be curious about who Rose was and her connection to Keys. “And he’s not my kid.”
Goose snorted. “And here I thought you were a smart man, boss. But don’t worry, I’ll forgive you this once. I can only hope one day that I find a woman who makes me that stupid.”
Unsure of how to react to that statement, Keys just shook his head. “Get into position. Once I have the blood, we’ll need to move fast to keep our window.”
“Aye-aye, Captain.” Quiet as a mouse, Goose climbed up the metal fire escape of the brick building, a concealed rifle on his back.
Keys’ watch notified him of another message.
Jigsaw: You know that saying about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes? Well, your shoes suck, man! How did I not know that you did so much for the club?
Pulling out his phone, Keys typed out his reply.
Keys: You’re the one who said you could handle “being me” for a day.
Jigsaw: I honestly thought you just sat on your ass all day playing video games until one of us interrupted you!
Keys: You know how you guys are always threatening me to get in the ring with one of you??? Welcome to MY Thunderdome, brother.
Jigsaw: I take it back!!! I don’t like your Thunderdome.
Keys: Quit your bitching. I’m headed into my meeting now. I’ll be back late tonight.
Not wanting any further distractions, Keys pocketed his phone and hurried across the street.
* * *
Rose did not take her eyes off her son. “I’m not surprised you showed up here, but I am that it took you nearly three weeks.”
“There was a lot to finish and prep before I could, and I knew you were safe the entire time.”
Keys was so close that she could smell him. It was subtle, but he had a sweet aroma, like something akin to a candy shop. Rose held herself still, not wanting to give in to the urge to throw herself into his arms.
“You stayed at the last location you let me help you move to. Are you telling me you weren’t hoping I would show?”