Roses & Thorns: Conquer

by Bry Ann

  “Come on, smooth talker. You’re not getting out of this. I want a date and I want answers.”

  I can see her blush as she pulls me through the house, but that statement effectively snaps me out of the fun and back to the purpose of the ‘date.’

  She wants answers from me. I’ve been gone a lot. I’ve been stressed. I nearly hit her, and I told her straight up that she didn’t know everything about the Rose situation.

  Stupid.

  Of course, she’d want to know. I haven’t given her answers for months since she agreed to let me help her. It’s not like me to let her down. I’ve made it my goal since the day I destroyed her life to be everything she needs me to. I’m failing her now.

  “Adam...? Um, Adam?”

  “Yes!” I stiffen and jerk myself back to reality.

  “Everything’s fine. I was wondering how you wanted to get there.”

  I groan and clench my fists. “I swear I’m not losing my mind,” I grumble.

  “It’s okay. Something must have happened. It’s been a long day.”

  No shit.

  “I’ll get a driver.”

  I can’t trust myself not to drink tonight. I grab my phone and rattle off a text to Enzio. The whole time, Lacey is staring at me with those all-knowing grey eyes of hers, but I avoid her gaze. I’m acting so unlike myself it’s actually ridiculous. Fucking Rose, and plain out fuck Miguel!

  “Adam, the car’s here.”

  She touches me softly, hesitantly. I wince when I realize she’s now starting to get scared I’ll hit her.

  “Right. Of course.”

  I place my hand on her lower back and usher her into the car. No one says a word the whole ride. As Boss, everyone’s mood revolves around mine. I realize that. I know it. I used to like it, but since Lacey’s moved this place from a house to a home, I hate that my pissy moods affect everyone, from my gate guards to my own daughter. It has its benefits, though, and I should value it. I should. It keeps my men in check.

  “Where to, sir?” Enzio asks from the front.

  “Ask Lacey,” I say tersely and go back to staring out the window.

  Through my peripherals, I see Lacey place her little hand on the front seat and lean forward.

  “Enzio, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Enzio’s a good man. He’s loyal, determined, and most importantly, he understands how to play the game.

  “I don’t get out much. Where’s a place that’s really quiet? Not a lot of people. I’d like some privacy.”

  “Chester’s. Despite the name, it has Chinese food. It looks like a hole in the wall, but only on the outside. It’s got good food, but more importantly, it’s small and has private rooms.”

  “That sounds perfect. Thank you so much, Enzio.”

  She offers him a warm smile and leans back in the seat before turning to me.

  “Is that okay?”

  “Sounds great, Lace.”

  My gaze starts to shift left, but I can’t stop replaying the way she spoke with Enzio. I grab her thigh and pull her towards me.

  “You speak with my men like they are friends,” I growl in her ear. “You rule them all. They do what you say, because you’re mine. More than that, you run this with me.” I extend my arms, referencing our grand house and all it encompasses. “You’re my partner.”

  She shakes her head, and shifts away from me slightly.

  “I don’t want to rule anything, especially not people.”

  “But my men hurt—”

  She slaps a hand over my mouth quickly and desperately.

  “I don’t hold grudges,” she says quietly.

  She scoots to the other side of the car immediately. It’s her turn to look out the window. I shouldn’t have said that.

  “We’re here, sir. Ma’am,” he adds with a nod to Lacey.

  “Thank you, Enzio.”

  She offers him a warm smile, then turns to me. Shit.

  “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, sir. That’s something you should keep stashed in that toolbox of yours. Maybe replace a knife or two with it.”

  With that, she opens the door and slams it behind her. I guess this fight isn’t as done as I thought. She’s still pissed at me.

  Slowly, I climb out behind her, delaying it.

  “What time should I pick you up, sir?” Enzio asks, voice remaining completely professional despite the wreck Lacey and I are.

  “An hour…”

  “And a half,” Lacey adds with a pointed glare. “We have a lot to discuss.”

