Chapter Forty-Two
Rosalie
Is it wrong of me to imagine stabbing my ‘date’ with a fork?
As Chase’s hand reaches across the table to rest over mine for the third time, I smile with gritted teeth back at him.
Now I remember his constant habit of touching and how much it bugged me before.
Feeling his warm palm slide over my knuckles makes my insides revolt, and I have to stamp down my irritation.
It’s different when it’s Maddox, Kairo, or even Roman. Their touch feels welcoming and comfortable. Chase’s just feels grimy. Like I need hand sanitizer or a scalding shower to wash it off.
Make them jealous. That will snap them out of their stupidity.
Charlie’s advice seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I wish she were here so I could kick her in the fucking shins.
“I’m so glad you finally agreed to this, Rose.” Chase smiles, but it lacks the luster and light of Kairo’s aura. It feels rehearsed—sterile.
“Me too,” I lie, forcing my lips to upturn.
“I’ve missed you,” Chase brushes his thumb over my knuckles. He’s conventionally attractive with his clean-cut hair and sharp jawline. His face is symmetrical, with high cheekbones. I’ve always thought he was handsome, but I don’t feel that spark between us.
Not like with…
I cut the thought off, shunting myself back to reality as I try to focus on this disaster of a date.
“You know?” Chase says. “You’re the one who got away.”
“Oh?” I sound intrigued, but it’s only to mask my surprise. I don’t like where this is going…
“Yeah,” he chuckles. “Our fans have been waiting for this moment, and so have I…”
Okay, time for me to find an exit.
“Umm, thank you for that, but I don’t think I’m ready—”
“She’s taken,” A familiar voice says from behind Chase. My date tenses as a hand slaps over his shoulder roughly, thick, tattooed fingers digging into his expensive dress shirt as he peers behind him with fear in his eyes.
Roman peers down at him, murderous intent swirling in his irises. It’s the most intense I’ve ever seen him, and a spark of excitement ignites in me.
“I’m sorry…” Chase’s eyes flicker between the three men crowding around him like a brick wall of pure muscle. “But who are you?”
“The bodyguards, boyfriends, whatever title you want to put on it.” Kairo tilts his head as he smirks tightly. “She’s taken.”
Roman’s sea blue eyes shift to me, something profound passing behind them. “You can either follow us out, or I’m throwing you over my fucking shoulder, Rosalie.”
I cross my arms over my chest, settling back in my chair. “Oh? What brought on this sudden change? I thought I was free to do as I pleased—”
“You’re not,” Roman interrupts me. “I made a fucking mistake not communicating with you, but listen well, Siren. You’re ours.” He motions to Chase dismissively. “This isn’t happening.”
I roll my lips in to stop my smile. “Mhmm.”
Roman leans forward, bracing his hands on the table as he stares me dead in the eyes. “Ass up or I will remove you myself.”
I place my hands on the table, mimicking him as I lean forward. I don’t care that the whole restaurant has gone silent at our scene or that there’s a camera flashing across the dining room. It’s just us. “Come and get me then.”
He stalks around the table, dragging me up by my bicep before slinging me over his shoulder. He uses a hand to smooth down my dress as we leave. I bury my face in my hands because my cheeks feel like they’re going to catch fire as the guys walk me out to the valet.
“This is your fault, you know?” I call over Roman’s shoulder. “You have a serious issue with speaking your mind.”
He slaps a hand over my ass. “And you’re loud enough to voice yours without any thought of the repercussions. Keep talking back.”
He sets me down in front of the SUV’s back door, and I huff a breath as I scowl at him. “I’m not done—”
Kairo pulls the door open before Roman shoves me into the backseat. Maddox slides in after me, blocking me from reaching for the handle as Kairo takes the other side, sandwiching me between them. Roman gets behind the wheel, slams on the gas, and speeds away from the restaurant.
I slap my hands on my thighs, giving a horrid sound in the back of my throat. “You told me to do as I please! I was only taking your advice!”
Roman’s eyes flicker to me in the rearview.
“And I was stupid to even say that. I meant what I said, you know? About you never having a choice. This is me fucking proving it, because fuck it all, Rosalie. Fuck my sanity and fuck my stupid mouth. You think you can erase us?” He chuckles darkly, shaking his head.
