Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
Rose
The storm outside is fading into the distance, but it’s still a constant roar. Remnants of any lingering rain tap the window. Minutes have passed without anyone talking. Niko continues to hammer away at the computer.
I'm still wrapping my brain around the fact that he was the masked man in the video.
He's a monster.
Maggie is lying on the bed, staring at me. Everything about this whole situation appears warped and unreal.
Yet, the hate I see in Maggie is very real.
I lock eyes with her and shift in my seat attempting to get a little more comfortable.
The ties dig further into my wrists. “What’s your endgame here, Maggie?
” The question comes out low, steady, despite the panic clawing at me.
“You’ve had my mom all this time. If you’re still angry about the fire, then why haven’t you killed her yet? ”
Maggie turns her head, and her mouth curves. “Because that would’ve been too easy,” she says softly. She sits up, swinging her legs and sitting on the edge of the bed. “I wanted you to see it, Rose. To feel it. To understand what it’s like to lose everything. The way I did.”
My adrenaline spikes. Did I hear that right? She wants me to watch her take my mom’s life. “You’re insane,” I accuse, breaking through the rising panic.
Her smile falters, and she pauses briefly. It’s clear she’s enjoying this, but deep inside her, something is hesitating.
And in that brief moment, I see it. The tiniest fracture beneath all the hate. Because as much as Maggie wants to hurt us, she’s fighting herself. Every breath tells me she’s torn in two.
Rage pulling one way.
Love pulling the other.
This isn’t just vengeance. It’s pain and grief that’s twisted into something she can barely control. She wants to end it, to finish what she started … but deep down, I think some part of her still remembers who we were. And that’s the only thing keeping us alive.
I search the room, desperate. There’s no weapon, no escape.
Nothing.
They’ve inflicted enough damage on my mom, and I have to keep them from hurting her anymore. But how? The only option I have left is to keep her talking. Keep them talking. To stall. And maybe if I push hard enough, I’ll get the truth out of them before it’s too late.
Starting with Niko. I glance in his direction.
He’s now abandoned his perch with the monitors and is against the wall near the window.
His arms are crossed as he stares outside, his jaw tight.
“And what about you?” I ask, trembling. “Why are you here, Niko, helping her? You two aren’t in a relationship anymore.
So what do you stand to gain with all of this?
Because if you thought this would make me love you, you are just as delusional as she is. ”
He looks at me, truly looks, and something shifts across his face. “Because she promised me money,” he says quietly. “A lot of it.”
The words hit like a slap. “Money?”
Maggie laughs. “It’s simple, really. My plan took shape when digging through your”—she directs this to my mom—“office one day. And I found your will. Of course, it said that if you croak, dear Rose here gets everything with a little left over for me. Well, I couldn’t let that happen, now, could I?
” She’s pacing now as she speaks. “But if you both die, well, it all passes to moi.” She points to herself, fluttering her eyelashes.
My insides twists. “You’re going to kill us for the inheritance?”
She shrugs. “Call it poetic justice. Plus, you’ll both be out of my life for good, so that’s an added bonus.”
Distant thunder rattles the windows again, a flash of lightning illuminating Niko’s face. He’s pale, eyes darting, jaw tight. He pushes himself off the wall. “Hold on. Getting rid of Rose wasn’t part of the deal.”
The conflict is there—the hesitation. He’s not as far gone as she is.
Maggie lifts a shoulder in defiance. “Plans change.”
In two long strides, he charges at her, standing inches from her face. “No! I agreed to help you get rid of Diane. You promised you would split your inheritance with me and then leave Rose and me alone. And it’s not a little bit of money. You don’t need it all. Why are you being so greedy?”
Pretty sure greed isn’t the only problem right now, Niko.
Maggie flips her arms, slamming them on her thighs. “Well, that was before you decided to take Rose! Kinda put a wrench in our plans, don’t you think. Because now, she will go to her new police boyfriend, you idiot. And all because you got jealous and possessive seeing her with Cal!”
“He’s not her boyfriend!” Niko screams out.
