Chapter 10 #3
Rose had to take a deep breath, her hands shaking as she stared at those words on the screen. This had been what they were hoping for, but still… Now that it was becoming a reality, she couldn’t help but wonder if they were doing the right thing.
Bringing herself into the spotlight was one thing. But Oscar?
Yet, what were the chances that she would have continued on as she’d been? Always hiding, always running? What if the shooting that they’d staged at the park had been real? What if Oscar had been discovered a different way, a way they weren’t in control of? What happened then?
Rose wanted to step out of the shadows. She wanted to see her sister again, even if the thought scared the ever-living shit out of her.
She wanted to raise her son with family and endless cousins, to build a home that wasn’t always changing.
To get to those goals, this was the best way.
Logically, she understood that. She commended Keys for figuring out a scenario that allowed her and Oscar to get to safety while also leaving behind evidence that wouldn’t lead back to them.
They were safe in Mount Grove. No one knew about her connection to Keys, and even if it was discovered, this building was beyond secure. Still, it went against every instinct she had to dangle her son out there as bait.
WiseWave620: But we have a small problem. There’s also been chatter about Poison.
Rose sat up straighter. Glancing at Oscar to ensure he was distracted, she walked over to the kitchen counter.
Keys picked up on the first ring. “Hey.”
“What’s going on with Poison? I thought you were exercising with Jigsaw.”
“We were about to go for a run when I got an alert, and I decided that that was more important than going for a run.” He didn’t even sound guilty.
In fact, he sounded rather smug for getting himself out of a several-mile run with his club brother, possibly brothers.
“Anyway, she’s not in any danger, but there’s definitely been some feelers about where Ivy Benson is. ”
“I need to keep her away from this. We should have thought about the fact that Kennedy knows about Poison.”
“I did think about it,” Keys told her sharply. “The club is down in Mississippi, but I planted a trail that said they were up towards Canada.”
Rose frowned. Since arriving in Mount Grove, Keys had been acting as MV to give Rose time to acclimate her and Oscar to the apartment.
Additionally, Rose did not realize just how poorly she slept when it had been her and Oscar on their own until they arrived here, a place where she felt extremely safe.
She was grateful Keys was able to act on her accord without the Non Cras being the wiser.
“I still don’t like it,” Rose commented, her eyes on Oscar. He was so engrossed in his painting that he hadn’t yet realized she was no longer sitting next to him.
“Why don’t you come down to my lab? You can look over everything I’ve done, and if it’s not to your satisfaction, then we can figure something else out.”
Rose’s attention was immediately on the door to the apartment. Neither she nor Oscar had left the apartment since arriving. “I shouldn’t.”
“Rose,” Keys’ voice was soft and encouraging, but also firm. “No one is here. While my brothers do have access to the building, they can’t enter without my knowing.”
Why did it seem like such a momentous task? Like this apartment made her invisible to the outside world, and beyond that doorway, she would be visible.
“I don’t know…” she murmured. Oscar made a noise, which brought her eyes back to the kitchen table and the mess her son had made. “I can’t,” she said more firmly. “I can’t leave Oscar alone.”
Keys spoke without hesitation. “I can send Thorne down to watch him, or you can clean him up and bring him.”
Crap. She’d been hoping he would take the hint. “It’s fine. I trust what you’ve done—”
“Rose. Baby. I’m sending Thorne to you. He’ll watch Oscar while you come down here.” After a second, he added, “Please.”
Double crap. “Fine,” she gritted out. “Just…” She glanced down at herself. “I need to get cleaned up, too, so it’ll take me a bit to get down there.”
“Thorne is heading down to you now. Shower, change, do whatever you need to do, and then come to me.”
Needing to lighten the mood, Rose quipped, “Wow. You really will do just about anything to get out of a run.”
Keys snorted. “I fucking hate running.”
There was a knock on the apartment door. Excited, Oscar leapt to his feet and ran to answer it, leaving splatters of paint as he did.
But when he saw who was at the door, Oscar frowned as only a four-year-old could as he turned away and started back towards the table. “It’s only Mr. Thorny.”
Perplexed, Rose reminded her son, “You like Mr. Thorne. Don’t be rude, Oscar.”
Climbing back up on his chair, Oscar argued back, “I thought it was Keys with another present for me!”