“I’ll show you just how fucking hard it will be to unmark us from every heavenly inch of you.
I’ll taint your god damned soul if I have to. ”
My lips slam shut as my eyes widen.
He means it. Every. Word.
Roman only gets this passionate when he’s desperate. He tends to leave his feelings dormant and unmoved. Unless he’s literally fighting for something.
Like us.
The truth is, they have left a mark on my soul.
This act was all to get them to show they feel the same—that deep connection that’s bound us together since the very beginning.
Where they were once monsters in my story, they’ve become my monsters.
I’ve never felt safer than with the three men in this car.
This whole time, I’ve been plummeting too quickly to stop myself.
I’ve finally landed, and I’m right where I want to be. Trapped. With them.
“Then mark me,” The words whisper from my lips. My eyes return to Roman’s in the rearview, my gaze so clear and determined. “Do it.”
Kairo grabs a duffel bag off the floor, pulling three neon masks from it. I recognize the green one instantly as Maddox’s as the blonde passes a blue one to the driver and takes the pink one for himself.
“You asked for this,” Roman says as he pulls over onto the shoulder. We’re near my home, I know that much. Beyond my privacy fence is a thick forest of redwood trees. It stretches for a few miles, covering the hillside of my private home.
“What’s going on?” I glance between them as they pull their masks over their faces. My heart slams as Kairo throws his door open and drags me out after him. I stumble a little over the brush, and the blonde holds me by my bicep until I get my footing. When I peer up, they all seem to back off.
“Here’s how this is going to go,” Roman says, his deep voice muffled by the plastic over his face.
“You have until dawn to outlast us, Rosalie. While our game is in motion, we have the full range to do whatever we please to you. If one of us catches you, that’s your surrender until they release you.
If all of us catch you, there’s no letting you go.
You’ll suck and fuck as much as we want you to until the sun comes up. Do you understand?”
Darkness surrounds us as the sun sinks low in the sky. Within minutes, night will blanket over us. I’ll be in total darkness as I fight through the woods.
My pulse hammers as I swallow and nod.
“Time starts now,” Roman growls.
I blink before ripping off my heels and storming into the thick forest. My bare feet pound against the Earth as I bunch the bottom of my dress up past my knees. My hair is pulled into a braided crown atop my head, and the flyaway hairs that have come loose tickle my neck and ears.
The fresh air invades my senses, and a faintly sweet aroma wafts to me as I glide along a path.
Lots of tourists hike in this area, so it makes sense to follow the clearly marked stretch that’s barren, but I know the guys will anticipate that.
They’ll expect me to take the safest routes—something that could lead me back to civilization.
I’m not prey. I’m their equal, and if they think I’ll let them catch me so easily, they have another thing coming.
I sail over the path and head deeper into the thicket, careful not to step on anything sharp.
I’m going to lose sunlight soon, and it won’t be as easy to navigate once the last few tendrils of light fade.
My plan is to get as far as I can before finding a hiding spot.
It also helps that I can see the large privacy fence that stretches along the far right.
There’s civilization on the other side, but I use it as my guide as I traverse the rugged terrain.
I’m so preoccupied with getting further away from the main road that I only notice the sun has set when I become bathed in white-blue light from the moon.
I finally stop, my chest caving with my deep breaths as I observe my progress.
The forest is alive with the echoes of bugs chirping and the rustling of leaves in the slight wind.
There’s no sound of gaining footprints, and my shoulders dip as I settle on a leisurely stroll to source my hideout.
There’s a hill of higher ground that I walk around, squinting into the dark as I find the lip of a small cavern.
It’s shallow, but big enough for me to squeeze into as I crouch down and crawl along the leaves.
With each shuffle forward, I hiss at the crinkling sound beneath my knees until I wedge myself comfortably into the opening.
I pull my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them as I quiet my breathing and stare out into the night.
There’s the raspy croak of a frog somewhere in the distance and the patter of something small moving through the brush.
It’s serene, and I almost forget what I’m hiding from as I rest my chin on top of my knees and listen intently.
Until a twig snaps from behind my cavern, and my head shoots up. My heart slams in my chest as I slap a hand over my mouth to stifle my breathing. I listen with strained ears for any signs of boots sliding along the mulch, but come up short.
They must be quietening their footsteps.