  “Alright, ma’am— erm, sir,” Enzio adds, quickly realizing his mistake. Always address me first. I’m Boss, not Lacey. I give him a look, but can’t find it in me to fault him. Lacey says things with such an air of authority sometimes.

  “I’ll come in an hour, but you guys talk as long as you need,” Enzio says with a swallow, glancing between the two of us.

  “You’ll be waiting a while,” Lacey mutters.

  I can’t stop my lip from twitching. She’s so amusing when she’s like this. Even Enzio has to fight to keep his face neutral. I never thought of Enzio as anything other than manpower, but I’m beginning to think he’s someone to keep in mind. I’ll have to test him further. I study him up and down before lifting my chin.

  “Be here in an hour. Park, and we’ll be out when we’re done.”

  I can feel Lacey fighting to keep her mouth shut behind me, but I purposely said the politically correct thing. There’s nothing she can say. I turn to Lacey and extend my hand.

  “Please.”

  She sighs and drops her head. Without looking at me, she extends her hand. I wrap mine around hers and squeeze. When we get to the door, I put my hand out to stop her.

  “We’ll get through this, alright? Don’t give up on me.”

  Her neck nearly snaps from how fast she turns around. “I’d never,” she gasps. “It would take so much for that to happen. So, so much.”

  “On the marriage, yes. But the man behind the mask, the job, it’s easy to quit on him. There’s such a thing as a marriage without a relationship, little dove.”

  She shakes her head, looking truly upset. “I see you.”

  Without looking back at me, she hurries inside the restaurant, like it will answer our problems. I hate that after telling her not to give up on us, I’m now going to go and lie to her. I don’t like the feeling it gives me.

  I flash back to a scene that has haunted my nightmares for over two years now. Me, with a whip in my hand. Hurting her, the person who’s now become the sun in my dark world.

  Taking a deep breath, I walk inside.

  I can’t lie to her. I can’t tell her the truth either.

  No black, no white.

  It’s okay… grey is my specialty.

  Boss

  “Thank you,” Lacey says quietly to the waitress as she brings us our menus. I wish she’d just leave us alone. I’m sick of this place already. It’s a dump, and Lacey’s beaming like I took her to a five star restaurant. Her excitement makes me want to take her out more, but I notice the subtle bouncing of her foot under the table and the tension in her neck.

  She’s nervous, and trying to hide it.

  It’s a big step for her to volunteer to come here, so I’ll put up with the dingy red walls, excessive lamps, and staff of about three people. Lacey glances out the window, knowing I have guards stationed all around.

  “So, do you want to start, or should I?”

  I glance at the finger she has tapping on the table. When she sees where I’m looking, she jerks her hand away.

  “Look,” she addresses me directly. “You’re my husband, and something’s going on with you. I get that there are rules and I’m ‘just a woman’ but...” Her jaw clenches. “You have to give me something. I’m not some girl you wooed and married. I don’t expect a happily ever after. I married you knowing I’ll never have that. All I care about is that Rose does. But how can I protect her if I don’t
know what we are about to go up against?”

  “We aren’t going to be up against anything!”

  My eyes narrow in on her. That fire floods my veins. We damn well won’t.

  Lacey’s face falls. “I feel it, and I know you. You’re stressed. I’ve never seen you—”

  “I am not stressed Lacey!”

  “Please, don’t yell at me when you know I’m—”

  “Lacey Lesser.”

  Both of us jump and look up at the man in front of Lacey. He’s young, probably seventeen or so. He’s got some Hispanic blood in him, but it’s clear he’s mostly Caucasian. He’s good looking enough. How does Lacey know him? He called her by her real last name, which is… strange.

  I glance at her, and instantly, alarm bells go off. She’s as stiff as I’ve ever seen her. All the blood has drained from her face. Her hands are shaking against her silverware. My eyes darken and I place my hand on my gun.

  I push my chair back to find out who the hell this man is…

  “Fuck you!” Lacey’s scream rings out. I fly up, but I’m not fast enough. She’s flying at him with her fork.

