74. Rose
ROSE
Ditching Dante was easier than expected. He must really trust me if he thought I had to use the restroom in a bodega corner store instead of my own place that we literally just left. Not to mention, there isn’t even a restroom for customers in that place.
Now I just have to make it out of the city and back to Dante’s house and see what’s left of it and if there are any clues to what happened to Luc. I was able to use Wi-Fi to rent a car using an app and a fake email address on the burner phone I snagged, so Dante shouldn’t be able to track me.
As I get closer to town, I decide to stop in at the diner for a quick bite to eat since I never did get my bagel sandwich. Plus, Shirley might have heard something from the locals or maybe even saw Luc somehow.
I’m barely through the front door when Shirley comes barreling toward me from behind the counter, arms immediately wrapping me up in a hug I didn’t know I needed.
“Oh my goodness, Rose! Thank god you’re okay!
I was so worried about you! I heard from some of the locals in town that the new house that was just built burned down last night.
They said there weren’t any survivors! The fire department didn’t find anyone, and everything was destroyed by the time they got there.
I feared the worst! I thought I lost you! Just when I found you!”
Well, this was not the welcome I was expecting from Shirley, but it’s exactly what I needed.
I don’t think I’ve ever had someone like her in my life, someone almost like a mother figure, who has cared enough to worry that I might have been harmed.
This is different from Dante’s overprotectiveness.
It feels like something foreign; it feels like love, like family.
Does Shirley love me? I’m not sure, but at this moment, I know I love Shirley, and I want to keep her in my life.
Hugging Shirley back, I try not to wince at the pressure she puts on my sore shoulder and put her mind at ease while only slightly bending the truth.
“I was actually staying in the city last night. I was just coming up to check on Dante. I haven’t heard from him.
Any chance he has been in here today?” Lies, but she can’t know I was at the house last night.
“Do you mean that delicious man dressed in all black leaning against that car outside? He hasn’t taken his eyes off you through the window since you walked through the door.”
Jerking out of Shirley’s hold, I spin around to see who she is talking about and lock eyes with my shadow, Dante. Perfect.
“Oh, well, yes. That is exactly who I mean.” Shit.
“Let me grab you an iced coffee for the road. I’m sure you and he have a lot to discuss, considering you were working on his house. I’m so sorry all of your hard work was lost. I’m sure it was beautiful.”
“That’d be great. Thanks, Shirley.” The crazy part is, I haven’t even thought about all the work that is likely in ashes. It didn’t seem so important since I knew Dante and I were safe. My only concern was…is Luc.
With my coffee in hand, it gives me the courage to go face Dante, who hasn’t moved from his casual post against my rental car.
“How did you find me?”
“Belladonna, I will always find you. In this life and the next. So it’d be easier for both of us if you’d stop running.”