My tone is steady, but I am already forming a hit list in my mind. I will discover every name of the girls that were in her class and arrange their downfall – personally.
“Was anyone kind to you?”
She shakes her head. “Some were not unkind, but the ringleaders held so much power nobody wanted to go against them. It was easier to turn a blind eye and allow us to take the hit, and they hit a lot.”
The food arrives, and as we eat, my stomach churns. Three sisters who apparently had everything really had nothing at all. They were forced to flee to a place that may as well have been a prison, and they were denied a childhood, which doesn’t sit well with me.
Rose is deep inside her mind, and I allow her to remainthere for the rest of the meal, and only the occasional polite comment passes between us.
As we eat, a plan forms in my mind because Rose must be protected at all costs, while giving her amazing memories to replace the bad ones.
So, I shove aside my demons and prepare to make all her dreams come true, while figuring out the nightmares for her tormentors. Canton House is about to enter a dark period, and as soon as I’ve uncovered all the facts, I will burn that nightmare to the ground.
The first placewe head to is the theater. I’m guessing Rose hasn’t been a frequent visitor to that, and there’s a musical I think she may like that we passed on the way.
“What’s happening?” She stares at the bright lights of the building in front of us where many people are pouring through the doors, and I grip her hand a little tighter.
“We’re going to watch the show.”
“But we don’t have tickets.”
“Not yet, but we will.”
I head inside, pulling her behind me, and as soon as we reach the box office, I pull out my wallet and slide another bundle of cash toward the woman who is staring at me as if I have two heads or something.
“I want to reserve one of the boxes.”
“She glances at her computer screen and shakes her head. “We are fully booked.”
Rose sighs with disappointment beside me. “Maybe next time then.”
“Check again.” I slide more money the woman’s way, andsomething in my eyes causes her to swallow hard and tap away on her keyboard before saying brightly, “It appears that there is an opening. The box is usually reserved for a local business, but gave no indication they will be using it tonight.”
“Really.”
Rose sounds excited, and the woman smiles.
“Here are your tickets. Enjoy the show.”
Rose takes the tickets with a grateful smile and turns to me, her eyes shining.
“I can’t believe our luck.”
The woman catches my eye and I shrug. “Same.”
With a devilish wink at the woman, I grip Roses’s hand and we move toward the staircase that leads to the upper level. It doesn’t take us long to locate our box, and as the woman checks our tickets, she smiles respectfully. “Would you like to order some drinks, sir?”
“A bottle of champagne, please, and make it the finest you stock.”
Once again, I thrust several bills into her hand, and she nods, a flush of pleasure telling me she hit the jackpot tonight.
As we enter the private box, Rose turns to me and, without warning, she plants a soft kiss on my lips and whispers, “Thank you.” Before turning away and settling into one of the seats overlooking the stage.
As I join her, my heart is pounding because one sweet kiss from an innocent woman appears to be all it takes to set my world on fire.
22
ROSE