  “Arghhh!” She roars, letting her arm fly toward him. He catches her wrist with a laugh. That doesn’t deter her. She reaches around his back and grabs it, trying with the other hand.

  What the hell? What is she doing?

  “Get your hands off of her,” I say with eerie calm, pointing my gun between his eyes. This has been the day from hell.

  Lacey is manic; kicking, punching, biting. The staff comes running in the small side room we are in, but I point my gun their way.

  “Leave. Don’t call the cops if you value your life.”

  Their faces pale further and they sprint from the room. They better not call the fucking cops. I don’t need that shit right now.

  I spin back to the man who now has Lacey’s back to him. My anger has now morphed from a small flame at the beginning of this interaction to a full-on raging wildfire.

  I cock my gun. “Get your fucking hands off of her.”

  “Oh, Adam,” the man laughs. “You won’t shoot me with her in my arms.”

  My blood turns to ice. How the fuck does he know my name? The only person who’d use it… Damn it the fuck to hell. I lift my gun higher.

  “Miguel,” I growl.

  “Aww, we’re on a first name basis,” he grins. “Thanks for sparing me that night.”

  He lifts a knife I didn’t know he had in the air.

  “Yeah, thanks for sparing me just to kill my entire family.”

  His grip tightens on Lacey. I look at her. She doesn’t look scared. She looks furious. She looks like rage personified, but she’s keeping herself controlled. What is she doing? What is she planning? What does she need me to do? I need my men in here. He’s grown up so much in two years. My men wouldn’t have recognized him coming in here.

  I could shoot my bullet somewhere random, alert my men. But then what would he do to Lacey?

  Hell, I’m more scared than she is.

  “What do you want, Miguel?” I say, slipping my mask on, but letting my gun drop. Distraction, until I think of something better.

  “Just to say hello. Meet the lovely couple. Although, dare I say, things look tense. I hope there’s not trouble in paradise.”

  That gets a struggle from Lacey. He chuckles. She’s not trying her hardest; she’s running off emotion. She knows better! Fuck, I’m being an asshole. She’s not built for this life.

  I am.

  “Miguel, let Lacey go. This is between us.”

  His eyes darken. “Is it? Is it?!” He jerks Lacey’s little body. “Is this not the whore my dad died for?”

  I step forward with a growl. “Watch it, Miguel! You’re a kid. I don’t want to kill you,” I snarl.

  “Oh you already want to kill me.” He grins. He moves to look down at Lacey, but before he can speak, she jams the top of her head into his chin, quickly spinning to slam her palm under his nose.

  I want to shoot, but Lacey’s not thinking, she’s acting, and she keeps blocking my shot no matter where I move. I can’t use the gun. It’s too risky. I shoot to the left to alert my men, then throw my gun in its holster. I run forward, but as I do, Miguel jams his body into Lacey’s stomach and flips her over his shoulder. I hear all the air leave her lungs. Blood drips down his face as he holds the knife over her disoriented body.

  He leans over to smirk two inches from Lacey’s face. “Oh, I remember. You’ve been boxing, right?” He laughs sardonically. “Tell your trainer you have a long way to go.”

  His gaze shifts to me in my fight-ready position.

  “Move and she’ll have another scar to add to her collection. Maybe her face this time?”

  He drags the knife lightly down her cheek, not hard enough to draw blood. I can’t let him do that. She’d die. It’d kill her to have a scar she can’t hide. A scar she can’t hide from her daughter, even.

  Fuck!

  Enzio and the two bodyguards who drove behind me come running in. They all have guns. Miguel grabs Lacey’s hair and pulls her head off the ground, bringing the knife right to her neck. My world spins.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  This is what bone deep fear feels like.

  Enzio is looking at Lacey. He’s strong, but he’s the only one of my men who looks genuinely worried for her. The other two look like killers, emotionally unaffected, like they are technically supposed to be. But in this moment, I’m fucking glad someone cares for Lacey on a personal level like I do. That she’s not just another job to Enzio, because she’s not to me. That’s my world right there. My entire sun and moon with a blade to her neck.

