Chapter 10
Lainey
Maybe there was something to why all the girls loved the bad boys.
They were rough around the edges in both appearance and actions, surly when it suited them and off-handed almost all the time. They also didn’t take any shit from anyone, preferring to be alone.
Granted, Sasha hid the look of a dangerous man well. He was sophisticated in his dress and actions, in how he spoke to others. He was also highly intelligent as well as sexy, but deep down inside, the man was a very bad boy.
His eyes were the key to my intense attraction. The shimmer of darkness that continually reflected the turmoil he’d experienced throughout his life was exciting. The shadows around his gaze intrigued me almost as much as anything he’d said or done.
Even as I was being escorted to Nina’s room on the second floor, my entire body continued to quiver from being so close to him.
The way he’d looked at me through the entire performance had kept me on cloud nine.
Performing in front of a small crowd with just my guitar and a microphone had felt like the beginning long before I’d been discovered.
When I’d used to sit outside on my parents’ front porch while the sun was setting, playing for only myself.
Those had been the days of being a dreamer while still enjoying the simplest of things. What I found so fascinating about being around Sasha was that even though he had all the money in the world, he was easygoing and could enjoy just spending time together.
His house was to die for, the landscaping with the pool and cabana just incredible. But it all faded away in seeing how he was with Nina.
“What do you think?” The little girl swept out her arms, spinning around in a circle.
“Oh, my goodness. This is perfect.” I’d never seen a child’s bedroom that was so artistic and colorful. As I moved further into the room, I marveled at the art on her walls. “Did you paint those?”
“Yep. Dad helped, but he’s not very talented, so I had to tell him what to do.”
The pictures on the refrigerator hadn’t done her talent justice.
“You are… a little artist, girlfriend.” She beamed from my compliment.
The room was meant for a princess, but one who’d already grown out of a white canopy bed with frilly pillows into one with blond wood and ornate carvings. Still very feminine, yet older.
Before Sasha knew it, Nina would be on the far side of being a teenager.
“Lainey. Come see her playroom.” Emily was so much like Nina I could easily tell why they were besties. I also adored her mother, even if Halle had almost had a stroke when the microphone hadn’t worked.
Just being able to see Sasha’s entire family together was amazing and made me miss mine. They were just like any other family enjoying a wonderful celebration on a perfect day. I’d had the distinct feeling that very few people were ever allowed to see them so casually. Just being a family.
With hopes and dreams, aspirations and enjoying being together.
“Oh, my goodness,” I said as both girls took me into the playroom. It was huge, twice the size of Nina’s bedroom. There was the same theme of art on the walls, but I had a better opportunity to see what Sasha had playfully warned me about.
There were dolls on one shelf, trucks and kit cars on the one below, books on another and what had to be science experiments that somehow had gone a little off kilter on another. There was a softball bat in one corner, a boogey board in another, and an easel directly in front of the double window.
Very closely I walked toward the table near the picture she’d already been working on, placing the box of paints and colored pencils, brushes and sponges on the surface.
Outside the window, the party raged on, the sun just beginning to set creating a warm glow across the backyard.
Even with the slight shimmer of sun casting rays on the window, I could clearly see Sasha standing peering up at the glass as if searching for me.
Why was it that every time I was in a room near him, my entire body tingled?
“Do you like it?” Nina asked, the concern in her voice reminding me of myself at her age. Always eager to please.
“This is amazing.”
Her bright smile was my reward.
There was a hammock for two, a tent that appeared straight out of a fairytale, and a red velvet loveseat matching a plush chair with a yellow table in between. With her own bathroom off to the side, I could only imagine how much time Nina spent dreaming of princes and knights.
Just like I’d done as a kid. Even the colors in the bathroom were electric. I couldn’t say Sasha had tried to squash his daughter’s creative streak.
“And I thought your father was the eclectic one,” I told them after peering into the bathroom. Another obvious love. Fishes. Her shower curtain was a colorful display of saltwater creatures.
The two girls looked at me, obviously unsure what I was telling them.
“If you mean I’m weirder than Dad, you’re right.” Nina was so serious, so old for her age. No wonder Sasha had a few gray hairs.
