Page 115 of The Love Bandits

“Or a punishment,” she insists. “Tell me more about this man.”

So he does. He tells her Roark’s name, and I interject and tell her a little more about what he did to Jake and Ryan. How he used them. She listens with an unreadable expression, her posture perfect.

Rosie sits and listens to it all, too, mostly silent.

I’m still in shock that my sweet friend is the one who stole the Heart of the Mountain. Sort of. But now that I think aboutit, there were signs. She’s been more agitated and jumpy than normal, and everything happened so quickly with Joy.

Mrs. Rosings’s lips purse as we finish our story.

It hits me that this woman whom I thought I didn’t like, whom I’ve spent the last couple of months begrudgingly working for, has our fate in her hands. I should be more nervous about that, but if I’ve learned anything about Mrs. Rosings, it’s that she operates by her own laws…and they’re fair, more or less. I disliked the way she treated Nina, but now that I know why, I can’t say I blame her.

Finally, Mrs. Rosings clears her throat and says, “Well, this afternoon has been exceedingly exciting.Has this Roark set a meeting place to make the exchange?”

“No,” Jake says, his body tensing beside me. I squeeze his hand and lean in to him, because I’ve gotten to know her well enough that I can sense what she’s dancing around. “I was supposed to get in touch with him once I acquired the necklace.”

“Then you’d better get around to that, hadn’t you? I’ll be going with you, of course. The necklace doesn’t leave my sight.”

He stares at her, his mouth opening and then closing. “Mrs. Rosings…”

“Oh, not to worry. We’ll get your brother out if he wants to be gotten.”

“Roark’s going to want to keep the necklace,” Jake finally manages, running a hand back through his hair. His hand is trembling slightly, and I lay claim to it once he’s done. I know he has to be thinking about Dale, the man with the watch. My own heart feels like a stranger, because Mrs. Rosings, the woman who’s always looked at me and seemed to find me wanting, is being kinder to me and the man I love than my parents ever were.

Jake swallows, then adds, “He has this museum…”

“Does he?” she asks with interest. “Tell me about it.”

He does, and Mrs. Rosings nods as if this confirms something for her. “It’s not the necklace he really wants. It’s revenge. Well…I think thisRoarkhas caused quite enough of a fuss, don’t you? We’ll set him straight.”

Jake is now openly gaping at her. Rosie too.

“Mrs. Rosings,” I say, catching on. “This man is a dangerous criminal, and you’re saying you’re going to set him straight. Do you…do youknowthis man?”

“Yes,” she says, smiling at me as if I’m a star student. “Yes, Elaine, I rather think I do.”

“Howdo you know this man?” I ask in disbelief.

She sighs, picking at the arm of her chair as if she finds the beige fabric wanting. With a glance down the hall, she says, “Perhaps that’s why I keep seeing Adrien today. I had an affair with Edmund about thirty years ago, and it would seem he’s held a grudge. I’m guessing most of the people lucky enough to make it into his museum earned his ire in some way.”

Jake makes a face that almost—almost—makes me laugh.

“Mrs. Rosings,” I say with a gasp.

She smiles at me. “Does it shock you that I was young once? I tried to warn you about your young man, you know. After spending half an evening with him, I was quite sure he wasn’t who he said he was.”

More shock, chased by a healthy dose of respect runs through me. “No,” I admit, my hand still wrapped around Jake’s. “But he’s who he said he was today. He’s a good man,” I say, my voice swelling with emotion. “And he’s going to use the skills he acquired from doing…questionable things to help people from now on. Webothare.”

Jake turns on the couch and regards me with parted lips, his eyes warm and so full of love. “I fucking worship you,” he says, his voice low, although everyone in the room can probably hear him. He doesn’t seem embarrassed though. Heneverseems embarrassed. It’s one of the things I love about him—he’s unapologetically himself, which is not to say he’s unapologetic. He regrets what he’s done, and he’d like to atone for it, but he doesn’t seem to hate himself.

I don’t want to hate myself anymore. Before Todd and I broke up, I loathed looking in the mirror. The person I saw staring back at me never felt right. She was well-groomed but not happy. Definitely not fulfilled. But I’m on the road to feeling that way, and I’m enjoying the journey. Because he’s seen me as I am—not some shined-up version of me—and he's made me feel special and loved. And that’s a gift I’ll always carry with me, no matter what happens next.

“Can we have a minute?” I ask Mrs. Rosings and Rosie.

Mrs. Rosings laughs as if I’ve cracked a joke. “This isn’t your house, you know.”

“It’s not yours either.”

She gives me one of her signature withering looks, but her lips are quirked slightly in amusement. She doesn’t hate me. Maybe she never has, and I was just projecting because a part of me still hated myself. That’s going to change. It’s going to change now.

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