  “This is how this is gonna go,” Miguel spits. “I’m gonna walk right out the front door. I guarantee those cowardly Asians didn’t call the cops. Lacey comes with me to ensure you don’t shoot me.”

  He smirks.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t put her in my car. She’s yours to fuck once I’m driving off into the sunset.”

  “No deal! No fucking deal, Miguel!” I growl.

  “See, it wasn’t a negotiation.”

  He digs the blade in a little deeper, deep enough that a sliver of blood slips out. Enzio steps forward on instinct, but catches himself and steps back. He could slit Lacey’s throat if any of us lose it. It’s not a risk we can take.

  I look at Lacey to comfort her, but she’s gone. A body with no soul takes her place. My heart feels like it’s being torn open. I never wanted to see this look on her face again.

  “I come with you. And my men.”

  “Fine,” he shrugs. “You shoot, or try anything, I kill her.”

  He jerks Lacey’s head.

  “We won’t. You hurt her…”

  “Don’t worry, your whore is safe.”

  “That’s my wife!”

  “Alright.”

  He jerks Lacey to her feet by her hair. I’m being burned. I have to be. The way Lacey barely reacts, simply stumbles on her feet to stand, guts me. My men all have narrowed eyes and complete focus, trained killers like I should be right now, but she has me blinded.

  He keeps the knife at Lacey’s throat as we walk out of the restaurant. I don’t know where the staff is. Hiding, probably. Smart. They’ll call the police after. It won’t matter then. I have contacts, and honestly, even if they suspect me, they are not going to take on the mafia over an event that didn’t even have casualties. The idea is almost laughable.

  I stiffen, as do all my men, when he gets to his car. He opens his door. I swear to God, if he tries to take her, I will fucking jump on that car and smash his window. Instead, the sound of her knees scraping against the asphalt fills the damp, musty air.

  “As promised.”

  Then he’s skidding off. My men try to shoot his car, but he’s too fast and the car is bulletproof. I suspected that. I’ll give orders in a minute, but right now it’s Lacey. Her first.

  “Lacey!” I run over and crouch in front of her. “La
cey, say something to me, little dove.”

  I know better than to touch her right now. I need to give her a minute to get back to herself.

  “Lace?” I beg.

  Her shaky hands plant on the asphalt and she starts to push herself up. She’s seated when she looks at me. I realize the shaking wasn’t from fear. Fuck, it was anger. Pure. Rage. She’s vibrating with it.

  “Are you okay?” I ask slowly.

  Her eyes are like laser beams.

  “He got away!”

  She jumps to her feet. Her knees are bleeding and scraped up pretty badly. Her neck is bleeding, too. The air has got to be knocked out of her, but I don’t think she notices any of it.

  “Fuck. How do we get him? I had my chance! I had my… fuck!”

  She paces in a circle furiously. I’ve never heard her curse so much. Ever, really. My men are looking at me, wondering what to do with her like this, when a thought occurs on me. I feel a tornado brimming on the surface. I start to vibrate.

  “Lacey, how do you know him?”

  All her pacing stops. All the fury slips away in an instant. She just freezes, and I know. I already know.

  “He was there. He hurt me.”

  How? I want to demand that she tell me. What did he fucking do to her? But that’s all she says before sliding away. She numbly walks to the car and shuts herself inside it. I have no right to ask her. I’m no better. I have no right to demand anything of her. Nobody speaks for several long minutes. Impressively, it’s Enzio who speaks first.

  “Is she going be okay?”

  I don’t let anything show. I just nod.

  “She’s been through a lot worse. This is Lacey. She wouldn’t completely fall apart with a daughter at home.”

  He nods. One of my bodyguards speaks up next.

  “What now, Boss?”

  I glare down the road where his car once was, before turning back to face my men.

  “Check everywhere to see if there is any security footage. I want every detail of his car, his clothes, look, height, weight… everything you can get me. I want it all. That is your focus until I find out more about this kid from Sven.”