Page 89 of Secret Bratva Baby
Sitting at his desk, I dial my old office number and ask the receptionist to put me through to Tanya, not giving my real name. I can’t remember her direct number by heart, but this works just fine.
Tanya answers with her usual professional tone until she hears my voice.
“Tania speaking, how can I help you?”
“Hi, it’s me.”
“Rose?” she gasps. “Is that seriously you?”
“It’s me,” I giggle, already better just hearing her voice. It reminds me of the familiarity and warmth of her friendship.
“Where have you been? What in the world is going on?” she laughs.
“I’ve got a lot to tell you. The truth is, I badly need my friend right now.” I sigh.
“This doesn’t sound good.” Worry taints her voice. “Rose, you actually sound terrible.”
Her sympathy chokes me with tears. I’ve been trying to hold myself together for Lily’s sake, but in this moment, I realize just how broken I am. Tania has been a support system for me for years, and in front of her, I don’t have to be brave.
I try to speak, but I can’t.
“Rose, no, you’re crying—honey, what’s going on? Can you come see me? Come and have a coffee with me—let’s talk face to face.”
I take a deep breath.
I have a car. Lily is safe. I could sneak away for an hour or two and meet her.
It has to be somewhere safe, though. I bite at my lip.
“Um. Okay. Can you meet me at the coffee shop on Main Street, the one with the blue doors? What is it called?” I ask, picking the most public, open, popular place I can think of.
“Of course. The Mint Sparrow. What time?”
“That’s the one. Can you meet me now?” I say, hopeful.
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
Relief washes over me. She’s even willing to sneak out of work to be there for me.
“Thank you. I can’t wait to see you.”
When I walk into the coffee shop, I have a new sense of awareness that was never there before. I take note of where people are sitting, how many people are around, who looks suspicious, things like that—things that I would never have paid attention to before learning what I know about the mafia.
I walk up to the table. She’s grinning at me, standing to greet me.
I hook my purse over the back of my chair, and Tania pulls me into a tight hug. I let myself melt against her, needing this hug so badly.
“You look exhausted,” she says, scrunching her nose at the sight of me, holding me at arm’s length to study my face.
“Okay, go easy on me,” I laugh, tucking my hair behind my ear as I pull the little chair out and sit down.
“I’ve already ordered you the usual. Hot chocolate and a cinnamon roll.”
“I’ve really missed you,” I grin.
“You have a lot to fill me in on—you said something happened with your family, but girl, I know you don’t have family, so what was that about? Then I couldn’t even call you back on your phone; you just disappeared. You'd better start from the beginning and tell me what in the world is going on with you.”
I let out a deep breath, rolling my eyes. “It’s a lot to try and explain, so bear with me—"
