Page 62 of Petals & Promises

Yun frowned as he processed that idea. “Eli, do you know if the cops found anything on Randall Chambers?”

“As far as they can tell, he’s been a model citizen. Although, with a mother as powerful as his, I wouldn’t be surprised if she got his record wiped or paid people to keep things off his record. They’d have to get a court order to look at the Scent Matchers’ official records.”

Yun scoffed at that. “No one has ever been able to get a judge to approve one of those.” Leaning forward, he rubbed his head with both hands before shooting to his feet and pacing.

“How long can they hold him?” I asked.

“Twenty-four hours,” Eli sighed. “If they don’t have proof by then, they’ll have to let him go.”

“Wait,” Yun shouted. “What if Bailey-Rose picked him out of a lineup? They can’t deny an eye-witness, especially when it’s the victim of the crime.”

“No,” Eli barked. “Bailey-Rose is not going anywhere near him.”

“I don’t like the idea either, but I would much rather get this man put in jail,” Yun argued. “All right. What if we could have your investigator look at the hospital records and see if there’s anything about his previous pack? There can’t be many Omegas who were admitted for being attacked.”

“Oh, there might be a report about a fight too,” Rosie added. “He attacked one of the other Alphas when they refused to let him see her. They called security, but he ran off which is when he met me.”

“It’s worth a try, but I don’t know if they can find that information in time. Hospitals are not known for giving out information,” Eli warned.

Bailey-Rose’s hands were curled tightly around the blanket in her lap as if she were trying to hold herself together. It was hard to get a feel for her emotions since they were changing faster than I could track them. Then she started to chew on her bottom lip as her brows furrowed. I knew that look. I’d seen it on her face anytime she needed to face up to something that scared her. As if to echo what I already knew, a tidal wave of determination poured out of her.

“Eli,” Rosie said, cutting off the conversation between her brother and Yun. “We’re coming home, I’m getting off the plane, and I’m going to the police station.”

“I said no, Bailey-Rose, that’s not going to happen,” Eli stated.

There haven’t been many times that I’ve seen these two siblings fight, but from what Crew told me, it was legendary.

“Eli, I love you, and I know you want what’s best for me, but you can no longer dictate what I do. I am a bonded Omega, and the only people who can keep me from doing this are them,” Bailey-Rose countered and took a deep breath, trying to calm the adrenaline flowing through her. “I’m not asking… I’m telling you that’s what we are doing.”

Before I could even think to stop her, Rosie reached out and ended the call. While I understood they were siblings, I somehow got the feeling no one hung up on Eli Thatcher. Instantly, my phone was ringing, and Eli’s name popped up on the screen. I went to answer, but Rosie hit the fuck-off button and turned on the do-not-disturb mode.

“He will stop calling eventually,” Rosie commented as she got up from the couch.

“Kitten, I think we need to talk,” Vili pointed out, catching her wrist as she passed by. “No, do not glare at me. This affects us all, so we will take a moment to talk as a family.”

“He’s right, baby girl, and before you get all fired up, none of us are saying no,” Gareth reasoned. “Please, just let us walk through what this means for you to do this. There is nothing we want more than for this to be over, but not at the expense of your well-being.”

She relented and let Vili tug her to sit next to him. “Tell us why.”

Rosie frowned. “What?”

“Why you? Why not find other pack and arrest him again for that crime?” Vili clarified.

Not expecting that question, she needed to sit with that a moment before she answered, “Because if I can do something that will get him off the streets and put away so he can’t do this to me or anyone else ever again, then that’s what I’ll do. I would never be able to look myself in the mirror if I didn’t. What if he did this to another Omega, and they couldn’t or didn’t fight back? Part of the blame would be on me.”

Vili nodded but didn’t say anything, so the rest of us followed his lead, trusting he knew what he was doing. Rosie’s eyes welled up with tears, and it took all my willpower not to go to her. I could feel her pain, fear, and sadness swirling like a hurricane in her emotions.

“You keep telling me I was brave, I fought back, and I survived,” she started, pausing to sniff and wipe at a tear that slipped out. “None of that is how I feel about that day. Yes, I survived, but in doing so, I also put my life on the line. There was no way I could know if the ambulance would make it there in time or if the surgery would work. Yet everything turned out for the better, but I don’t feel like I survived. Randall still haunts my dreams, and I fear when I have to look at a phone, his name might pop up with a text or something telling me I belong to him. Going to that police station, looking him in the eyes, and sealing his fate to be locked away… that’s when I know I’ve fought back and earned the right to say I was brave.”

Hearing Rosie say she didn’t think she was brave tore at my heart. How could she not see the truth? Bailey-Rose Thatcher was one of the bravest fucking people I’d ever known, and it had nothing to do with what happened with Randall. For twenty-five years of her life, Rosie faced death every goddamn day, having a ticking time bomb of a heart living inside her. Even though I could see that clear as day, it was obvious that she didn’t, and no one but her could change that.

“Thank you, my brave, sweet kitten, for being honest,” Vili praised, pulling Rosie onto his lap, cuddling her close, and kissing the top of her head. “If this is something you need, then we will be right at your side. You will not face this fear alone.”

Warrick stood, pulled out his phone, and kissed Rosie’s nose. “Hi, Captain… change of plans. We’re flying back home in the morning. Yup, what’s the earliest we can take off? Seven…” Warrick glanced at Rosie, knowing she wasn’t a fan of early mornings. She nodded and blew him a kiss as he finalized things with our pilot.

“Well, looks like we should go pack. It’s gonna be an early morning,” I announced.

Everyone got up and headed for the bedroom except for Gareth, who went to talk to his mother.