“Weird is good. Look at me. I’m very weird.”
As I spun around in a circle, I threw my arms out hoping I wouldn’t seem too weird to the girls.
“But we like you,” Emily answered as if for both.
“Why, thank you very much. I like you too. Now, show me everything.”
As they jabbered on, Nina proudly showing off everything she’d had a hand in creating, I slid next to the wall opposite the door, able to see the gorgeous stairs from where I was sitting.
“Lainey. Grammy said she might get me a pony for my birthday.” Nina was fairly confident, her little eyebrows furrowed together.
I could only imagine how well that would go over with Sasha. “Wow. Do you think he’ll like your room?”
Now I was on the receiving end of the big eye roll.
“Duh, Lainey. Horses live in stables, not in houses.”
“Oh, that’s right.” I laughed and smoothed down my dress, smiling the entire time I was watching them, more relaxed than I’d been in a long time. They chattered away as I leaned against the wall, enjoying the quiet comfort of being in the middle of a family celebration.
I’d missed those with my family more than I’d been able to admit to myself.
A slight noise caught my attention and while I kept my head against the wall, I turned it toward the sound that was coming from the hallway.
While I’d seen plenty of people in the house, they were either in the kitchen or heading straight from the side entrance where their vehicles were parked.
With bathrooms in the large cabana, there was almost no need to enter the house.
Leaning forward, I sensed a presence, my skin prickling. I immediately shrank back. My instinct was screaming that someone was wrong.
My hackles immediately rose. After glancing out the window, unable to catch sight of Sasha, I moved closer to the girls.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, trying to remain quiet while also not allowing them to discover something might be wrong. I crept toward the stairs. They were slightly curved, which allowed for a wider view of the foyer downstairs. With silent steps, I moved closer, darting my head over the railing.
Instantly, a cold chill rushed through me. I knew a shakedown about to occur when I saw it. There were three people dressed in black hovering near the bottom of the stairs, two already donning ski masks.
Fuck. There was nowhere to go. Whatever they were after, I refused to allow the children to be in the middle of danger.
However, there was very little I could do.
My phone was downstairs and with the noise outside, I doubted I could get anyone’s attention quickly.
Just before I started to rush back into the playroom, one of the bastards lifted his head toward where I was standing.
While I doubted that he could see me given the angle of the room, he must have heard something.
Whoever he was, he nodded up the stairs, saying something to the others before taking a step toward the stairs acting as if he’d handle me by himself.
Over my dead ass body.
The other two walked out of sight and the third grabbed a mask from his back pocket.
What few people knew, and I’d almost never had a chance to highlight was that I’d grown up a tomboy. With three older brothers I’d tagged along with, I’d been lucky enough they hadn’t treated me like a girl.
Neither had my father.
I’d learned to fish, and shoot guns, bows, and crossbows. I knew martial arts and used to wrestle with my brothers several times a week. And my knife skills were even better. Right now, all of them might come in handy.
Without waiting another second, I dashed toward the playroom. When I closed and locked the door, the girls were startled. I quickly placed my finger over my lips and gathered them together, pushing them toward the bathroom.
“Lainey?” little Emily whimpered.
“You’re both okay.” I offered a huge smile while my throat tried to close. My heart was in my throat, but I managed to maintain some sense of calm. “Now, listen to me. You need to get behind the shower curtain in the bathroom. Stay down. Not a sound. Do you understand?”
“What’s happening?” Nina whispered, her little eyes opening wide, but she was mimicking my hushed voice. I couldn’t lie to them. They’d know and push back.
“Someone in the house.” To prove my point, the asshole tried the door handle.
“Go. I’ll be right back. Okay? Just stay there no matter what you hear.
” Thank God they listened to me without falling prey to terror.
I barely had enough time to close the door behind them, trying to figure out how I could draw the man away so I could scream for help while protecting the girls.
Then I noticed the softball bat.
Quick and rough games of baseball had been a regular occurrence in the Rose household. With my brothers’ tough coaching, I’d been on the softball team. Maybe I was a little rusty, but it was all about the swing.