“Well, idiot that I am, I believed them.”She turns away, reaching into the dresser.I watch in silence as she pulls off her T-shirt and puts on a bra, followed by a black, long-sleeved shirt.There are scratches and bruises on her smooth skin, some in the shape of finger marks, and I have to hide my reaction as she turns back to face me and says, “I told them earlier that this was my first visit to this country, so I thought they wanted to show me a good time.”
“Oh, Rosa…” I step toward her, my chest aching, but she holds up her hand.
“Don’t.”She swallows.“Just let me finish.”
I stop a couple of feet from her, and she continues after a moment.“As soon as we got past the bathrooms, out of sight of the people standing in line, the younger one, Brian, jumped me and dragged me into that room.There was this teenage guy too, and he watched the whole thing before Sean told him to go stand out in the hallway and make sure no one came in.I think they were going to”—she stops to compose herself for a second—“going to give him a turn after they were both done.”
As she speaks, the rage I felt in the club returns.It had gotten subsumed beneath the weight of grief, pushed aside by the agony of my own loss, but now I’m aware of it again.Sharp and burning hot, the anger fills me until I’m all but shaking with it, my hands clenching and unclenching by my sides.
“I think you know the rest of the story,” Rosa continues, her voice growing more brittle by the second.“You came in just as I was trying to fight off Sean.If it hadn’t been for you…” Her face crumples, and this time I can’t hang back.
Closing the distance between us, I embrace her, holding her as she begins to shake.Underneath my anger, I feel helpless, utterly inadequate to the task at hand.What happened to Rosa is every woman’s worst nightmare, and I have no idea how to console her.To an outsider, what Julian did to me on the island might seem the same, but even during that traumatic first time, he had given me some semblance of tenderness.I’d felt violated, but also cherished, as incongruous as that combination might be.
I’ve never felt the way Rosa must be feeling now.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, stroking her hair.“I’m so sorry.Those bastards will pay.We’ll make them pay.”
She sniffles and pulls away, her eyes shimmering with tears.“Yes.”Her voice is choked as she steps back.“I want them to, Nora.I want it more than anything.”
“Me too,” I whisper, staring at her.I want Rosa’s attackers dead.I want them eliminated in the most brutal way possible.It’s wrong, it’s sick, but I don’t care.Images of the man Julian killed last night float through my mind, bringing with them a peculiar sense of satisfaction.I want the other one—Sean—to pay the same way.
I want to unleash Julian on him and watch my husband work his savage magic.
A knock on the door startles us both.
“Come in,” Rosa calls out, using her sleeve to wipe the tears from her face.
To my surprise, Julian enters the room, his expression tense and oddly worried.He’s changed clothes since this morning, and his hair looks wet, as though he just took a shower.
“What’s wrong?”I ask immediately, my heart rate spiking.“Did something happen?”
“No,” Julian says, crossing the room.“Not yet.But we may need to expedite your departure.”He stops in front of me.“I just learned that an artist’s sketch of the three of us is being circulated in the local FBI’s office.The brother who got away must have a good memory for faces.The Sullivans are looking for us, and if they’re as well connected as we think, we don’t have much time.”
Fear wraps like barbed wire around my chest.“Do you think they already know about my parents?”
“I have no idea, but it’s not entirely out of the question.Call them now, and tell them to pack what they can.We’ll pick them up in an hour, and I’ll bring all of you to the airport.”
“Wait a minute.”I stare at Julian.“All ofus?What about you?”
“I need to deal with the Sullivan threat.Lucas and I will remain behind along with most of the guards.”
“What?”I find it hard to breathe all of a sudden.“What do you mean, you’ll remain behind?”
“I need to clean up this mess,” Julian says impatiently.“Now, are we going to waste time talking about this, or are you calling your parents?”
I swallow the bitter objections rising in my throat.“I’m going to call them now,” I say tightly, reaching for my phone.
Julian is right; now is not the time to argue about this.However, if he thinks I’m going to meekly go along with this, he’s deeply mistaken.
I will do whatever it takes not to lose him again.
32
Julian
The drive to Nora’s parents’house passes in tense silence.I’m busy coordinating the security logistics with my team, and Nora is furiously texting with her parents, who seem to be bombarding her with questions about the sudden change of plans.Rosa watches us both quietly, the black-and-blue swelling on her face hiding her expression.
As soon as we arrive, Nora hurries into the house, and I follow her in, not wanting to leave her alone for even a half hour.Rosa remains in the car with Lucas, explaining that she doesn’t want to be in the way.