As they argue, I lock eyes with my mom. Her lips part as if she wants to speak, but nothing comes out. Her pale jaw trembles with terror, and yet she manages a small, broken smile. An attempt to comfort me when she’s the one who’s terrified. She’s trying so hard to hide it from me. But I see it.
Her face tells me what words can’t. Fear, love, and the quiet acceptance of someone who knows time is running out. The dim light of the room catches her eye, and for a moment, I see my mom as she’s always been. Brave, stubborn, and unbreakable.
A newfound resolve bubbles forth within me. Our lives are not ending in this room.
Niko straightens. “I love her. I won’t lose her to him. You know this.”
Maggie studies him for a long moment, shoves her palm in his face, then hisses. “I can’t with you. I’m going out to get some air.” She turns and strides to leave the room, muttering under her breath as she whips open the door and disappears.
The door clicks shut behind her.
Now there’s only me, Niko, Mom, the hum of the computers, the faint rattle of rain. My pulse thunders in my ears.
This is it. I steal a look at my mom, and she nods. It’s like she knows my intentions and what I’m about to do.
“Niko,” I implore softly. “Look at me.”
He does. And for a moment, I see the man I used to know—the one who made me laugh, the one who wooed me under the streetlights and made me so many promises.
“There has to be another way. Don’t listen to her,” I implore. “We can leave. You and me. I have plenty of money, so we’ll disappear. We can still fix this. Without hurting my mom. She’ll stay silent if you just let us go.”
“It’s true,” Mom chimes in. “I won’t say anything. I’ll even help. Tell me how much you would need to start over. Money’s no object.”
“See!” I watch him closely as the weight of my words sinks in. His jaw tightens, his breath falters, and for a second, it looks like he might agree.
But then his shoulders sag, defeated. “You’ll never forgive me,” he murmurs, the words cracking under their own regret.
“I already have.” I force out the lie, steady and calm. “You made a mistake. I get it. I was only pretending to be mad at you because of Maggie. She’s crazy. I didn’t want her to see the love that still exists between us. But if you let me go, we can start over.”
He studies me. I continue. “I understand why you took me from him.”
Suspicion and longing are warring in his eyes. “You mean that?”
“Yes,” I nod while trying to ignore the bile rising. “Niko, I need you.” I almost choke on the next lie. “I love you.”
He closes his eyes and exhales as soon as I say those three little words. As if he’s waited an eternity for me to declare them. He steps closer. “What about Cal?” he asks with bite.
I shake my head. “He means nothing to me, I swear. Getting your texts and then seeing you in the lobby stirred up so many emotions. It made me realize I missed you, and he was … there. Like Maggie was for you.” I force a weak smile.
“But you took care of him, right? He’s not a problem anymore.
” The thought of Cal bleeding out on that sidewalk wounds me deeply, but I bite it back, holding tight to my mom’s words.
Stay calm.
Another step closer. “Promise me.”
I’m suffocating. “I promise. It’s just us. You and me.”
His hand lifts slowly, fingers tracing the side of my face. The touch is heartbreakingly gentle, like I remember. Yet, cruel in its tenderness.
He hinges forward and his lips meet mine.
The urge to recoil hits hard. My body is itching to shove him away, to scream, to run.
But I don’t.
I can’t.
If I want us to live, I have to let him.
The kiss starts soft and hesitant before turning desperate. He tastes like rain and regret … and something darker that seeps under my skin.
He pulls back slowly, looking relieved. Happy. His breath trembles. “I still love you,” he sighs out slowly.
With his words still hanging and unbalanced, the door flies open.
Damnit!
Maggie stands frozen and unmoving, framed by the hallway light.
She saw the kiss.
Nobody moves. Nobody breathes.
Then she lifts the gun.
“I was gone for what, three minutes, and the first thing you do is run to her,” she snaps, with anger coiling around her. “God, you’re pathetic.”
She steps further into the room, gun still outstretched. “And now, because of the little kidnapping-shooting-an-officer stunt you pulled, the police are here.” She unlocks the safety. “I’m putting an end to this. To all of you. Right now.”