The laughter on the other end of the line as well as her son’s indignant expression had Rose dropping her face into her hand. “You’re spoiling him too much!”
Through his laughter, Keys defended himself, “You are never going to convince me to stop. Both of you deserve to be spoiled.”
“You can’t make him like you through gifts and toys,” Rose argued.
“The hell I can’t. He’s a kid, Rose! He deserves a life filled with love, laughter, and toys. We can still teach him to be responsible and respectful while also spoiling him.”
Picking her head up from her hand, she greeted Thorne with a shy wave. “Let me get situated here,” she told Keys into the phone, “and then I’ll be down to you.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
* * *
Feeling like she should put some effort into her outfit and appearance without wanting to seem like she was trying too hard, Rose put on her nicest pair of jeans, a baggy tunic with a spaghetti strap on her right shoulder, and a pair of black flats.
The graphic on the tunic was that of a plate of nachos, and under was text stating the belief that nachos were just tacos that didn’t have their life together.
Back in the main room, she saw Thorne was trying to help Oscar write his name using fingerprint dots.
“Don’t look, Mommy!” Oscar exclaimed, trying to use his little body to block her view of the table. “It’s a surprise!”
Rose quickly covered her eyes. “Not looking, baby. Are you okay here with Mr. Thorne?”
“Yes! He said I can have ice cream when you leave!”
Rose peaked around her fingers to meet Thorne’s guilty expression. The large man shrugged. “I couldn’t say ‘no’,” he explained like he was confessing to a capital offense.
Shaking her head, Rose said, “One scoop. And thank you.”
Thorne nodded once. “You’re welcome.”
Heading to the door, Rose glanced back. Oscar had never been out of her sight since the day he’d been born. Even though she knew he was safe, and she trusted Thorne, a part of her still felt like she was abandoning her child by leaving.
Her phone buzzed.
WiseWave620: Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
Confused, but her curiosity spiked, Rose opened the apartment door to see the floor outside now looked like a yellow-bricked road. Intrigued, she stepped into the hallway, though she still took one final glance back at Oscar before she closed the door behind herself.
The floor appeared to ripple, though it remained smooth under her shoes.
Following the direction the floor indicated, Rose turned to the left.
As she walked, projections of hearts and flower petals rained down the walls around her.
Shaking her head at Keys’ silliness, she nearly missed a turn as the yellow brick made a sharp right turn instead of continuing straight.
A door opened just as she approached, and she saw Keys step out.
He shifted, putting his hand out against the wall in what she could only assume to be an attempt to make a sexy pose.
But he missed the wall, his hand sliding down it instead of catching him.
Keys tried to correct himself, but his foot caught on the doorframe, and he ended up toppling back into the room he’d just exited.
But Keys was not about to let that stop him.
He jumped right back up, and got the pose correct on the second try. Covering her mouth at his performance, Rose approached and righted his glasses, which had fallen askew on his face.
“You’re not supposed to laugh,” he said, slightly red-faced. “I’m told this is a very sexy pose that makes all the girls swoon.”
“Oh, it was sexy, all right,” she agreed, her voice laced with sarcasm. Stretching up on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips gently to his as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m definitely swooning.”
Though he glared down at her, he continued to kiss her. “There’s another move I can show you.”
“Oh, yeah? And where are you learning all these moves?”
“The internet is full of knowledge,” he replied against her lips. Picking his head up, he straightened off the wall. “Okay, lace your fingers in front of you, like prayer hands.” Intrigued, Rose did as she was instructed. “Now lift the fingers of your right hand.”
Rose’s lips twitched as she obeyed. “I feel like I should be asking ‘why’, but instead I’m choosing to trust you.”
“Good,” Keys said. Then he covered her left hand with his right hand, locking his fingers through her open ones.
Next thing Rose knew, he had her back against the wall with her hands pinned over her head as he caressed her cheek with his free hand. Rose practically melted against him, and likely would have slunk down the wall into a pile of goo if he hadn’t placed a thigh between her legs to balance her.
“Oh, sweet baby Jesus,” she breathed out.
But Keys shook his head. “Call me ‘Keys’.”
Rose felt her chest quiver like her heart was experiencing an earthquake. She didn’t know what sound was coming out of her mouth, but it certainly wasn’t intelligible words.