Page 14 of Dark Consequences

“My name is Rosaline O’Leary. Rose for short,” she reveals. “My father was Patrick O’Leary, the previous Irish mob boss of the High Table. And Michael is the heir to the DiAngelo family.”

As if I’ve just set my hand on a burning stovetop, I stand quickly and move away from Rose. My eyes land on Mei. Completely unaware of the danger we’re in, my daughter continues to eat her cereal while fascinated by some picture book Rose brought.

Raphael is a DiAngelo. Just as I feared, I did, in fact, trade one hell for another. He’s not just a part of the world I’ve been trapped in for the past six years, he leads it.

Rose approaches, and I can’t help but feel a familiar sense of panic, like a deer caught in the blinding glare of oncoming headlights. Confusion fills her eyes when she speaks to me with concern. “Lily, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“I won’t go back,” I tell her, quite proud of how steady my voice sounds. “I will not be abused and hurt again.” I step forward into her space and drop my voice. “I would sooner die.”

Rose’s eyes transform from confused to panicked as my words sink in. “Oh my God…no, Lily. That’s–that’s not what…we’re not like Xiao. I swear. We’re trying to stop him.”

Raphael said the same thing, but now I’m not so sure.

“Sure, our families do business with illegal things, but human trafficking? Never. Not in a million years. Lily, we won’t hurt you. Or Mei. I promise.”

When she tries to touch me, I react instantly and withdraw my hands from her reach. The hurt that flashes across her face is too authentic to be fake, but I’ve been fooled before and will keep my distance until proven otherwise.

Still, there’s a saying that curiosity killed the cat, and I'm the stupid cat because I’m inquisitive despite my apprehension.

“You said your father sold you? How? Why?”

“When I was twelve, my mother, little brother, and I were in a car accident. They didn’t survive, but I did. And it destroyed my dad. So much so, he couldn’t stand the sight of me and sent me away for ten years to live with my uncle in Ireland. When he brought me home for my sister’s wedding, that’s when he told me he had arranged a marriage for me. To a man more than twice my age.”

If she’s trying to make a positive case for the High Table families, she’s not doing a very good job here. Her father sounds like a man Xiao would call a friend. Hell, maybe they are.

But…she can’t mean Michael. Can she? There’s no way he’s over twice her age. “You don’t mean Michael, right?”

Shaking her head, Rose gives a short laugh. “Oh, heavens no. When my father told me about my engagement, I ran off to a club where I met Michael for the first time. I had no idea who he was. I mean, how could I? We’re ten years apart, and I was sent away before we ever had a chance to meet. But anyway, that night it was like...love at first sight.” She smiles as if lost in the memory. “I know it sounds silly, but it was like I was meeting someone I’ve always known. Like I had finally found the second half of my soul.”

Damn me and my stupid fairy tale-loving heart. “And then?”

Her face explodes in a red flush. “Well, as you can imagine. Our eyes met across the dance floor, and it was like something out of a romance book. The moment he touched me, I knew I was done for. I’ll…spare you the details, but let’s just say a certain employee bathroom at the club could tell a hell of a story.”

Confusion grasps me. “I don’t understand. I mean...I–I understand what you mean by details...I just mean how could your father...I’m sorry.” I sigh, suddenly a bumbling idiot in front of Rose.

“You see this little baby right here?” she asks, gesturing to the sleeping infant beside her with a head full of beautiful red hair, and I nod. “Well, he’s…kind of a miracle. You see, Michael was told he couldn’t have kids, which was clearly a lie because a couple months later, I’m peeing on a stick and seeing two pink lines in return.”

A scary thought forms. “Did your dad sell you because you got pregnant?” My father, God rest his soul, would have never done something so cruel.

“Sort of.” Rose strokes her hand over her son’s head, peering down at him like he’s the greatest gift in the world. I understand the feeling. My greatest gift sits not far away from me. “I knew if my dad found out, he’d kill me, the baby, or hell, even us both. So my best friend Evie helped me escape to Italy. She’s kind of a computer genius, and she gave me a new identity. I gave birth to Liam there, made friends, and was as happy as I could be. Until my father found me.”

“And he sold you?”

“He did. I spent a week on a boat and then was brought to a warehouse, cleaned and dolled up to be sold like a pretty pig going to slaughter.”

“Did someone buy you?”

“Yes,” she answers softly, pulling her hand away from her son. She wrings her hands together like the pain serves as a reminder that she’s here in the present and not lost in the past. I know the technique well because I use it too when the memories threaten to consume me.

“Michael saved me before he could…hurt me in the way. And then he made sure the sick bastard could never hurt anyone ever again.” Rose straightens her spine, takes a deep breath, and meets my eyes with a shaky smile. “I’m thankful every day because I know it could have been worse. I could have…”

When she trails off, dropping her face again, I finish for her, “Ended up like me.”

“I’m so sorry, Lily. I wasn’t…I wasn’t thinking.”

She sounds so honest, so apologetic. Rose has never hurt me. If anything, she’s opened up to me about a part of herself that is difficult to remember and even more difficult to share. Like she chose to put herself through that to make me feel better. A complete stranger.

Despite every instinct in my body saying no, I choose to follow my battered yet optimistic stupid heart and reach out to grab Rose’s hand.

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