Chapter 43
Forty-Three
VIOLET
“Has he said anything?” I ask for the sixtieth time. “And why can’t I have an earbud. I need to hear.”
“No, you don’t,” Lucky says. The man hardly ever speaks, so the fact that he’s telling me this now puts me on edge.
“Why? Did something happen to Rose? Please talk to me.”
Suddenly, there’s an explosion in the distance, and I scream as I jump in the seat.
“Let me out.” I pull on the handle, but the door is locked and the child-safety mechanism is engaged. “Let me the fuck out of here!”
“No, ma’am,” Bobby says, any sign of humor long gone from his voice. I can see that he and Lucky are listening intently to what’s happening in their earpieces, and I’m so fucking frustrated.
“Please tell me what’s going on?”
“Diego isn’t accounted for,” Bobby mutters.
“No. Nonononono. Diego’s fine.” I shake my head, and my eyes fill with tears. Jesus, they’re all here because of me. If Mateo had never met me, this wouldn’t be happening. None of these men can die tonight. “He has to be fine.”
I’m about to have a full-blown hysterical panic attack when Bobby starts the vehicle, and I see all the men outside run for their own SUVs, and then we’re moving.
“Did they find her?” I demand, but they won’t answer me. “DID THEY FIND HER? Talk to me, damn it!”
They both stay quiet, and I’m ready to pull my hair out when Bobby turns down a driveway and through an open gate. Men are lying all over, obviously dead, and nausea rolls through me.
So many dead.
“How many of those are ours?” I ask, but again, they don’t tell me anything, and finally, Bobby comes to a stop and the locks disengage.
I open the door and fly out of the car, running as fast as I can and screaming Mateo’s name.
“MATEO! Mateo!” I’m crying, and I can’t catch my breath, and then my husband comes running around the building, and I’ve never been so relieved. “Where’s Diego? Is he hurt?”
“Baby.” He wraps me in his arms, and then I feel something warm and sticky on his left biceps.
“You’re shot. Oh God, you’re shot.”
“I’m fine. Christ, it’s good to see you.” He kisses my forehead and steers me away from the house that’s now completely engulfed in flames.
“Who blew this up?”
“Lincoln,” he says grimly, and my stomach roils again.
“Was Rose—”
“Violet? LETTIE!”
I spin, stunned by the sound of Rose’s voice, and see her push away from Diego—who’s very much alive—and come running toward me.
“Oh my God.” She crashes into me, her arms tight around my neck, and she buries her face against me and starts to sob. “Oh, baby.”
I run my hand down her hair, and then all I can do is sit right here on the concrete and hold her to me because my legs have given out, and we’re both sobbing, clinging to each other.
“I’m so sorry,” she sobs. “I’m so sorry.”
“Shh, no. No, baby girl.” I pull back enough to take her sweet face in my hands, and I can see that she has a black eye and split lip, and I wish I could take that pain away for her. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry it took me so long to find you.”
She shakes her head and hugs me close again, as if she can’t stand the thought of letting go.
“Baby, we have to go,” Mateo says as he squats next to us. The other guys are hanging back so they don’t overwhelm my sister, and I love them all for it. “Let’s go home now, and we’ll figure everything else out when we get there.”
“We’re not going with you.” Rose shakes her head violently, pulling away from my husband, her eyes wild and scared. “You get away. You can’t touch her.”
“Hey, it’s okay.” I wipe her tears away with my fingers. “This is Mateo, and he’s my husband. I have so much to tell you, but you can trust him and his men.”
She’s still shaking her head. “I know who he is, and we can’t trust him. Linc said that he’ll kill us.”
“I’m sure he said a lot of things,” I murmur and kiss Rose’s cheek. “But that’s not true. I promise you.”
Her brows lower in a frown, and then she starts to cry again. “Will they hit us?”
“No.”
“Will I have to—”
“No. You don’t have to do anything at all,” I assure her, my heart breaking. “I promise you, Rosie. You’re safe now.”
“There are others inside.” Her lip quivers. “Or, there were. We couldn’t get them all.”
Oh no.
My eyes find Mateo’s, and he’s grim as he shakes his head once.
Fuck.
“Let’s get out of here,” I tell her as Mateo helps us to our feet. Diego steps up to Rose’s other side, and to my shock, she takes his hand.
“Um, you’re okay with Diego, sweetie?”
“He saved me,” she whispers softly, and that’s all I need to know.
With a nod, we walk to the SUVs, and I sit in the middle with Rose on one side and Mateo on the other. Diego is in the front seat with Bobby, and Lucky must be catching a ride in another car.
The entire way home, Rosie leans on me and cries. She’s in a nightgown, barefoot, and she’s so dirty from the fire, but she seems okay.
“Do we need to take you to the hospital?” I ask her.
“No.” She shakes her head. “No, please. I’ll get in trouble.”
“Hey, you listen to me, okay? You’re with me. Lettie. And you’ll never be in trouble for anything ever again because you’re safe. You’re safe, sweet girl.”
Her lip quivers, and she lets out a deep sigh, as if she’s been holding it for seven years.
“I don’t need the hospital. But will you sleep with me tonight?”
“Just try kicking me out.” I wink at her and kiss her cheek, but with my free hand, I reach for my husband.
His fingers immediately take mine, and I squeeze.
“Thank you.”
“You never have to thank me.”